FAQ

What was life like growing up?


I grew up with three younger sisters, my mom (stay-at-home mom), and my dad (family practitioner). My dad spent 13 years in the U.S. Navy, so we moved around a lot when I was a kid. We lived in a few places in Florida and Virginia, North Carolina, Washington DC, and we even spent some time in Iceland (4th-6th grade for me). When he got out of military, we moved to Tallahassee and settled down.

I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where I learned about who I am in the grand scheme of this world, why what I do matters, and how to make myself happy. My religion is a big part of who I am.

What were you in high school? (nerd, jock, etc...)

Like most authors I know, I was a nerd in school. I was good at school. (I didn't always like it, but I was good at it.) In 5th grade I took up clarinet and played in the school's band. I continued band through high school. My favorite subjects were English, Band, and Art.

Do you have any pets?

Yes. We have a German Shepherd named Guybrush.

How/When did you decide to become a writer?

Technically, I could tell you I started writing when I was four. I think I wrote a story (about 25 words?) about a queen or a princess or something. Some dang fine literature.

I think growing up I always knew I wanted to do something creative. I think if you'd asked me when I was in kindergarten I would have told you I wanted to be an artist.

In 9th grade english, we were given the opportunity to choose our own end-of-the-year projects. (Ms. Cramer was possibly the best English teacher ever.) I chose to write a mystery novel. I never finished it, but the planning process was way cool and I had a lot of fun trying to think of creative ways to kill people. (I think I decided poison was most practical.)

Then, jump ahead to after I was married. Maybe twenty-one years old or so. I was looking for a good read. Gail Carson Levine had been my favorite children's author growing up, so I searched her name to see if she had anything new out. I saw Writing Magic. I had no idea what it was about, but I ordered it.

It was a writing book. When I read it, something inside me woke up. I was suddenly excited about trying to write a novel. All these ideas came flooding into my head and I had to try them!

I wrote my first novel soon after. It will never see the light of day. But that was the beginning.