At what point in your life did you make up your mind you were going to become a published author?
Becoming a published writer was never something that I thought was an option for me; it was a bit like becoming a movie star or astronaut, reserved for someone else in another dimension. Still, the compulsion to write never left me, as I just kept writing even though I believed nobody would ever see it. I still don't think of myself as a “writer,” I'm just someone who writes.
My decision to send my work out into the world for publishing consideration was done basically as a dare from my daughter when she was in junior high. I had helped her with a career board on "How to Become an Author" and after she received an "A" on the project she questioned why I wasn't doing that if I was so smart! That's when Miss L'eau had her debut mention in multiple query letters sent out in the mail in 2005.
What was your favorite book to read as a child?
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn written by Betty Smith. It was the most honest book I'd ever read about a young person and their relationship to their family and the world around them. The story made me feel as though I was right there in the book walking alongside the characters as they went through their days and nights. It was the first time I truly understood that books allow us to explore and learn beyond our own experiences.
I also had a much loved, worn-out copy of folk tales (Reader's Digest, maybe?). It was a huge red book and I carried it everywhere and I wish I still had it.
If you could trade places with one author who you have admired over the years, who would it be and why?
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