Meet and Greet Questions for GUTGAA
Where do you Write? On my bed with my laptop and comfy pillows behind me.
Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see? My husband most of the time. If not him, then one of my five kids and--if none of them are taking up the second half of the bed--one of my four doggies.
Favorite Time to Write? All day, whenever I get the chance.
Drink of choice while writing? My husband makes the best Frappe's in the whole world, even better than Starbucks. It's like having my own personal barista. :)
When writing, do you listen to music or do you need complete silence? I've done both. I can write either way. I really like listening to music but, half the time, I forget to turn it on. One of the best things about writing while listening to a playlist is that those songs are forever tied into my book so, whenever I hear one, I can see the different scenes in my head, which generally makes me smile.
What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it? Haha. I was about three-quarters of the way through the fourth re-write of my first manuscript when a bunch of people in my old critique group got ideas for second books. I panicked, wondering if I was ever going to have it in me to write anything besides the book I'd been working on. Then I remembered a short story I'd written the year before. I went back to it, re-vamped the ideas and the characters and got excited about book number two--The World Next Door--which is now complete and close to being queried. Strangely enough, now I'm worried I'll never be able to think of another idea again.
What's your most valuable writing tip? I've read this so many times that I feel totally unoriginal, but I have to second it. Read. I find so much inspiration/knowledge in reading my favorite writers. My writing is so much better because of everyone who's come before me.
Some other facts about me:Hmmm....My favorite books are the Harry Potter series, but I also am a huge fan of Cassandra Clare. I can't wait for the movie, City of Bones to come out next year. I also love all things Disney and, because of that, my house kind of looks like a five year old decorated it. I have five kids, four dogs and five cats. Chairman Meow is one of my cats, he's named after Magnus's cat in TMI. My favorite number is four because all of my kids (with the exception of the last one) were born at four. My oldest daughter 4am, then my middle daughter, 4pm, my middle son 4pm, my next son 4:04 pm. My youngest daughter broke the chain, but--since she was born at four minutes after twelve and her birthday is on 12/4 I forgive her. ;)
