Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself?
I live with my husband in Kentucky and am the proud mom of two grown sons and grandmother to five amazing grandchildren. I spent most of my professional life as a dancer and dance educator, while also moonlighting as a freelancer, mainly writing for regional parenting magazines about the challenges of parenting adolescents.
I honestly never thought I possessed the fiction gene! However, when age and injury led to my retirement from dance, I got an idea for a young adult novel about an aspiring ballet dancer with major friend and family problems. That project became my first published novel, WHILE I DANCED. Working on the novel hooked me on writing fiction, and I returned to school to earn my MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. I’ve just kept going ever since.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book, “Missed Cue”?
I’d never attempted to expand a short story into a novel, which is what I did with Missed Cue, so that was a bit of a challenge. I also needed to do quite a bit of research on criminal investigations, because I’d never written a police procedural before.
This was also my first novel for adults, and I needed to think through the developmental challenges experienced by adults, which are obviously different than the challenges the protagonists in my young adult novels contend with.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
I owe my focus on developing my characters prior to plotting to Elizabeth George’s excellent craft books, WRITE AWAY and MASTERING THE PROCESS: FROM IDEA TO NOVEL. Young adult authors, such as Judy Blume, Chris Crutcher, Sarah Dessen, and Gayle Forman, have also greatly inspired me. Their characters are so memorable as they struggle with coming-of-age issues.
Q4. What’s your favorite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
I love visiting New York City, as well as Denver, Colorado, because that’s where my grandchildren reside. Also, since I grew up in the Northeast near the ocean, anywhere near the ocean feels like home to me.
Q5. What inspired you to write the book “Missed Cue”?
I call “Missed Cue” my “accidental novel.” Since I had a background in the performing arts, a mystery writing friend challenged me to write a short story for Malice Domestic’s anthology, Murder Most Theatrical. After the story appeared, I felt I was not really done with it. The confines of short fiction meant that I couldn’t delve into character development as much as I wanted to, particularly with respect to the police detective, Caitlin O’Connor. So, I decided to expand the story into a novel. I ended up liking Caitlin so much that I’m currently working on a sequel in which she tackles a new case.
Q6. How long did it take you to write your book “Missed Cue”?
About a year.
Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your books?
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
iBooks
Kobo
Smashwords
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title “Missed Cue”?
The book cover was designed by Caroline Andrus, the principal designer for my publisher, Melange Books. I presented her with a few ideas, and she came up with something even better!
The title comes from the inciting incident. A revered ballerina misses her cue to awaken in Act Three of Romeo and Juliet. It turns out that she has died onstage and in fact has been murdered.
Q9. When writing a book, how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
I have mostly written stand-alone books, so my characters and their issues are ever-changing. Recently, for the first time, I have been working on a sequel to one of my novels, MISSED CUE. In the sequel, I’ve been trying to keep things fresh by having my major characters continue to evolve and grow both personally and professionally. And of course, a case in an entirely different setting with a new cast of characters connected to the investigation helps keep things fresh.
Q10. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
The only way to get better at writing is to write regularly and continuously work to improve and grow in your craft. Fundamentally, there are no shortcuts. I also love the oft-repeated advice that “You can’t fix a blank page.”
Buy Missed Cue on Amazon
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