From Pages to Pages: Behind the Scenes

Tell us about your new book? What’s it about and why did you write it?

In an over-populated, post-apocalyptic city on the brink of internal collapse, Silver is a banished Hunter with a grudge. Accused of crimes she didn't commit, branded a traitor and left for dead, she's spent the last six years struggling to survive in a prison district filled with murderers, thieves and rapists. Biding her time, reluctantly earning a living for herself as an executioner, she finally seizes an opportunity for redemption when a prolific serial killer evades capture.

I didn’t intend to write dystopian SF, it just sort of happened. I thought I was writing an adventure romance … then I realized, hey, there are monsters (Chimera) everywhere, and the world ended three hundred years ago … umm … holy crap, this is science fiction!

What contributes to making a writer successful?

Tenacity.

Do you have an organized process or tips for writing well? Do you have a writing schedule?

I don’t have much of a schedule, except that I like to crank out about 10,000 words a week. As long as I keep doing that, I stay in a rhythm and can turn out a first draft in about two-and-a-half months. Unless migraines and insomnia get in the way :(

What do you hope people will take away from your writing? How will your words make them feel?

If I’ve provoked any feelings at all – whether I’ve repulsed you or aroused you – then I’ve done my job.

Last book you purchased? Tell us about it.

I bought Bones in Her Pocket by Kathy Reichs. It’s her first novelette ebook, and it was okay. I liked the first two thirds of it, then it ended with something completely random which seemingly had no real connection to the rest of the book. I felt like she was using the book as a way to promote her views about the cruelty of puppy mills. Which is fine. Puppy mills are cruel and should be shut down. But if you’re writing a book, at least weave your message into the storyline Don’t just throw it on top and expect it to blend.

Can you tell us about your main character?

Ella ‘Silver’ Cross is tough. She wouldn’t be caught dead in dresses or high-heels, and she knows way more about guns and ammo than she does about lipstick and eyeliner. She’s ballsy, and even though her fearlessness can be an asset to her work in the Hunter Division, it often makes her reckless.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Ultimately, it’s a love story. The world might end, but love endures.

What scares you the most?

Brown recluse spiders. Every time I see a spider, I think that’s what it is and I start to panic. Thanks a lot, Sharon. (You know who you are) *pouts*

Tell us about your new book? What’s it about and why did you write it?

SILVER: The Lost & Damned is the second book in The SILVER Series, but have no fear – this book also stands alone. So if you haven’t read SILVER: Acheron (A River of Pain) yet, don’t sweat it – you can start with The Lost & Damned and it’ll still totally work.