1. What is the most difficult part of writing a book for you?
Definitely the muddy middle! If I get to a scene where I don’t know how to write it or if I’ve written myself into a corner sometimes I’ll just skip ahead to the next scene where I do know what’s going to happen and go back later.
2. If you didn’t write what would you do?
Well, my full-time job is teaching fourth grade which is super fun, but if I could be any other job in the world, I think I would be a travel writer. Getting paid to travel and write about it sounds like a pretty awesome job!
3. To date, what is your favorite chapter you have ever written?
This is a fun question! So I had already done extensive edits for the Stepmom Shake Up, and my editor sent me a whole new outline, which included some brand new scenes. Needless to say, I was freaking out! So I went to my daughter, who was the same age as the main character Grace at the time, and I asked her (frantically, with my hair sticking up on end) “What would you do if you were trying to make two adults fall in love?” And she said, “I would give them a milkshake with two straws.” So I went off and wrote that scene in the Stepmom Shake Up, and it ended up being my very favorite scene and it even changed the title of the book!
4. What do you do when a new idea comes to you while you’re still working/writing a new book?
I have a notebook of orphan ideas and anytime I have a stray one while I’m working on something else, I write it down. But it’s the ideas that won’t leave you alone that you eventually have to write.
5. What have you learned about yourself from writing?
I’ve got grit and thick skin. You need that when you are faced with all the challenges of being an author. I am also a terrible speller and I have no idea where commas are supposed to go.
6. Describe your writing process. Do you outline, plot, and plan, or is your writing more organic?
I definitely outline and plan a lot. The thought of staring at a blinking cursor on a blank page is terrifying! So I at least have some idea of what’s going to happen in each chapter. But sometimes past me leaves future me some really annoying notes like “something hilarious should happen here.”
One Page a Time 