On my old website, I liked to do a lot of interview questions, asks, and questionnaires because I always found them cathartic, relaxing, reflective, and a good way for my readers to get to know me.

However, I always did too many of them, and sometimes single posts would have like 75 questions in them. People rarely read them because I made it a lot of work for them!

I’m trying again, but breaking the posts down into little tidbits, and I plan on doing these self-interview questions sparingly.

Here’s the first batch. It comes from this article by Haley Horton.

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Part One: Personal Life Questions

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

I wanted to be a ballet dancer in a professional dance company. I started lessons at age six and continued until I was fourteen and made it en pointe, then quit until I attempted lessons again at Ballet Met in Columbus at age 20. One of my biggest regrets in life was quitting ballet. I was so strong and fit and had great flexibility. I was incredibly healthy and loved the way I looked. When my teacher retired, I quit dance out of fear of working with a new school and new teachers…and in my own little way, I’ve suffered for it. I miss it so much. I’ve looked into adult ballet classes around my area, and while there are ballet lessons, they are for young students on the preprofessional track. Sigh.

What is your favorite part of being a writer?

I love coming up with characters. I usually think of them visually first, then come up with their backstories and flaws and quirks, and most importantly…I make up things to happen to them!

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

There were two readers on Instagram I had been talking to when I sought them out to give them free copies of Son of the Siren in exchange for an honest review. They reached out to me when they finished reading with questions about the characters and compliments on the work. That was really nice. Otherwise, if I want to know what readers are thinking, I look at reviews. You are 100% not supposed to be doing this. I’m serious. Every serious writer I’ve read about insists that you should not be doing this. But I’ve found the best possible reviews of my work this way, because, for the most part, readers keep their distance.

I do want to take the moment to shout out a special reader who has recommended my book Son of the Siren time and again in Reddit threads.. I’m leaving them anonymous, but whenever I’ve searched my name to see if my SEO is good or if there’s anything inaccurate out there about me, those Reddit threads come up, and it’s the same person recommending my book. I believe I have found a devoted fan. Thank you so much!

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

I’ve only written two. Maybe three, technically. My first book was The Name and the Key, as written as my graduate thesis. So perhaps that’s one book. The second was Son of the Siren, which was the first book I ever got published. The third one is probably this brand-new iteration of The Name and the Key, which is being stretched into a trilogy. The bare bones of the thesis are there, and so are the characters, but I took away the Romani culture and mythology and upped the presence of alchemy and introduced demons and a sort of Catholic aesthetic. I learned that I should not appropriate other cultures for fantasy, period–especially marginalized ones.

Alright. Between the two books, I think The Name and the Key might be my favorite only because of the characters I created in that book. Andresh is a big winner for myself and for many readers–he was super-popular in graduate school. I really enjoy writing his relationship with Lily.

However, as I write, The Step and the Walk might overtake The Name and the Key. This is Andresh’s story, an epistolary novel from his point of view, as journal entries. I’ve never written in this structure before and it’s been a lot of fun.

What does your family think of your writing?

I am so, so lucky that my family has always supported my writing. I consider it a rare gift. I’ve heard stories of parents and family members who think it’s a glorified hobby, or no way to make a living…my family is not like that.

I was born into a family of readers and everybody has a good head on their shoulders for criticism. For example, my brother is the harshest critic, and he wasn’t afraid to tell me about what was terrible about Son of the Siren, and then what the best parts were. My sister loved the book, and when I asked my mother to read it, I was terrified she would hate it (fantasy is not her genre). To my relief she thought the book was good.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I love blogging and reviewing, but that’s writing too, so…I’m an avid reader, especially of manga and BL, and I love watching anime and cosplaying. I have the materials for a Qi Rong cosplay from the second season of Heaven Official’s Blessing; I just need to start sewing. And…to get in a little better shape.

Can you describe your writing space?

For decades I used the same desk setup I had in elementary school, but the time came maybe a year and a half ago or so to finally update the computer desk. The one I type on is smaller and more open, and it doesn’t cover the air vents like the last desk did, so I can actually feel the heat when I type in the winter.

Anyway, I have a beautiful XL mousepad that covers the whole desk practically; a cool pencil case/cupholder that’s made out of wood and painted to look like a stack of books; a silver rose in a silver vase from my father, who’s deceased; a golden tree with photos of my family from my grandmother, who’s deceased; and a set of fake flowers blooming in a metal box to add color and “greenery” to the desk. I used to have live orchids at my desk but they won’t fit this new one, and I have a habit of forgetting to take care of real flowers.

I wrote an article about my writing space, and it has photos. Check it out here.

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

So, I don’t know if this counts…but in third grade I bought a blank hardcover book with empty white, unlined pages–my teacher would sell them to us, and we could write whatever we wanted in them. I created a book called “The Fantasy Club” and stole some ideas from TV shows and specials back in the day, especially the plot to when Sesame Street ends up stuck at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Yes, I had an “overnight at the museum” story. Anyway, I wrote all of my friends at the time into the book. Does this actually count as my first book? I was eight.

If we count an actual novel, the first one I ever wrote was at graduate school, and it was The Name and the Key. Up until that point, I wrote plays and musicals. I was 30 when I finished my thesis and earned my degree.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Pretty early on. I remember writing stories at age six and seven for assignments in school, and my teacher complimenting me for using the phrase “they scrambled to get to the bus in time,” but I think it was that third grade year, at eight years old, that I wanted to write.

What is your typical day like when you’re writing?

I hang a wooden sign on the door that my mother gifted me that says “I’m writing, I swear” so people know not to bother me, and I keep my door shut. Then I reread a chunk of my manuscript because I usually forget what I’ve written, and I don’t have a detailed outline to work off of–just a list of basic ideas. After doing a reread/refresh, I just start pumping out words. Sometimes I can only do about 500. At my best, I can do about 3500. I write slowly and not a lot.

How do you relax?

I usually can’t function during the day without napping for at least an hour…which wastes time but refreshes me. If I somehow manage to stay awake, it’s because I’m reading a good book, blogging, or streaming anime from Netflix. I used to have Crunchyroll but I can’t afford it right now.

What is your favorite book and why?

I don’t have a favorite book. Here’s a bookshelf I made with Booktrovert by NetGalley that will show you my reading tastes:

What book/s are you reading at present?

I’m working through Jenna Moreci’s How to Write Romantasy. It might seem weird to read a romantasy craft book while being in the middle of writing a romantasy, but I plan on upping the romance ante with later books in the trilogy, and I’m interested in the chapters that talk about characters getting intimate, whether it’s emotionally or physically. The narrative is fun to read and I’m learning a lot. I think I should have read it before I started writing The Name and the Key, though.

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Thanks for reading part one! The next post in the series (aka part two) are the writing inspiration questions. See you then!