What inspired The Overtaking?
It was an idea for a book I had come up with years ago. I had wondered what it would be like to find out we weren’t really living on Earth, that our memories had been altered, and that we’re living our lives not knowing who we really were. This idea grew, and it came to life in the Maslonian and Dyken races, one taking over the other and putting them in a fake environment. And then I thought it would be great to have members of the opposite races fall in love. That’s when Shayne and Danielle were formed.
Do you have a favorite scene in The Overtaking?
Yes, I think my favorite scene is where Shayne first figures out he can move objects with his mind after his memory has been altered. Danielle sees him use his power and gets frightened because she knows she has to turn him into the authorities who will wipe his memory again. He’s already had two memory wipes, and she doesn’t want him to forget her again. It’s a tense scene where he reveals to her that he can read her mind and he knows she’s one of them, and also that she has feelings for him.
What are you working on now?
I’m writing the sequel to The Overtaking, which has proven to be very fun for me. Trenton takes Danielle into the Holodome and puts her into a mental institution where she learns that all of the mental patients were resequencing mess-ups. Many of them can remember bits and pieces of their past, and a few still have their powers. Shayne is locked out of the Holodome and is devising a plan to get back in. Of course he doesn’t know where Danielle is or how to get back out after he’s found her. I’m not sure how he’s going to do it either!
What inspired you to start writing?
I was an avid reader growing up. Loving books as I did, I always thought it would be cool to write a novel. But I didn’t have the time, and I didn’t make the time, until I injured my back and had nothing else to do. Then I thought I would write that novel I had always wanted to write. I wrote the first draft of that book, Not What She Seems, in one week. I didn’t know anything about writing, so it took four years of revising to make that into something good. I was shocked when that book took off and sold over 100,000 copies and made the New York Times best seller list. I didn’t really think of myself as a writer, it was just something I did for fun.
What do you love most about your writing?
I love hearing from fans. It’s fantastic when people tell me they’ve enjoyed reading my book. It makes it all worth it, to know someone stayed up late at night to finish my story.
What are your goals as a writer?
I would love to be able to write full time. That’s a hard goal to accomplish because writing income is very unreliable, but for now I’m happy with juggling my business and my writing.
What keeps you motivated?
My readers definitely keep me motivated. Sometimes readers will ask me when my next book is coming out. I’ve been in their shoes, anxious to read someone’s next book, so I know how it feels. I try to write each day so they don’t have to wait for a long time.
Upcoming: my review of
The Overtaking.
Feel free to post any questions you have for the author. She will be checking in to answer.
