STARING AT GOATS

I'm curious about YOU as a writer.

Five Important Questions:

1. WHERE DO YOU DRAW YOUR INSPIRATION?

I could ponder this questions for days. I love the idea of dissecting my odd little writer brain.

For me, a good deal of inspiration comes from my little farm and the rural corner of Washington State that I live in. I find a lot of very human traits in the animals: a desire for attention, selfishness, a need for touch, greediness, joy (usually when they see the feed coming). The livestock guard dog fascinates me! She is hardwired for her job and can not be distracted from driving the eagles away, howling at the coyotes, walking her "loop," visiting with the ducks, goats and chickens, and of course, discipling the bird dog.

I'd say I also find inspiration in the most minute details: a cloud, a hot air balloon over my house, gossip at school, trees heavy with cherries, motorcycles, the weather.

2. WHERE DO YOU WRITE?

Um, everywhere. Really. In bed. On the couch. At soccer practice. In the car (a lot). At cafes. Locked in the bathroom when there are 5+ kids in the house. On the front porch. At my husband's office. On the back deck. Did I say in the car? I love the third floor loft at my husband's grandparent's house on the water. That's one of my very favorite places. The house is like the inside of a ship and the third floor loft is up a narrow staircase and is a tiny open room with fantastic brass lanterns all around. You can hear the herons and the water (and the kids on the beach, too, sometimes).

3. MUSIC OR NO MUSIC?

Depends. In a cafe or at the office, yes. But the music must be something I know inside and out so that I'm not really listening to it, and it must fit the manuscript. I was working on a novel for awhile (I will return to it) that I ONLY listened to Dave Matthew's Band.

4. DO YOU EVER FINISH ANYTHING?

Yes. All the time. And then I finish it again. I write a lot. And fast. I have tons of projects. Finishing in not my problem (I have other problems).

5. WHO DO YOU TRUST?

Michele and Ron. My husband. My fellow writer, Amber Lough. That's pretty much it. I don't show my work to anyone else and for various reasons, it will always be that way. The first opinion is always my husband's. I think he's the smartest person I know, he reads a lot, he remembers everything and I'm pretty sure he's honest with me. He has read every single thing I have ever written. If he says it's okay, and I won't embarrass myself too much, then I throw it at Ron and Michele and yell, "Duck!"