1. In Unraveling Isobel, We see that Isobel goes through a big change in her life. She thinks she might be going crazy and of course an element of love is thrown into the equation. How did you come up with the concept of internet dating + ghosts + craziness to equal an amazing book?
For me, books start out with one question, in this case I wondered what I would do if I saw a ghost. Would I think it was real? Would I think it was a trick? Would I think I was going crazy? That question led me to thinking about a character who has a history of mental illness in her family, so has extra reasons to worry about what she's seen. Once I had Isobel, the story grew from that starting point. There are times when it is bad to have a really vivid imagination, I'm always worried about something, but it comes in handy when writing fiction!
2. "What would Emma do?" Is another one of your fantastic books. It has to do a lot with religion and Emma's morals and personal conscious. How did you create Emma's character? Do you have a personal connection with her character?
Thank you, I love this book too. I have a few things in common with Emma, I grew up in a small town, so I'm very familiar with the idea of everyone knowing what you are up to and having an opinion about it. I'm also really interested in how some people have twisted religion so that it is about being "with us or against us." I am quite sure that if there is a God he/she cares a lot less about what religion someone says they are and way more about how someone lives their life.
3. Out of all the marvelous books you have written, can you pick one to be your favorite? If so why that one?
This is such a hard question! There are things that I like about every book and also things that I have learned with each book. I love the process of writing, coming up with characters and watching the story grow. When a book is finished I start picking it apart, there are always things I would do differently. I think this is what stops a lot of people from writing. What is on the page never seems quite as good as what was in your head before you started. I think this is why my favorite book is always the one I am currently working on. I am finishing up a book called The Almost Truth. It is about a teenage con artist named Sadie. When she notices that she looks like the age enhanced photo on a missing child poster she decides to pull the ultimate con, until she begins to suspect she might actually be the missing child. It will be out in December. As soon as I have it all done I will be in love with the next project.
4. When I write, I sometimes get inspired by the music I listen to. Do you have favorite bands or certain songs that get you in the mood to write?
I love music too, but I can't listen to it when I write. If music is playing I start singing along and get distracted. Not to mention I am a TERRIBLE singer. I sound like someone stepped on a cat.
5. Now a question that you probably get asked all the time, What advice can you give to inspiring authors? And what made YOU want to become a writer?
I can give two pieces of advice. The first is to read. Books are the best teacher. Take a book you like and look at how the author set up the story. Who is the main character? How would the book be different if it was told from someone else's perspective. Imagine if Dumbledore told the Harry Potter story, or Voldemort! When do things happen in the story? Why then? You can learn tons by reading. My second piece of advice is to believe in yourself. Publishing is a REALLY hard business. There will be tons of people who will tell you that it can never happen. You have to remember that it won't happen if you don't try. If you try you might not reach your goal, but if you stop trying you won't reach it for certain.
As for what made me a writer, my parents were always big readers so I always remember loving books. As soon as I understood that there was someone who got to make up all the stories in books I knew that was what I wanted to do. I didn't really get serious about my writing for a long time. I suddenly realized if it was ever going to happen it was up to me. I put my butt in the seat and started to write more seriously, taking classes and writing longer projects. | 
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