Q.1 Tell us a little about yourself?
Perhaps something not many people know?
A. I’m loud, outgoing, but I
sometimes get super shy around people that I don’t normally know. It’s weird
because I’m a bartender. I’ll go out with my boyfriend and his friends, and
I’ll have mini panic attacks when meeting new people sometimes. It’s strange
because I have such a big personality.
Q.2 Do you hide
any secrets in your book that only a few people will find?
A. Yes, I call them Easter eggs as
you will. I don’t like basing my characters off of real people, but I’ll put
little fun facts in each of my characters related to people in my life.
Q.3 Where do you
get your ideas?
A. I get them from music I listen to,
weird situations I think in my head, or even from my novels and wishing they
ended differently.
Q.4 What advice do
you have for writers?
A. To be completely obsessed with
your body of work. I think if you aren’t fully into it, then the readers won’t
be fully into it. You have to think your body of work is God's gift to the
world, but you need to be open to some criticism to make your work better. I
look at my work as my children, and I want to see it grow and be the best that
it can be.
Q.5 If you could
invite one person to dinner, who would it be and what would you cook?
A. Kelly Clarkson. She’s my musical
idol, and I would just love getting drunk and talking to her about the most
random things. I would have wine and steak.
Q.6 If you could
tell your younger writing self-anything, what would it be?
A. Slow down on wanting to publish. I
wrote a lot of books and self-published a lot of books that I wasn’t the proudest of. Also, to be honest with yourself because I felt after I came out of
the closet my books became more authentic.
Q.7 What are the
most important magazines or websites for writers to subscribe to?
A. See, I don’t follow any magazines
or websites. I just feel like if you’re a writer you should find your own voice.
I think those websites just tell you what the trends are or how to write in a
box. I don’t believe writing should ever be in a box.
Q.8 What is the
most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
A. Making sure it doesn’t sound in
authentic.
Q.9 How do you
select the names of your characters?
A. Honestly, I get them off of
Instagram people I follow or movies I watch. I went through a Teen Wolf phase.
I have a book called, How Are You Feeling today, Theo Cody. Theo was the
character’s name and Cody Christian was the actor’s name.
Q.10 Do
you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
A. I do read them, and if I get a bad
one, I try to ignore it. I got a really, really bad one before. It was legit
saying I was a joke of a writer and should never write again. After I got that,
I just let the other ones roll off my back.
Q.11 Does
your family supports your career as a writer?
A. They support it, but they don’t
understand it. They will buy my books and be proud of me, but they aren’t
writers or readers.
Q.12 What
do your fans mean to you?
A. Haha, fans. I don’t think I have
any. If I do, then thank you so much for supporting me.
Q.13 How
many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
A. I’ve written 48 books. I would say
the follow up to High School Queens is my all-time favorite novel I’ve written.
It’s the blend of sassy and seriousness I was looking for.
Q.14 Do
you have any unique and quirky writing habits?
A. I get weird cravings for each of
my books. I’m writing a book right now, and all I want is Chinese food.
Q.15 What
do you consider to be your best accomplishment?
A. Someone read my novel and got a
quote tattooed on them. I legit almost cried.
Q.16 What
is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?
A. Scamming you. I think when you
sign up with a publishing house, and they promise to do all this for you, and
they don’t. I think it’s disappointing when you see they put all this effort
into someone else’s novel and not giving you the same satisfaction.
Q.17 Who
edited your book and how did you select him/her?
A. My friend Erika edits my novels. I
find someone who I can bounce ideas off of, and I enjoy that so much. I think
anyone who will let me talk to them for hours about my books.
Q.18 Which
famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
A. I would want to meet James Baldwin
or F. Scott Fitzgerald. Those are two of my favorite authors, and I get a lot
of inspiration from them.
Q.19 What
is your favorite book and why?
A. I have a top three. Giovanni’s
Room by James Baldwin, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Fangirl by
Rainbow Rodwell. I love the characters in the books because they’re flawed, and
I’m more into character-driven novels than plot-driven.
Q.20 Share
the experience of your journey so far?
A. It’s been a lot of ups and downs
with not finding a publisher, then really bad reviews, then books not doing as
well. I’ve also had highs of people saying my book inspires them, getting
signed by a publishing house, and being able to get people to want to interview
me.
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