--How did you get the idea for the story?
It came about through a combination of a story
I read in National Geographic about the many miles of tunnels under Paris, and
a kayaking incident I had with my daughter on a nearby island. Completely unconnected events, but they ended
up converging in a series of back-and-forth tweets between my daughter and me,
and then exploding into a real story idea.
--Which character would you most/least like to
have dinner with?
I’d most like to have dinner with Landon, who
is the person that brought all the outsiders from earth to Ixeos. I’d least
like to have dinner with Simon Lockwell, the head of the alien Firsts.
--Do you have any other works in progress? Any
teasers or release dates?
Darian’s War, book 3 of the IXEOS Trilogy, will
be released in the Fall. IXEOS: Rebellion ends with a shocker, and at the
beginning of Darian’s War, the outsiders are in disarray, not sure how to
proceed.
--What are some of your favorite books? Do you
still have much time to read?
I didn’t read much from November 2011 through
April of this year, because I was writing and/or producing six books. But I’ve
been trying to catch up since then! I like a wide variety of books: action
adventure (James Rollins, Steve Berry), YA fantasy (Rick Riordan), the
Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich, and the Mma Ramotswe books (the No. 1
Ladies Detective Agency) by Alexander McCall Smith. I’ve also been trying to
read some indies.
--If a fairy godmother told you could be put
into the world of your favorite book for 24 hours, which book would you pick
and why?
Narnia, definitely. I have
read or listened to The Chronicles of Narnia at least two dozen times over the
years, and long to live in Narnia with the talking beasts and Aslan.
--If you could have any superpower what would
you choose? I would probably choose
flying, although breathing underwater would be almost as awesome.
--Besides writing, what do you like to do in
your free time? We spend as much time as
we can boating, paddleboarding, kayaking and generally being beach bums. I
travel a LOT, too, sometimes for fun and sometimes for my nonprofit. I used to
do a lot of watercolor painting, but that’s fallen to the wayside with writing.
I’d like to pick it back up one day!
--What is one thing you would tell your 15 year
old self? Don’t be in such a hurry! I
went away to school at 16, and was in such a hurry to grow up. I tell my kids
all the time to enjoy the journey they’re on, and not wish it away by trying to
always get to the next thing. It’s hard when you’re young, and it seems like
there’s so much you can’t do yet, but as you get older you realize that you
should savor every single moment.
--Is there anything else you want to add or
say to your readers? I just want to say
thanks! Writing is a great joy for me, and I love the fact that people find my
books fun, entertaining, exciting and even a little informative. I know there
are lots of books you could be reading – my own TBR file is HUGE. So I really
appreciate you taking the time to read mine, and hope you enjoy them.
Lightning round: this or that?
Vanilla or chocolate? Vanilla, if it’s ice
cream. Chocolate, otherwise!
Hockey or soccer? Hockey, definitely! Go Canes!
Ebook or paper?
Love paper, but buy ebooks.
Salty or sweet?
Salty
Beach or mountains? Beach
Phone call or email? Email
Early bird or night owl? Early bird
Dog or cat?
Cat (but don’t tell my dog!)
Messy or neat?
Somewhere in between!
Ninjas or pirates? Definitely pirates.
I've been fascinated with the catacombs and tunnels beneath Paris for years, so it's really cool that they inspired this story. Thanks for this fun interview!
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