Q & A...thanks Raven!

So, I grabbed this survey from Raven's blog who got it from Kristin's. Now, it is I who is continuing the chain! So, here we go!

1) What's the last thing you wrote? What's the first thing you wrote that you still have?

The last completed novel I wrote was a little thing called BROKEN. Some of you fun folks may have read my teasers. Rehab. Need I say more? Recently, I've started out several different SNI's and am not wading through the muck, trying to figure out where to go from here. Decisions, decisions.

The very first full-length novel (in my mind, that's 60K words or more) that I ever completed was a piece d'crap called LOVE AND OTHER LIES. The only thing good about it was the title! :) I keep telling myself that I should pull it out and revamp, but alas, it is still collecting dust. The VERY VERY first thing I ever wrote (that wasn't required by the harridans at school) was a short little ghost story aptly titled GHOST...hey! I was 8!

2) Write poetry?

Argh! Not so much. The little bit that I have done is horrid. Please don't make me share!

3) Angsty poetry?

Again, not so much...my novels are dark enough. I don't really have any angst left over when they're through with me!

4) Favorite genre of writing?

Hmm...I love them all. I am an across-the-board writer. I write YA (fantasy and paranormal mainly), romantic suspense, and literary. My favorite really depends upon my current mood. Right now? I am gravitating toward suspense.

5) Most annoying character you've ever created?

Ha! Jessica Standler. She's the mean girl in my YA paranormal THE UNKNOWN. I hate her! Sometimes, I really do want to do away with her...hmmm...note to self...

6) Best plot you've ever created?

That's like asking me which of my dogs is my favorite! Don't make me choose one. That's really not fair at all. BUT, if you're going to put a gun to my head, I have to admit that there is a special place in my heart for the whole Luke/Lucifer story line of THE UNKNOWN. But, I have a weakness for angels...especially really hot ones.

7) Coolest plot twist you've ever created?

Hmm...like I said above. The whole Lucifer storyline was very fun. I really like the idea of characters that we already think of as villians as actually being good and vice versa. Also, I kind of like the whole mind link thing I explored in FIRST INSTINCT.

8) How often do you get writer's block?

I like to think of it as my characters getting fed up with all the shit I put them through and going on strike. It sounds more normal, like they're actual people...and they kind of are, to me anyway! Hahaha! Anyway, it doesn't happen all that frequently but more often than I would like.

9)Write fan fiction?

No, I do not...BUT I am one of those girls that will sit there and be like wouldnt it be cool if they did this or that? Yes, I am one of those fan girls!!

10) Do you type or write by hand?

I am a typer. My handwriting is worse than any doctor's. Seriously, it's illegible.

11) Do you save everything you write?

Yep, sure do!

12) Do you ever go back to an idea after you've abandoned it?

All the time. It all depends on what my brain is kicking out.

13)What's your favorite thing you've ever written?

Please don't make me choose! I love all my little plot bunnies.

14) What's everyone's favorite story you've written?

It's a pretty even split. My fam loves FIRST INSTINCT (although my aunt says she liked MILES FROM NOWHERE just as much). My friends like THE UNKNOWN. My lovely beta loves BROKEN. I like them all...except for the ones that are complete crap, but I still have hope for them!

15) Ever written a romance or an angsty teen drama?

Hell yes! When have I not?

16) What's your favorite setting for your characters?

Home or where they feel most comfortable. I hail from a small town, so I like to set my books in tiny blips as well.

17) How many writing projects are you working on right now?

Right now? Too many to count! lol When I am batting around ideas, I start churning out one or two page character developments. Then, when I get all my decisions made and outline started, I focus on one project until the bitter end.

18) Have you won an award for your writing?

I got a Most Inspirational Beta award from Liz...does that count? I'm still waiting on my statue though...crap! I guess that means it doesnt count. Double crap!!

19) What are your five favorite words?

Frigid. Dwell. Smug. Incapacitate. F*ck.

20) What character have you created that is most like yourself?

Hmm...all of them have my weird sense of humor. I guess, I'd have to say the one that is most like me is Skelly from BROKEN...No, I am not a recovering Heroin addict, but she has a lot of my dysfunction.

21) Where do you get your ideas for your characters from?

Everywhere. People I meet in passing. Some I've seen from afar. Others are close friends or family. Music I listen to. Music I don't. Movies. Magazines. Dreams. In a nutshell...LIFE (both the game and reality!)

22) Do you ever write based on your dreams?

Yep! My idea for THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS came from a weird dream I had after I'd taken a late night shower and forgotten to turn on the bathroom fan which resulted in a steam room...hence the opening chapters!!

23) Do you favor happy endings?

Eh...Not so much. I don't believe in Happily Ever After. I believe in real life. So, my endings aren't so much "and so they lived happily ever after..." They're more "and so they lived."

24) Are you concerned with spelling and grammar while you write?

Oh yeah! I am such a stickler for spelling. Just ask my beta, and she will tell you all about the epic desert/dessert discussion.

25) Does music help you write?

Sometimes. It definitely inspires me, but sometimes, I just need absolute silence to get through a tough scene.

26) Quote something you've written. Whatever pops in your head.

This was the place for society's rejects, where the bottom feeders came out in support of one another. And, I was the newest inmate.

--from BROKEN