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21. Do any of your characters have children? How well do you write them?

Yes, but (and here's where I'm cheating) only because the MC is their kid. I don't think I've written from a parent's perspective. Scratch that, it has to be a lie. I'm sure I have, but it's not something I set out intentionally to do.

22. Tell us about one scene between your characters that you’ve never written or told anyone about before! Serious or not.

Meg is definitely going to get frisky with her co-star (name subject to change), and yet they won't be revealing any skin in the book. I think.

23. How long does it usually take you to complete an entire story—from planning to writing to submitting?

Differs. For short stories it can be anything from a few hours to weeks depending on whether I think it's good to go or not. Most times, I hang my stories on the jingle bell line I've attached to my memo board and leave them to ferment. Then I redraft, then I hang them back up, then I edit, then I edit, then I edit, then they go.

24. How willing are you to kill your characters if the plot so demands it? What’s the most interesting way you’ve killed someone?

Oh, I'll kill any of my characters off in a heartbeat. Although for, 'The Midnight Motel' I may have resurrected a few.

Most interesting ways - I've drowned a soldier in a lake full of dead angels, I've sent men plummeting to earth after vengeful birds burst their balloon, and I'm thinking I need to come up with some more inventive murder plans.


Today's Word Count: 2187 + 545 (other projects)
Total Word Count: 48,703 + 5789 (other projects)

I am so hitting 50,000 words tomorrow. Or, I have so just jinxed myself.

I'm totally engaged in edits right now for TRIPLE FAULT (CC #4). Yes, book four. I almost can't comprehend that sentence.

Interesting things I've noticed about this round of edits:

I manage to eliminate favorite words from my writing. Then, I come up with new ones. :) In CHASING BLUE, I was obsessed with "grinned." It was everywhere. In TRIPLE FAULT, I'd finally manged to ditch "grinned," but I tossed in two new words--"so" and "sooo." They *might* appear thousands of times. Okay, okay, not thousands, but enough to cause me to smack myself in the forehead when I reread my edited manuscript.

Chapter titles are so (Ack! The "s" word again!) one of the most difficult and most fun things to write. I heart them.

I might have to go back and read my own books to refresh my memory on certain events. Is that lame? I feel as if I should remember the things that happen in my own books! :D

Writing mean girl lines is my fave part and it's easy. That might say something about me...

And, finally, never stuff your edit letter with your precious handwritten notes to self in a cabinet and forget where it is. You might panic, tear up the house and then want to stab yourself in the eye with a pink pen when you recover the letter hours later.