Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I can’t even remember. It was probably in High School. I think it has been an underlying desire for many, many years. I had a professor in undergrad tell me that I didn’t write well, and that sapped what little confidence I had in my writing ability. It wasn’t until I was 35 that I really regained enough confidence to even try to write a novel. Now I feel quite validated with “Rowan of the Wood” winning two national awards.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

It was a rocky one. We were picked up by an independent publisher for our first book, and we were thrilled! However, we were so aggressively promoting the book that they were unable to keep up with the print demand. It was unavailable twice within the first 5 months of release, the second time during a major promotional campaign. We switched publishers to another indie who works with a POD printer, thereby guaranteeing our book will always be available.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

WITCH ON THE WATER is the sequel to the award-winning ROWAN OF THE WOOD. It will be released on October 12th.

You should buy it because, under all of the action and agony and crazy human behavior that makes smart folks do stupid things, it’s a love story. And love stories are cool, especially intense and tragic, tug-at-your-heart-strings love stories like the one between Rowan and Fiana.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

Celtic Mythology and my love for all things British! Also magical stories like the Arthurian Legend, The Hobbit, and Harry Potter. The person who has been the greatest inspiration is master storyteller Joss Whedon.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

Both of our families are very proud of us. We’re fortunate to have such a supportive group around us, as the road to a bestseller is very, very, very long. My mother always told me I could do anything I put my mind to. I took that quite literally and truly believe in the powers of positive thinking and manifestation.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Dark chocolate & popcorn. Definitely.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Check my email. Make coffee, Tweet.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

Not sure if it would surprise you, but they’re totally badass: a pair of leather flame boots with a stainless steel 4” heel that I bought in Pigalle, Paris. They’re lots of fun.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Green. It’s the color of life.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Pepe LePew … or perhaps Pinky.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

The Brain. Always planning something.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

Elizabethan England – to see a Shakespearean play in The Globe Theatre.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

Celtic/Scottish. I think the bagpipes are about the sweetest sound on earth. Celtic Fiddle plays a very close second. I adore the Old Blind Dogs. I dream of having them do the soundtrack for the ROWAN OF THE WOOD movie one day. I also love Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Erasure, Retro and Classic Rock. When I write and when I need to relax or concentrate, I listed to Beethoven.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hands down. Then Angel & Firefly, of course. I also love Bones. Grey’s Anatomy, Supernatural, and so many more.

Movies: Shakespeare in Love, Love Actually, Pleasantville, Scotland PA, Moulin Rouge, Fight Club, anything and everything by the Cohen Brothers and Tim Burton… too many to mention, really.

The last movie I saw at the theatre was Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on opening night. I don’t get out much.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Life can get pretty complicated at any age. Never lose the simply joy of reading. Always make time for it. Also… the best is yet to come. Seriously, life just keeps getting better.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

You can look forward to three more books in the ROWAN OF THE WOOD series! Look for the next one, FIRE OF THE FEY, in October 2010.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!

Thanks so much for having us!

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