: About Me

Hello!

I'm a mainstream romance novelist and I recently have become obsessed with short stories of the literary vein. I have three novels out so far [Finishing Touches, Rehearsal: A Different Drummer, & Rehearsal: The Highest Aim] and another expected in fall of 2009. My work revolves around the arts in different forms, as I grew up in an artistic family and the arts are my passion. I've had short stories and poetry published in literary magazines and I run a group for indie authors called "On Our Own" - you can find it from my Myspace page.

Other than writing, I'm a mother of two and wife of a US Army veteran, have lived in six states and in Germany and have traveled in most of the states and around much of Europe. I also have a psychology degree and work as the network coordinator for Cultureplay.com, as well as being part of a musician's management team.

My passion is ...

writing and the arts, my husband and kids, swimming and the Harley!

I know too much about ...

moving!

My parents always told me ...

to work hard for what you want and keep your dignity.

My childhood ambition ...

was to write and to sing with a band *laugh* - at least one happened!

My favorite memory ...

other than family related, my recent anniversary trip to Scotland, Ireland, and England - incredible trip!

Why I write ...

I write because it's who I am.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

reading The Shack (very successful self-pubbed book!) and Always Looking Up by M.J. Fox/ listening to Sister Hazel's Chasing Daylight and Nickleback's Dark Horse (among tons of others)

My first job ...

working with children

My best moment ...

other than marriage and having kids - seeing my first book in print!

My inspiration ...

beautiful things and incredible people: nature, art, music

Arts & Humanities > Writing Tips Creating characters that will make your fiction fly

1 of 18

Characterization, more than nearly any other aspect of writing, is what binds readers to your story or steers them away. Plots are used and overused, and rehashed again. Let's face it, there are no actual new plots. There are variations and subplots, but the stories have been told. A writer can only hope to tell a story again in a new, fresh way. That's where your characters enter. I've heard writers talk about coming up with a story idea and then throwing a few characters in to support it. To me, that's backwards. Your characters should be telling the story, not simply falling in line wit...

More..

• Helium Charter Member