Q: What’s a normal day like for you?
A: Now, that’s a toughie. Anyone who has ever had a toddler knows there’s really no such thing as “normal.” There is only “survival.” But for the purpose of answering the question, I’ll give an ideal day. (Yes, I said ideal. Go ahead mothers, laugh your heads off…I’m laughing with you.)
I’m so not one of those people who rise with the sun. I’m a full-on night owl. Always have been. Always will be. So chances are, on a typical day I was up until 3 a.m. the night before. On days my daughter has school, I get her up and ready in a rush. Then myself, which includes pulling on the nearest pair of sweatpants and flip flops (stains optional). Our version of a 5-star breakfast involves shoving a banana in her hand in the carseat, grabbing a granola bar for myself and eating while I drive. Safe, right? Don’t worry, I’ve got hands free for the cell phone. I take her to pre-preschool, and come home to write.
On non-school days, I wake up when she does. Thanks to my aforementioned night owl status, I’m usually exhausted in the morning, so I am blessed that my kid doesn’t wake up naturally until later. We play, we walk, we read books. (Mama’s little bookworm!) I inevitably yell at the dog for the latest stupid thing he did…of which there are several to choose from. We eat a delicious, uncomplicated lunch of toddler staples (PB&J or mac & cheese) and then she’s down for a nap.
Depending on how much sleep I got the night before, I might take a nap too! Or I get some work in. I also play a little…twitter, Facebook, email…
Tot wakes up and it’s snack time and more playing. Daddy (aka Hubs) comes home if he’s not deployed or training, then he’s all over the Tot and I can go run and hide in the office. He does dinner with her and the bedtime routine while I’m cramming work in. Then she’s down for the night, and it’s our turn for dinner. We eat, we hang out, we watch TV, and then eventually he passes out and I go back to work until that 3 a.m. hour.
Fascinating and glamorous, right? Not so much! But I love it.
Q: Being a military wife, is writing easier or more difficult?
A: It differs. Sure, there are times when he’s deployed and I haven’t had a break from being mommy in 3 straight months that I sort of want to rip my hair out. But that’s what writing is for. She goes to bed, and I’m alone with my “other world” as I call it. The fictional world that I am in the process of creating at that moment in that book.
The hard part about him being deployed is that, like I said, I don’t get a break from parenting unless I pay a babysitter $10 an hour for it. So there’s no time-out. If I need to take a weekend to catch up on a deadline…too bad, so sad.
The good thing is, I actually have more time than people would assume. There’s one less person to clean up after, one less person to cook for. Hey, if I want to just eat a bowl of cereal for dinner, cool beans! That in itself cuts down on a lot of other non-writing activities. And after the Tot’s in bed, then there’s nothing keeping me from work. It’s not like I’m missing out on quality time with my husband. So…off to the computer I go.
Q: Any of your real life seep into your books?
A: I don’t think any author can get away with writing a book and not having something from real life showing up. Not always the big things you would think of. But maybe something they saw once on the subway, or a favorite physical trait of a friend. Your thoughts, your feelings. It’s impossible to ignore.
In a more concrete answer, some. For example, I played tennis in high school, and my heroine Chris St. James (The Game Of Love) is a tennis coach. And of course, when dealing with my military heroes (from the Semper Fi series) it brings in my knowledge from my own experience as a military spouse to a small degree.
But as far as plots, the actual characters (both primary and secondary), it’s all made up. I’m not my characters, they’re not me. And really, there aren’t any big plot points that I can look at and say “That happened to me once.” It’s all fiction, straight out of my imagination.
Q: Why romance?
A: Because it’s what I read. And because of The Journey. I love the journey to the end. There’s always that little bit of a safety net, because you know the couple will end up together. This book WILL have a happy ending. There WILL be something positive there. But how? Why? Are we sure? The details, the complications, and the little moments scattered throughout the book are what make me go, “Ah. That was good.” And that’s what I want readers to feel after they finish one of mine.