Question: What writing advice would you share?
Answer: A fair amount, actually. See a list of topics I've written about here.
Question: Where can I find your books?
Answer: The most recent release, Jane of Austin, can be found in bookstores nationwide and with online retailers. The Two Blue Doors Series is available as well, but you'll likely need to order your physical copy. The Plain and Simple Series is currently out of print; I do have plans to re-release them, but in the meantime they're available on Amazon from third-party sellers.
Question: When's your next book coming out?
Answer: Jane of Austin will be on shelves June 6, 2017, and is now available for pre-order!
Question: How did you start writing food fiction?
Answer: I interned for the now-defunct Northwest Palate magazine, which introduced me to the foodie scene in the Pacific Northwest, specifically Portland. I read Ruth Reichl's memoirs and became hooked on the genre. Even after I left, I kept cooking and kept writing, knowing that I'd loop back to those experiences later on.
Question: Are you a trained chef?
Answer: Nope. But I am a trained researcher, which helps me to learn new things as I write each book.
Question: Where do you get your ideas?
Answer: Anywhere and everywhere. Seriously. I got a story idea while watching Wolverine in the theater. Family history, books, long walks - my brain generates story, which is why I became a writer.
Question: What do you do when you're not writing?
Answer: Lots! We've moved a lot in the past, so a lot of the time when I was working on my last five books, I was packing/unpacking/settling during and in-between writing and editing. Now we're a little more settled and active in the community, and I love it.
In addition to writing, in 2017 I opened my Etsy shop and made myself available for designing book jackets and covers. For fun, I can be found trying new recipes, walking Shiloh and Sylvie, kniting, cleaning the kitchen, chasing Shiloh off the kitchen table, keeping Sylvie from eating my fingers, reading cookbooks, reading novels, watching possibly too much TV, and sleeping. I've also been known to spend time with my husband.
Question: I think about writing a book, what should I do?
Answer: Write the book. Check out your local writer's conferences, read books about writing. Edit your book, ask trusted friends to read and give honest opinions. Have your mother read and give you a kindly opinion. Edit and rewrite until you think that making it better might kill you - and then step away for a while. Come back to it, give it another look-over, and if it's getting strong feedback, consider pitching it to an agent at a writers' conference.
Question: I have ideas, would you be interested in writing about them?
Answer: I'm more interested in seeing people write their own stories. For myself, I have a long, long (long, long, long) backlog of ideas to work on!
Answer: A fair amount, actually. See a list of topics I've written about here.
Question: Where can I find your books?
Answer: The most recent release, Jane of Austin, can be found in bookstores nationwide and with online retailers. The Two Blue Doors Series is available as well, but you'll likely need to order your physical copy. The Plain and Simple Series is currently out of print; I do have plans to re-release them, but in the meantime they're available on Amazon from third-party sellers.
Question: When's your next book coming out?
Answer: Jane of Austin will be on shelves June 6, 2017, and is now available for pre-order!
Question: How did you start writing food fiction?
Answer: I interned for the now-defunct Northwest Palate magazine, which introduced me to the foodie scene in the Pacific Northwest, specifically Portland. I read Ruth Reichl's memoirs and became hooked on the genre. Even after I left, I kept cooking and kept writing, knowing that I'd loop back to those experiences later on.
Question: Are you a trained chef?
Answer: Nope. But I am a trained researcher, which helps me to learn new things as I write each book.
Question: Where do you get your ideas?
Answer: Anywhere and everywhere. Seriously. I got a story idea while watching Wolverine in the theater. Family history, books, long walks - my brain generates story, which is why I became a writer.
Question: What do you do when you're not writing?
Answer: Lots! We've moved a lot in the past, so a lot of the time when I was working on my last five books, I was packing/unpacking/settling during and in-between writing and editing. Now we're a little more settled and active in the community, and I love it.
In addition to writing, in 2017 I opened my Etsy shop and made myself available for designing book jackets and covers. For fun, I can be found trying new recipes, walking Shiloh and Sylvie, kniting, cleaning the kitchen, chasing Shiloh off the kitchen table, keeping Sylvie from eating my fingers, reading cookbooks, reading novels, watching possibly too much TV, and sleeping. I've also been known to spend time with my husband.
Question: I think about writing a book, what should I do?
Answer: Write the book. Check out your local writer's conferences, read books about writing. Edit your book, ask trusted friends to read and give honest opinions. Have your mother read and give you a kindly opinion. Edit and rewrite until you think that making it better might kill you - and then step away for a while. Come back to it, give it another look-over, and if it's getting strong feedback, consider pitching it to an agent at a writers' conference.
Question: I have ideas, would you be interested in writing about them?
Answer: I'm more interested in seeing people write their own stories. For myself, I have a long, long (long, long, long) backlog of ideas to work on!
