Her story Oubliette can be
found in the Stardust, Always anthology.
What genre do you read?
I read pretty much
anything, but my go-to genres are humorous YA (think Rick Riordian and Bruce
Coville), cozy mysteries, and historical romances, preferably ones written
where the book is 99% hijinks and 1% romance.
What genres do you write?
I write the stories that
come to me, without worrying too much about genre. Most of the novels I have
plotted are under the loose umbrella of “speculative fiction”, but I’m still
struggling to find my voice with a full-length novel. So I’m practicing with
short stories for now. I also have a historical romance I’m tinkering with when
the mood strikes, and a book that started as an off-beat paranormal story, and
ended up full-on horror. That one is shelved for now.
Where else can readers find your work?
My only other published
short story “Bedtime Stories” can be found in the anthology “The Longest Night
Watch” which was published to fund Alzheimer’s research last year. Other short
stories and the sample chapters of a few novels can be found on Wattpad
(LaceySutton). “Hatchet” is the prelude chapter to my 2015 NaNoWriMo novel
about a cop on an Earth Colony who moonlights as a hitman to address issues she
has with the justice system; “A Gift of Flame” is a project I have been working
on for a VERY long time now. Set at the end of the Indus River Valley
Civilization in 2400 B.C., it is a fantasy story about long held grudges and a
pregnant Empress with a craving for chocolate (15 scenes published). “Muses” is
the horror story that I’ve shelved. It is about a writer who has gotten rich
off of penning gory little mystery-thrillers. The only problem is, he’s just
writing someone else’s story... someone with a lot of hands-on experience with
murder (9 chapters published). Finally there is “The Nothing Man”, which is a
short story mentioned in “Muses”, and written as if it was authored by the main
character, Aiden Ruskin. It’s a short paranormal story about a teen who sees a
man no one else seems to be able to, and becomes haunted by the Nothing Man.
What drove you to write for this anthology?
Cancer hurt my mother and
stepmother, and recently took a very good friend. I was mad. I wanted to hurt
cancer back. Providing funding for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital seemed
a great way to do that. Working on this project was also very cathartic—not
only the story I wrote, but reading the amazing works by everyone else. From
firsthand accounts to stories that focused on the careers and characters of
Bowie and Rickman, this anthology is a celebration and a perfect tribute to those
we have lost and those who are still fighting.
How long have you participated in Nanowrimo and the
community?
I have participated in
NaNoWriMo for nearly a decade now, and have won it 8 times. I discovered the
Unofficial NaNoWriMo participants group about six years ago now, and have let
it be my main time-suck ever since. Whenever I feel like writing, I go there
and fool around until the sensation passes.
Your story- is it part of a larger series or
freestanding?
Freestanding. The only way
I can write short stories is to do one-offs. Otherwise the story just keeps
going...
If you could ever meet a fictional character, who would
it be?
Probably Data, from Star
Trek: The Next Generation. I had such a crush on him, but also appreciated his
desire to learn, his ability to insert personal enrichment into a busy career,
and his hair. I mean, 90% of the time it was perfect. *Envious sigh*
Writing buddy?
I have a cat who prevents
me from writing as much as his 23lbs of dead weight can manage. I also have a
child, who is slightly more successful at 44lbs.
Coffee, tea, or other?
I’ll drink pretty much
anything with straight caffeine. No energy drinks, but tea, coffee, soda,
Bawls, caffeinated water... all good.
Morning or night person?
I’m a 10 am – 2 pm person.
Any time before then I’m still waking up, any time after that and I’m beginning
the downward slide to oblivion.
Plotter or Pantser?
The ideal me is a plotter,
but in reality I begin very diligently to plot, then get distracted by
something (or think “There must be an easier/more efficient way to do this!”
and end up having to pants great swaths of it. I also have encountered sections
that have been meticulously plotted, but when I finally write them no longer
make sense in the way I envisioned and the whole thing derails. At these points
one of the characters usually steps up and helps me wrestle the entire thing
back onto the tracks. So... all of the above?
What question do you wish people would ask about you or
your writing?
I tried to think of
something witty, but really...just expressing interest would be fine. I have a
few fans, but they’re at the “wow, you’re a good writer” level, not at the “How
do you xyz.” I will even take “How do you get your ideas,” at this point in my
career (which is actually the question I used as the seed of “Muses”). I also
accept pestering, like “I loved this character! Why don’t you do more with
them!” Yah... that’d be great...
One fun fact?
I tell many stories about
my origins. Despite their nearly mythical qualities, they are all true.
