What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Finding (The Goddess of Destruction Book 1)?
I love romantasy but sometimes I get a little frustrated at how vulnerable female characters often are, and how invulnerable male characters often are. I love a man who can be vulnerable without feeling threatened. I love a woman who knows her power. I want more of those characters, so I wrote them.
What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
I devour fantasy. Love to read it, love to write it.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Anything by Jodi Taylor! She’s brilliant, and the only non-fantasy writer I read regularly. I’m also impatiently waiting to get to KF Breene’s retelling of Red Riding Hood.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
It’s impossible to choose a favorite scene! I love all the scenes where Sachi, the main female character, starts to lose her temper. Because she’s the Goddess of Destruction, losing her temper is very, very bad. And because she’s confident and secure in her power, she doesn’t have to look pretty when she does it. Writing a powerful woman this way was really interesting for me. I also love the scene where Sachi and Addon (the main male character) fight in the training ring. Spoiler: she defeats him (she is a Goddess, after all), but he’s so graceful about it, it doesn’t feel like a defeat at all. I really enjoyed writing all of Addon’s trials. They each reveal something about his character that’s unexpected. For example, when Libra tests him, physical strength and courage are useless because she’s looking for his Truth–and he doesn’t know what that is.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
The cat on my lap while I write is more obligation than habit, because I can’t sit down at my desk without Paco jumping on me. His sister, Marlene, sits next to my laptop staring at me the whole time I write. It’s actually a little creepy, lol, but I can’t seem to make them stop. They love writing time.
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
I have two mottos I try to live by. The first is “You think you have time.” Some attribute this to Gautama Buddha, others to Carlos Castaneda, but it’s a pretty common idea, right? You think you have time, but there’s no way to know if that’s true. So call the person. Eat the cookie. Take that trip. Stop waiting. The second is “No mud, no lotus”, which comes from the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. So great, right? You can’t grow into the beautiful flower you’re destined to become without the muddy stuff. The mud is actually an essential part of your creation. I find it reassuring when I go back to edit and find all those typos (picture my eyeroll).
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
I hope readers walk away from Finding with lots of thoughts and feels, but one of the primary themes is the tension between duty and responsibility and what the heart wants. We all struggle with that at some level.
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