Where do you get your ideas?
Often, the spark for a book will start with something I see in the news. Occasionally it might come from a song lyric, a story someone tells me, a dream, or a random thought. The next step is researching what really happened or what could happen. Check out the "Books" page - most books have a specific page about the inspiration for that particular book.
What do you like best about your job?
Thinking of a really good twist. Like there's one in Count All Her Bones that I thought of midway through writing the book. It was a really good twist, and I didn't even need to do that much rewriting to make it work.
What inspires you?
What inspired me to write is wanting to create a book like the ones I loved. Now I'm inspired when I hear from people who didn't used to like to read, but have changed their minds because of my books.
Who inspired you?
When I was a kid, Roald Dahl. When I was a kid and older, my parents. My mom, in particular, always believed in me.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I started thinking about being a writer when I was in grade school. But as I got older, I decided that writers didn't grow up poor in small logging towns in Southern Oregon. I figured they probably grew up in cool places like New York or San Fransisco It just seemed impossible for someone like me to be a writer. So I stopped writing (which made it a certainty that I wouldn't be a writer). I didn't start writing again until I was about 30.
What has changed in your career over time?
The internet has probably made the most changes. It's made research far easier, not just in finding articles, first person accounts and YouTube videos, but in also making it easier to connect with readers. On the down side, it's allowed piracy, which wasn't really a thing before e-books.
What is it like to be a successful author?
It’s great because I have a lot of freedom. I don’t have a boss, which is really nice! I don’t have to be at work at a certain time, and I could even work in my PJs if I wanted to. I can go to a Brazilian jiu jitsu class if I want to. I do have to admit that I write all the time - evenings and weekends - to make up for that.
Author-famous is the right kind of famous. I very seldom get recognized. It’s not like real celebrities who have to worry about people taking pictures of them on a day when they are wearing old sweats or spilling food on themselves.
What is the most challenging thing with being an author?
Deadlines can be really tough, especially if I’m traveling and having to write after a day of doing school visits.
How did you feel when you first book was published?
It was amazing! I saw in my local bookstore’s window. They sold out of books at my first signing. Since I had written three books that never got published, it was a real “pinch me” moment.
What book of yours that you have written is your favorite?
I used to say Girl, Stolen, because doing the research into blindness was really interesting. But then I wrote The Girl I Used to Be. First of all, it was inspired by a real-life cold case that still gives me the shivers. And second, my mom was dying when I wrote the book. She was fine with dying; I was not so fine with it. So I put a character just like her in the book. Nora acts like my mom, talks like my mom, dresses like my mom and even makes bacon like my mom. It was a tiny way to keep her her alive.
Do you write full time? What other jobs have you held?
I am very lucky in that I do write full time. I work on a treadmill desk, which is a desk with a treadmill underneath it. I just walk. The treadmill is specially geared for slow speeds, not running.
I have worked as a health care writer and have also done public and media relations. When I was first starting out, I had a crazy variety of jobs, including working in admitting at a hospital, making pizzas, cashiering at a natural food store, and even a brief stint as the girl who jumps out of the cake.
What are your hobbies?
Reading, running, cooking, watching movies (especially scary or funny ones), and Brazilian jiu jitsu.
Do you have any pets?
No, sadly. My husband has gotten allergic to anything with fur, so once our cat died from old age, we couldn't get another one.
Often, the spark for a book will start with something I see in the news. Occasionally it might come from a song lyric, a story someone tells me, a dream, or a random thought. The next step is researching what really happened or what could happen. Check out the "Books" page - most books have a specific page about the inspiration for that particular book.
What do you like best about your job?
Thinking of a really good twist. Like there's one in Count All Her Bones that I thought of midway through writing the book. It was a really good twist, and I didn't even need to do that much rewriting to make it work.
What inspires you?
What inspired me to write is wanting to create a book like the ones I loved. Now I'm inspired when I hear from people who didn't used to like to read, but have changed their minds because of my books.
Who inspired you?
When I was a kid, Roald Dahl. When I was a kid and older, my parents. My mom, in particular, always believed in me.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I started thinking about being a writer when I was in grade school. But as I got older, I decided that writers didn't grow up poor in small logging towns in Southern Oregon. I figured they probably grew up in cool places like New York or San Fransisco It just seemed impossible for someone like me to be a writer. So I stopped writing (which made it a certainty that I wouldn't be a writer). I didn't start writing again until I was about 30.
What has changed in your career over time?
The internet has probably made the most changes. It's made research far easier, not just in finding articles, first person accounts and YouTube videos, but in also making it easier to connect with readers. On the down side, it's allowed piracy, which wasn't really a thing before e-books.
What is it like to be a successful author?
It’s great because I have a lot of freedom. I don’t have a boss, which is really nice! I don’t have to be at work at a certain time, and I could even work in my PJs if I wanted to. I can go to a Brazilian jiu jitsu class if I want to. I do have to admit that I write all the time - evenings and weekends - to make up for that.
Author-famous is the right kind of famous. I very seldom get recognized. It’s not like real celebrities who have to worry about people taking pictures of them on a day when they are wearing old sweats or spilling food on themselves.
What is the most challenging thing with being an author?
Deadlines can be really tough, especially if I’m traveling and having to write after a day of doing school visits.
How did you feel when you first book was published?
It was amazing! I saw in my local bookstore’s window. They sold out of books at my first signing. Since I had written three books that never got published, it was a real “pinch me” moment.
What book of yours that you have written is your favorite?
I used to say Girl, Stolen, because doing the research into blindness was really interesting. But then I wrote The Girl I Used to Be. First of all, it was inspired by a real-life cold case that still gives me the shivers. And second, my mom was dying when I wrote the book. She was fine with dying; I was not so fine with it. So I put a character just like her in the book. Nora acts like my mom, talks like my mom, dresses like my mom and even makes bacon like my mom. It was a tiny way to keep her her alive.
Do you write full time? What other jobs have you held?
I am very lucky in that I do write full time. I work on a treadmill desk, which is a desk with a treadmill underneath it. I just walk. The treadmill is specially geared for slow speeds, not running.
I have worked as a health care writer and have also done public and media relations. When I was first starting out, I had a crazy variety of jobs, including working in admitting at a hospital, making pizzas, cashiering at a natural food store, and even a brief stint as the girl who jumps out of the cake.
What are your hobbies?
Reading, running, cooking, watching movies (especially scary or funny ones), and Brazilian jiu jitsu.
Do you have any pets?
No, sadly. My husband has gotten allergic to anything with fur, so once our cat died from old age, we couldn't get another one.
