FAQ

Hi there. Following are my answers to frequently asked questions. If you have a question for me and it’s not covered below, please reach out to me on Twitter or Facebook. I’d love to hear from you. You can also email me here. I will try my best to respond!

How do I get a signed and/or personalized copy of one of your books?

If you’re in the United States, contact Rakestraw Books at (925) 837-7337 with your information (payment, personalization, address) and they will help you out.

What are your favorite books?

In no particular order: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, anything by Madeline Miller, All The Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker, God of the Woods by Liz Moore. I just finished On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong–what a book! Another excellent read was The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton. I’m currently loving Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. I reread Jane Austen’s novels every year (Persuasion is my favorite.) I’m obsessed with The Count of Monte Cristo (revenge plots are the best!) 

I adore a great work of historical fiction, or historical nonfiction. Endurance, Unbroken, Fearless, The Gates of Fire, All the Light We Cannot See, to name a few.

To put this under one umbrella: I love novels about characters I fall in love with, who feel deeply, want something terribly, and who live in compelling, vividly rendered worlds to which I’m utterly transported.

What is your writing process like?

Different for every book. Sometimes I’m really organized. I’ll spend time on research, an outline, and other prep materials. Other times I write organically, no outline or character sketches. I just show up and go. Basically, I do what feels like the right thing–what will get me excited about sitting down and working. I think it’s important for writers to know their tools. But I don’t think you always need all of them.

When I’m working on a novel, I write every day. Generally when I’m drafting, I’ll commit to one thousand words a day. Anything additional is extra. It might take me two hours to get that many words, or it might take me seven. I never know.

What is your advice for aspiring writers?

Write a lot, read a lot, repeat as necessary. Seriously. Also, find people you trust who can give you honest, constructive feedback. And never, ever give up.

How can I meet you? Talk to you? Be your friend? Email you?

We already are friends! Instagram is the best way to stay up to date with me. And you can also head over to the NEWS page for a schedule of my upcoming appearances. If you’d like to email me, you can do so here.

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

No. I have always been an avid reader but leaned more toward the visual arts when I was younger. I kept a journal through high school and filled it with drawings and sketches. I also wrote short stories in there and copied favorite poems. Looking back, I see the writer in me struggling to come out, but for many years painting was my primary artistic passion and I even went to school to study it. I’ve only been writing seriously for about twelve years. UNDER THE NEVER SKY was my third completed manuscript, but I’d been writing for about seven years prior. I don’t think it’s ever to late (or too soon) to become a writer!

How do you handle writer’s block?

Well, I employ whichever strategy works. Sometimes it’s stepping away from the writing for a while to let my subconscious work on the problem. Walks, a day off, a great movie or book. Time with my family and friends. They’re all things to which I turn if I’m blocked. Just taking a breath and clearing your head can do wonders. Other times, I have to just push through the block through sheer determination. Sometimes writer’s block is just fear. Still other times, I’ll try to find ways around what’s stumping me. If it’s a plot problem, I’ll work on character sketches for a while. Or I’ll move to a scene that’s working and fiddle around with that, refining it, just to keep the story moving in a positive direction. It’s really about finding a way to let the creative engine in your head cool down. A calm mind is a more open mind.

What are you working on next?

I’m finishing up a literary post-apocalyptic novel for adults titled Radiance.