Lengthy Interview about Happy Birthday to Me at The Eclectic Reader!

I was asked by Teddyree at the highly popular and much followed The Eclectic Reader book blog to do an interview and giveaway for Happy Birthday to Me! I talk about my writing process, the research I did to prepare for Happy Birthday to Me, and what I'm working on next!

Here's an excerpt question...

Is there anything you find particularly challenging when you’re writing?

I'm sure most authors feel the same way, but I find the most challenging aspect to writing is tackling that blank page every day. I realized about a year and a half ago the key to writing a novel is giving yourself a schedule, one you can never, under any circumstance, deviate from. When I write the first draft of a novel, I write at least 2,000 words, usually 2,500, sometimes as many as 3,000 words, a day. I don't take Sunday off. I don't take holidays off. I don't skip a day because I feel like it. I've written four novels now, and I've never skipped a day when writing the first draft ever. I just feel it's important, especially considering the amount of ideas I'm wading through and trying to get down on paper. But that blank page is scary, for sure. Every single night when I sit down to write, it typically takes me an hour or so to sum up the courage to write the first sentence of that night's work. But once I settle into my groove and hear the voices of the characters inside my head, it's pure joy from there on in.

Read the full interview by clicking here: The Eclectic Reader