Q&A

1. When did you begin writing?

My first attempts at writing were blatant plagiarism. I was in the second grade. I hated returning my favorite books to the library and had the brilliant idea to copy them in pencil. I started condensing by the second page. My hand cramped. I didn’t make it much further. I later discovered my idea wasn’t original when I read “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.

2. When were your first serious attempts?

Serious to me? I was spinning full-fledged stories in my head long before I put them on paper. I wrote one down for class once, unfortunately on a day when they were read aloud. That was the end of sharing for quite some time.

But my mind was still writing. Magical creatures lived in a grove of lilacs in the side yard. Tiny people sat with me in the apple orchard, eating green apples with salt. Once, I had to retrieve that salt shaker I’d left behind after dusk. I was less sure of the nature of my day friends at night. I snared my foot in a bit of wire fencing and ran, sure something had caught me.

When bullying and fights started at school, the stories grew to include secret hideouts and defenses. My stories didn’t run away with me, they always caught up to me.

3. So your interest didn’t waver? You eventually began putting them down, sharing them with others.

Easing into professional writing took various forms. Movies reviews, commentary, small town newspaper articles. I was a stringer photographer for them for a couple of years, another form of story telling.

I wrote a piece on my first trip to the Cannes Film Festival featured in the Dallas Morning News. That was important affirmation that I could write, having a major newspaper’s editor tell me he enjoyed my work. I’ll put it in my newsletter.

I collaborated with my husband on 2 screenplays, wrote pieces for humanitarian work.

4. How did you transition from such diverse styles of writing to a novel?

This book started while I was decompressing from a grueling phase of my life. The seed of the Idea had been tucked away since I was a teenager in the military. I was reading a great deal, which got the idea well planted. A wise and favorite author who’s listed in the Acknowledgements of PULSE said several times; “Write what you want to read.”

I wanted a sci-fi fantasy set in a parallel military command.

5. There were comments referencing philosophies on military conflict, as well as personal relationships. Are these a reflection of yours?

Some are. I wanted relatable characters, gripping action, an emotional rollercoaster of a story, and at it‘s beating heart, a scorchingly passionate love story. Hopefully readers leave reviews on GoodReads (live link) and Amazon (live link) telling me if they’re satisfied.

And, interested in reading the sequel!