Q & A

Q. Did you always want to be a novelist?

A. No, I thought I’d be an artist like my mother. I graduated from college with a BA in Painting and Drawing, and a minor in Art History. I needed rent money so I pulled my unruly hair into a ponytail, put on a conservative navy-blue dress, and found a job managing a craft and gift store. After that, I owned and operated Fast Eddies Restaurant in Bellingham, then sold cars. A long way from a painting career!

Q. When did you start writing?

A. Over the years I made up stories, poems, and songs for my sons, Bryan and Chris. Volunteering at school, singing Gilbert and Sullivan with community theatre companies, and occasionally painting kept me busy. Early one morning while journaling, the first pages of A Portrait of Marguerite seemed to write themselves. Morning after morning I kept writing and writing and writing. (It pays to be slightly compulsive.)

Q. Was it hard getting published?

A. Indeed. I sent out query letters to agents and was soundly rejected. So I studied the craft, attended writers conferences, and reworked my manuscript until I got it right. At a conference I met my literary agent, who sold my book to RiverOak/Cook.

Q. It sounds like an exhausting process. What kept you going?

A. My husband, Noel, was my biggest encourager. I joined a weekly critique group, which I found invaluable. Writing involves many hours of solitude and thought, then much rewriting. I trained myself to work everyday, whenever the time presented itself: with my morning tea, waiting in the chiropractor’s office, or sitting outside with my laptop.

Q. Any words of advice for fellow or would-be writers, artists, musicians, or craftsmen?

A. Don't give up! Here is one my favorite quotes:

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

- Calvin Coolidge