When did you realize that you wanted to become
a writer?
I knew I wanted to be
a writer from the first moment I made up a story. To hear my family tell it,
they knew I was going to be a writer from the moment I made a play for my
cousin’s birthday when I was 5 or 6.
Is being an Author all you dreamed of, or did
it just happen? The best and worst thing about it?
I love being a
writer. In many ways, it has exceeded my expectations. If there was a worst
part about being a writer, it would be having more ideas than I have time.
What was the very first thing you ever wrote?
There was the
aforementioned play for my cousin’s birthday and then a series of shorter
stories that I shared with my friends when I was in elementary school. My first
published novel was written in a series of notebooks when I was 16.
What made you create (your book)? How did it come to you?
I always seem to have
a plethora of ideas. For the series of shorts that I have been producing, it
was born of watching a lot of television recently on Netflix and the desire to
duplicate the idea of episodes in written form.
Who is your literary hero?
Neil Gaiman, for
following his dreams, and Ernest Hemmingway, for being the kind of writer who
writes what he wants, when he wants; there are a variety of other writers to
whom I look up: Hugo, Asimov, King, Barker, and many others.
How much of your characters are based on your
traits or someone you know personally?
More than you might
imagine given the amount of fantasy I write. The most recent series of shorts
involve fictionalized (and renamed) versions of many of the people who populate
my life.
Describe your main character in six words.
Whoever you need him to be.
Describe the world you’ve created in six words.
Lost meets The Walking Dead.
What scene was your favorite to write?
I like writing a lot
of interaction between family members, which was not always the case. Recently,
I find great solace in doing so, as I do not get to see my family often enough.
What scene was the hardest for you to write?
I am sure that I can
pinpoint a particular scene, as I generally enjoy writing
everything––especially those scenes that tug on the heartstrings.
What are you working on now?
A sequel to Bitten called Drained, which is another Lauren Westlake mystery. It is far and
away my best seller and has topped a few lists since its publication.
What's your favorite thing to do when you're
not writing?
I am actually a
literary consultant, so my day job involves helping other people with their
work. I enjoy training and binge-watching shows on Netflix like House of Cards. If you haven’t watched
it yet, then you are missing out.
