What are your five favorite books, and why?
1. “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card. [Science Fiction]
I never believed I would be into a Science Fiction Novel. I didn’t see it coming when I got to the end. I was so thoroughly engrossed in the storyline. I have bought a physical copy of the book 8 times now because everyone I’ve ever lent it to kept it.
2. “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. [Classical Literature]
This is my favorite piece of Classic Literature. I honestly love the relationship between Scout and Dill. I love the mystery of the neighbors next door. And I love the delicacy with which such a gruesome crime is dealt.
3. “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak. [Historical Fiction]
This was a compulsive buy that called out to me in a tiny bookstore and coffee shop. It sat on my bookshelf not getting read for over a year. And then I read it. And read it. And couldn’t put it down. It’s World War II, and the Grim Reaper Death is tired and overworked. But in the midst of the craziness, he becomes interested in the story of a little orphan girl, who, among other things, enjoys stealing books.
4. “Like Water for Chocolate” by Laura Esquivel. [Historical Fiction]
I love the way this book is broken into chapters. I love the little recipes, the bits of folklore, and the tiny bits of history that get thrown in around the story of the main character and her family.
5. “Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn. [Spiritual Fiction]
This book really made me think a lot, and reassess my entire worldview. It made me feel hopeful.
Who are your favorite authors?
I love the universe that Terry Goodkind has created for the Sword of Truth novels. His world is extremely vast, and the lessons you learn from his characters are extremely relevant to everyday life.
I admire Christopher Paolini for being published at such a young age, and with such a great story. I think his work is something to look up to.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read the Harry Potter series from J.K. Rowling. Every time I read it, I find something new, some clue or seed that was planted way earlier than I had previously realized. It was all there, all along. She built and orchestrated an extensive world, right under our muggle noses.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
It is my belief that everyone has their own creative outlet. Some people play music, some are artistic. Nobody is the same. In this way, writing satisfies my creative outlet. I love the actual writing portion of being an author. Everything else? Not so much.
What are you working on next?
“Nether Harmony”
Christine is a young woman whose death has been turned upside-down by tragedy. Betrayed by Heaven, she has become a Fallen One, and works with Lucifer to sow the seeds of discord back on Earth, in preparation for the final battle between Heaven and Hell. But her teacher in Heaven, Azrael, does not believe that Christine is a lost cause, and scours the Earth for her in order to bring her back into Heaven’s fold. Christine must make a choice which will determine the eternal fate of her very soul.
Part Two in the Oblivion Duet!
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
“Crystallina the Fairy” was an assignment in 2nd Grade that I wrote. It was pretty extensive for a 2nd Grader. I really loved the movie “Fern Gully” at the time, and I based my character and world after that. My mother loved it so much that she kept it. I bet she actually still has it somewhere, after all these years.
When you’re not writing, how do you spend your time?
I read a lot of books. I probably have 10 books that I’m in the middle of reading at any point in time. I average out at about 100 books a year. This year I’m already over 80 books.
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
Often, if I’m in a library or bookstore, I will see something worth picking up. I don’t especially like to borrow or buy books I’m not sure of, so instead of taking it home right away, at least half the time I (try to) just put it back on the shelf and add it to a list on my phone. If I can find it in ebook format, then I typically prefer it that way. In this manner, I can take tons of books with me, and simultaneously read them all at my leisure.
What is your e-reading device of choice?
I started out way back with the 1st generation Sony Pocket ereader. It was teeny, the battery life was fantastic! It did not have wifi capabilities, and I have since upgraded to a Kindle Fire HD 8.1.
What do you read for pleasure?
Almost exclusively fiction. I like to read Fantasy, Science Fiction, Paranormal, and Young Adult genres, with a small amount of Paranormal Romance or Scientific research mixed in. I have about 100 Star Wars novels (a drop in the bucket compared to the massive amount that have been published) but I have not read them all yet.
Do you remember the first story you ever read and the impact it had on you?
I am the first child in my family, and my parents were really good to me. They read to me all the time, and I read several books of my own when I was a child. I loved Eric Carle, Mercer Mayer, Dr. Seuss. I read the Babysitters Club series for a while as I got into grade school, but what truly sparked my passion for reading was picking up “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madelene L’engle in 4th Grade. I loved that book, and I still sometimes think about the 4th Dimension, Time, or draw the Tesseract in my doodles.
Describe your desk
Chaos. Or rather, entropy.
There are constant stacks of papers, notebooks, books, teacups, pens, folders, and sometimes even a cat on top of my desk at nearly all times.
