WHAT DREW YOU TO THIS GENRE? I’ve been a fan since I was really young. I read every dystopian novel I could get my hands on. I was really independent as a kid and thought all the grownups around me were pretty stupid, so I was quite sure I wanted to live without them there to boss me around. Many of the books I read as a kid had the theme of children living on their own without parents, although not in a dystopian or post-apocalyptic world per se, like the first book in the Boxcar Children series. I must have read that book thirty times as a kid.
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START AS AN AUTHOR? I read an article about Amanda Hocking and then Darci Chan and thought maybe I could give it a shot. I wrote my first book WRECKED and published it January 1, 2010 and haven’t looked back. I love my job!
DID YOU CHOOSE TO SELF-PUBLISH OR GO THE TRADITIONAL ROUTE? I chose to self-publish because I realized (1) that it’s readers who should decide what good writing and storytelling is and (2) I saw the agenting process as long, random, and disheartening. I never even tried. I just went straight to Kindle and straight to the readers. I let them decide if I should write books.
HOW DO YOU OVERCOME WRITER'S BLOCK? I never get it, so it’s not a worry for me. One time though I tried to write a book that I just wasn’t enjoying writing, so I quit writing it and wrote another. Worked like a charm! The characters have to be talking, otherwise I have nothing to write down.
DO YOU EVER FEEL FORCED TO WRITE? All the time. This is my business, my job. If I don’t get up and write, I don’t get to keep my readers. I work for them, they’re my bosses, and they want me to go to work every day. It’s that simple for me.
DO YOU PREFER EBOOKS, PAPERBACKS OR HARDCOVER? When I’m reading, it totally depends. When I’m traveling I prefer to travel light, so no paper books of any kind. When I’m home, sometimes I just like to crack open a paper book to smell it and feel it. But mostly I read on my iPhone now, believe it or not. It’s just too convenient to ignore.
WHAT BOOKS HAVE INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING? There are just too many to list. Before I was a writer I was a book-a-day reader. I love Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Romance in particular. I only read literary fiction for my book club, and often I wish I hadn’t. Some of them are so BOOORING.
WHAT IS THE FIRST SCIENCE FICTION BOOK YOU REMEMBER READING? Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman’s Dragonlance series. Sooooo good. Action, humor, mythical creatures, suspense ... it has it all.
ANY MOVIE, ANY BOOK...WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE ANTAGONIST? I cannot remember the name of the book or the author, but I do remember this guy. He was so bad. He ate people, drained their souls, tortured ‘em. He took this woman captive and was having his minions drag her along in their troop as they raped and pillaged and murdered their way across the lands ... but as the story unfolded, he became more and more curious about her and then connected to her and eventually listened to her when she said she wanted him to stop all that bad guy stuff. They made a deal – she becomes his queen and he stops being a bad guy. It was the ultimate romance for a fantasy fan like me. Ha, ha.
WHEN YOU GO TO SEE A MOVIE, DO YOU TRY TO READ THE BOOK FIRST? Yes. Most of the time the books are way better. Big exception: Harry Potter. I must preferred the movies.
IS THERE AN AUTHOR THAT YOU WOULD REALLY LIKE TO MEET? Nora Roberts. She’s a romance legend. Her worth ethic is amazing. And Stephen King. I think he’d be kind of rude to me in person, though. He’s not a huge fan of self-publishing. I really admire his writing style and I was a big fan of his work when I was younger.
WHAT BOOK WOULD YOU LIKE TO READ AGAIN? There are too many to list. I will go back and read the Dragonlance series again.
DO YOU BUY A BOOK BY THE COVER? All the time in the bookstore. Nowadays I buy books online by personal recommendations, but covers definitely sway me one way or another.
WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND WHERE DO YOU CALL HOME? I was born in Chicago, Illinios, had a great young childhood in Buffalo, New York, moved to Florida through high school with one off-year in North Carolina, did a stint in Germany in the Air Force, moved to Syracuse, New York, then Northern California, then Boise, Idaho, then back to California, and then Florida before I headed off to France where I live now. I’m living here by choice and wouldn’t have it any other way.
HAVE YOU EVER WRITTEN ABOUT YOUR OWN BAD HABITS? All. The. Time. There is much of me in every book I write.
WHICH WORDS OR PHRASES DO YOU TEND TO OVERUSE? Oy, there are sooo many of those. I don’t want to put them in here or sure enough I’ll see it in a bad review online soon. lol
LAPTOP OR DESKTOP FOR WRITING? Laptop all the way.
DO YOU EVER WRITE IN YOUR PJ’S? I’m usually in my PJs when I write.
WHERE AND WHEN DO YOU PREFER TO DO YOUR WRITING? In my bed, in the morning, but I’ve written books pretty much anywhere, inside and outside, at home and other places, during the weekends and on vacation too.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ODD WRITING HABITS (DICTATION WHILE DRIVING, STANDING ON YOUR HEAD)? It’s not a habit, per se, but some of my best ideas come just as I’m falling asleep, so I have a habit of nudging my husband and telling him the basics so he can remind me in the morning. He’s great for that. J
DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER JOB BESIDES AUTHOR? Not anymore. I used to be a lawyer and a teacher, but now I write full time. I’m also a mom and a wife.
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? I shine not burn. Luceo non uro.
WHAT TALENT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE? I’d like to be more athletic, like a gymnast. Not gonna happen, though. I write on my butt all day, and I like food too much.
WHAT ARE YOUR PET PEEVES? When people think their experience is a reflection of the entire world’s experience. Why do people always feel like they’re in the majority? I don’t know. It makes me crazy.
ANY PETS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO TELL US ABOUT, SHARE A PIC? I have two dogs, 1 rat, and one horse. Pics attached.
WHITE WINE OR RED? Red. I have a vineyard with Syrah and Grenache grapes, so I’m real partial to the heavy stuff.
COFFEE OR TEA? Tea. I’ve never had a cup of coffee in my life. Hate the taste.
SLEEP IN OR GET UP EARLY? I try to sleep in, but now my body won’t let me. It’s very depressing.
YOUR FAVORITE GADGET? I just got a vegetable spiraler from a friend. That thing is pretty cool. But my favorite all time gadget is the iPhone.
WHAT’S THE BIGGEST LIE YOU’VE EVER TOLD? Hmmm, I’ve told so many it’s hard to decide ... J
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN TROUBLE WITH THE AUTHORITIES? What authorities? Cops? No. Readers? Yes.
IF WE HAD A CUSTOM THAT ALLOWED US TO EAT OUR CHILDREN, WHAT KIND OF
SAUCE WOULD YOU USE? Ew. My kids would taste awful. There is no sauce that would make them palatable. I’d serve them to my old neighbor Rocco who was very rude, and I wouldn’t let him use any sauce, either.
ARE OUR ELECTRONIC DEVICES STEALING OUR SOUL? AND IF SO, DO YOU MAKE
OFFERINGS TO YOUR TOASTER? They are stealing our personalities, I’ll say that. I do make offerings to my toaster, but not on purpose. I constantly burn bread and leave pieces of it behind. Frigging toasters are very selfish the way they take and take and take.
IF YOU HAD A SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I would be able to influence people with my miiiiind.
AND IF YOU HAD TO GIVE IT UP TO SAVE NEW JERSY, HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN TO NEW JERSEY THEY WERE GOING TO DIE? I wouldn’t explain it to them. I’d use my power to influence them into realizing it was for the best.
IF YOU COULD BE ANY FAMOUS PERSON FOR A DAY, HOW MANY PAPPARAZZI WOULD
YOU KILL? I’m not sure if this question is screwed up or if it’s just me ... Ummm ... I’d be a rock star of some kind, maybe Katy Perry since she’s cute and has all those costumes and then I’d kill no one because I’d hate for Katy Perry to have to wear an orange jumpsuit.
DO YOU THINK THE UNITED STATES IS SECRETLY A MIRROR UNIVERSE OF CANADA, LIKE THE STAR TREK EPISODE, WHERE THE UNITED STATES IS THE EVIL DIMENSION? No. People in Canada are way more polite, and if it was a mirror society, they would be more rude, especially when driving.
DO YOU HAVE AN INTOXICANT OF PREFERENCE FOR THOSE TIMES WHEN YOU ARE WRITING? If I do any intoxicant when I write, I write garbage, so I stick to water.
HAVE YOU SEEN MY SHOES? No, but I’ll be they’re not as awesome as mine. I wear converse with skulls on them.
WHY DIDN'T HURLEY LOSE ANY WEIGHT WHILE ON THE ISLAND? Because he has a slow metabolism like me.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT A "BRACT" IS? Yes. But I’ve been sworn to secrecy not to share that with anyone.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN FRIGHTENED OF A COLOR? WHY? I am very afraid of that mauvey-pinky-orange that most vomit is the color of. Seeing other people vomit makes me very ill. Shudder That’s the problem with being a writer ... you can visualize everything way too clearly.
BONUS QUESTION: WHY DO VILLAINS PREFER LONG HAIR CATS INSTEAD OF
HAIRLESS CATS? HAIRLESS CATS ARE MUCH MORE EVIL LOOKING. SEEMS LIKE A
MISSED OPPORTUNITY.
Bonus answer: You are forgetting the most evil villain of all time ... Dr. Evil! He had a hairless cat.
IF YOU GAVE ONE OF YOUR CHARACTERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES, WHAT WOULD THEY SAY? Bryn, the MC would say that you should work on being able to fend for yourself because you never know what can happen to the rest of the world and the people who are supposed to protect you in it. She’d also say to make friends fast and keep the good ones close.
HOW IMPORTANT ARE NAMES TO YOU IN THIS BOOK? DID YOU CHOOSE THEM BASED ON SOUND OR MEANING? Since Native Americans play a big part in my series, their names were really important. Other than that, name choices were random, readers of mine, or former students of mine.
WHERE DID YOUR TOMORROW SPRING FROM? IN OTHER WORDS, HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE CRAZY WORLD? I have wondered what my life in Florida would be like as a kid without adults most of my life. This series was 35 years in the making.
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE IDEA FOR THIS STORY? It’s been on my mind since I was about 10 years old. I’ve been building the ideas since then. I’m not joking.
JUST HOW FAR IN THE FUTURE IS YOUR TOMORROW? Not very far at all, actually. It could happen this year.
WHERE DID YOUR MAIN CHARACTER COME FROM? Central Florida.
IS S/HE BASED ON A REAL PERSON? Yes. The person I would have liked to be at her age.
DID YOU DO ANY SPECIFIC OR UNUSUAL RESEARCH FOR THIS BOOK? Yes. Lots regarding Native American tribes in Florida, falconry, survivalism, plants and animals of the Everglades, and many other things I don’t want to mention or it will give important plot points away.
IS THERE A PARTICULAR AREA OF SCIENCE OF SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLE THAT IS A PLOT FOCUS? A runaway virus but it’s not prominent in the book.
DID YOU HAVE TO CONDUCT ANY EXPERIMENTS FOR THIS BOOK? No. Well, wait, I did do a few karate chops on my son to see if they’d hurt. Does that count?
DID YOU CONSULT WITH ANY EXPERTS FOR THIS BOOK? Yes. A guy who specializes in falconry.
IS THERE ANY SUPER-COOL FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOGY/WEAPONRY IN YOUR TOMORROW? No. My series is all technology-less.
QUOTE A CHARACTER, ANY CHARACTER. “Excuse me while I go bleach my face.” Bryn Mathis, Apocalypsis
GIVE US THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR YOUR TOMORROW. Hot as hell and full of mosquitos and gators.
WHO SHOULD NOT READ YOUR BOOK? People who don’t appreciate awesome post-apocalyptic literature. J
ARE ANY OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS FROM THE LGBT (LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER) COMMUNITY. Yes. His name is Peter and he is the MCs best friend and very prominent in the book. There is a second character who is also gay, but I don’t want to reveal his name because it would ruin a big plot point that comes up in the series.
GIVE YOUR BOOK THE BECHDEL TEST
1. IT HAS TO HAVE AT LEAST TWO (NAMED) WOMEN IN IT. Yes.
2. WHO TALK TO EACH OTHER. Yes.
3. ABOUT SOMETHING BESIDES A MAN. Yes.
WHAT SORT OF BODY COUNT ARE WE TALKING HERE? Too many to count.
YOUR TOMORROW GETS MADE INTO A MOVIE. WHO DO YOU TAKE TO THE PREMIERE AND WHO DO YOU SIT BY? I take my husband and I sit by Angelina Jolie. But I ignore her husband because I don’t think he’s all that great.
DO YOU WANT YOUR TOMORROW TO MAKE IT BIG, AS IN JK ROWLINGS-BIG? WHY OR WHY NOT? Sure. I’d love to see more people reading and enjoying my books. Plus, I like money.
YOU CAST YOUR CHARACTERS FOR A MOVIE. WHO MAKES IT? My mom wants Paris Jackson to play the MC. I can’t say that I disagree, but only if she can fight really well.
YOUR MAIN CHARACTER VS BATMAN, WHO WOULD WIN? One nut-shot and it would be all over for Batman, and my MC is really good at those.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
IF THERE IS TEOTWAWKI IN YOUR TOMORROW, WHAT CAUSED IT
(yes) DISEASE
(no) ALIENS
(kind of) MONSTERS&ZOMBIES
(kind of) WAR/GNH (GLOBAL NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST)
(no) THE SUN
(no) IMPACT EVENT
(kind of) ECOLOGICAL CATASTROPHE
(no) SUPERNATURAL/RELIGIOUS
(yes) HUMAN DECLINE/MODERN DARK AGE
(no) TECHNOLOGY/CYBERNETIC REVOLT
OTHER
ALL OF THE ABOVE
ON A SCALE OF 1-5 WHAT WOULD YOUR BOOK GET FOR THESE ACTUAL MPAA RATING DESCRIPTIONS
VIOLENCE 3
LANGUAGE 3
DRUG USE 1
SEXUAL CONTENT 2
NON-STOP NINJA ACTION 4
MILD PERIL 4
SALTY LANGUAGE AND INNUENDOS 3
JUNGLE ADVENTURE TERROR 3
BRUTAL AND BLOODY VIKING COMBAT 3
COMIC HORROR, VIOLENCE AND GROSSNESS 2
SWASHBUCKLING ACTION 5
ABUNDANCE OF OUTRAGEOUS GORE 2
SEXY DANCING 1
INTENSE SEQUENCES OF BAT ATTACKS 1
DEMENTED MAYHEM 2
SCENES OF DENTAL TORTURE 1
IF YOUR MC WAS IN A PRESENT-DAY HIGH SCHOOL HE/SHE WOULD BE A
(a bit of a) GEEK
(a special kind of ) JOCK (F)
(definitely an) OUTSIDER
IF YOUR BOOK WERE RATED LIKE A ROMANCE NOVEL, THE HEAT LEVEL WOULD BE
3) MILD
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