Ixeos Book Tour Interview

--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.