For me it has been quite a journey. I always knew I wanted to write for Love Inspired Suspense, but it took ten years for that dream to become a reality. Along the way, there were many trial and errors on my part.
In 2012, I entered the Speed Dating Contest that editor Emily Rodmell hosted and I was one of the lucky ones who got an appointment to chat with Emily. On the day of the pitch, I was on vacation in Colorado. At our cabin, there is no internet service. I could have given up and said, "Well, that's it," but I didn't. My husband and I drove into the small town of Pagosa Springs where I did the entire chat on my laptop in the parking lot of the Ace Hardware Store.
Emily was kind enough to request a synopsis although I was so nervous she probably didn't understand anything I told her. I promptly sent the synopsis out to her. Then she requested the first three chapters followed by the full manuscript. With each request, I tried not to get my hopes up.
In December 2012, Emily called to tell me I had sold to Love Inspired Suspense. It was a surreal moment. One that hasn't fully sunken in yet. It's a great feeling to have your dream become a reality and even greater to hold your book in your hands.
2. WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A WRITER?
I grew up reading everything that I could put my hands on. As I grew older, my reading tastes changed considerably from reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys to Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt. Once I read their books, I was hooked. I loved the sense of drama and suspense they wove into every page of their stories. I knew then that I wanted to be a writer.
I've always loved creating stories in my head, so writing came natural for me. Yet there have been a few times throughout my journey to become a published author that I thought about quitting. In the end, I couldn't do it. I'd stop for a day or so but then I'd have an idea pop into my head and I'd start writing again.
I think if you're a writer, you're a writer. There is no quitting because the stories in your head won't let you.
3.WHAT INSPIRED YOUR BOOK?
I've always wanted to use the windswept coastline of Maine as a backdrop for a story. When I came up with the idea of my heroine, Faith McKenzie running for her life from a villain she couldn't remember, I decided Hope Island, Maine would be the perfect location for her run to. What better place is there to seek refuse than on an island, after all? Then I threw in one handsome private investigator named JT Wyatt who had his own dark past to overcome and the story was born for Forgotten Past.
4. What did you learn after becoming published that you wish you'd known beforehand?
I think I've learned to value myself as a writer more and I've learned to slow down and enjoy to process of creating a story. It's not a race, after all. Keep writing what you are heart convicts you to write and the rest will follow.
5. What is the best piece of writing advice you've ever received?
Years ago, someone told me everybody has to pay their dues. At the time, I really didn't like hearing it, but now I see that was wise advice. Not everyone gets to the finish line at the same time. It may take a handful of months, or years, or for some of us it may take ten years. If you give up you'll never get there. Another piece of advice I recently heard that I find so true is, "whoever said writing was easy isn't doing it right." And here's a piece of advice from me. In writing, you will shed many tears, but learn how to develop a thick skin in the process.
6. If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be?
Jesus. I can't imagine what that would be like. I think it would be a quiet dinner, because I don't think I could speak at all. Then I'd love to have dinner with Moses, King David, the Apostlesthe list goes on.
7. WHAT ARE YOU READING NOW?
I just finished Shirlee McCoy's Safe by the Marshal's Side. I love Shirlee's work. I'm a huge Lynette Eason fan so I read anything she puts out along with Donna Alward and Susan Sleeman. These ladies may not realize it, but they have all been such an inspiration for me as a writer. I also read Kristen Heitzmann and Dee Henderson's books. I find when I love an author's work I read everything they write.
About the Book:
LOST MEMORIES
Faith McKenzie was the only survivor of a brutal home invasion. Viciously attacked and left for dead, Faith can't remember anything about that night--including the identity of the killer. All she knows is that he's stalking her from every place she flees and has tracked her to a small Maine island. Her neighbor, private investigator and security specialist JT Wyatt, rescues her twice. Now JT is insisting on the whole story--a story that Faith can't remember. Desperate to feel safe, Faith puts her trust in the handsome P.I. Yet a killer is dead set on ensuring that Faith's memory never returns.
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