Frequently Asked Questions
1. When did you start writing?
I remember writing my first story when I was about three or four years old. It was about a cat who had a tea party. I continued writing short stories throughout my childhood and then, after a phase in my teens in which I wrote a lot of really awful poetry, I started a few novels. None of those made it past twenty pages, though.
I got serious about wanting to be a writer and wrote
Northlander, my first completed novel, when I was twenty-three.
2. How did Northlander originate?
I was enrolled in the
Institute of Children's Literature course on writing for children and teens. My second course assignment was to write a short story using words from (or inspired by) a certain list. Some of the words were "candle," "lantern," and "snow." I sat down and typed,
They say winter in the Northlands can chill the skin right off your bones... That short story wouldn't leave me alone, and, a year and a lot of outlining later, I expanded it and wrote
Northlander. (The original short story is now the first two chapters of the novel.)
3. Did you do a lot of research in order to write Northlander?
Some parts of it (the horses!) required a lot of very specific research. For the most part, though, I made things up or was only vaguely inspired by things (clothing, food, customs) in the real world. For me, that's the fun of writing fantasy and creating one's own world--the freedom to imagine.
4. Do you hate cold weather?
You'd think so, wouldn't you? It gets colder in Nebraska than most people think (we get below-zero weather and blizzards, sometimes lasting from late September to late April!), but no, I don't hate winter. I love snow, and I
adore the way trees look after an ice storm. I have to admit, though, that my favorite way to enjoy winter weather is curled up inside, watching it snow through the window, with a cup of tea or cocoa and a good book.
5. Do you have red hair?
Nope! Reddish-brown, not red enough to be called auburn. My mom is a redhead, though, as was my great-grandmother.
6. Will there be a sequel to Northlander?
Yes! I'm hard at work on it right now!
7. What is your policy on fan-fiction?
I have absolutely no objection to it. In fact, I would be incredibly flattered. However, I cannot legally read any fan-fiction written about my characters or my world, so, please do
not send me (or point me to) your fan-fiction to ask for my opinion of it. If you choose to write fan-fiction based on
Northlander, I would ask that you do not write stories crossed-over with the work of an author who has forbidden fan-fiction, that you put a disclaimer on your stories so people can find the novel, and that you are careful where you post adult-rated stories so that underage readers don't stumble upon them by accident.
8. Will you read my manuscript/help me get published?
I'm sorry, no. I'm a writer, not an agent or editor.
9. You (and your publisher) mentioned that you're involved with online fandom...?
Yes, I am, under a pseudonym. No, I won't tell you what my online handle is, where I'm active, what my fandoms are, or in what ways I participate in fandom. Sorry!
10. What authors inspire you?
Some of my favorite authors are J.R.R. Tolkien, Patricia McKillip, C.S. Lewis, Lloyd Alexander, Ursula LeGuin, Madeleine L'Engle, Guy Gavriel Kay, Susan Cooper, J.K. Rowling, Isobelle Carmody, and Brian Jacques.
Do you have a question I haven't answered here? If so, please feel free to
contact me.
