While the Daffodils Danced portrays a story of adoption through the eyes of the birth mother. Are you adopted, have you placed a baby for adoption, or have you adopted a child?

No, no, and no. The closest I’ve come to adoption in any form is when I adopted my greyhound from a rescue group and my collie mix from the SPCA.

How did you begin your writing career?

True story. My best friend, Judy Harrison, took me to a psychic on my 32^nd birthday. Girls’ night out, something different than the usual birthday celebration. I have to admit I was a bit nervous. We pulled up to the house and I remember thinking, this doesn’t look like the house of a psychic. I wasn’t sure what a psychic’s house looked like, but I thought I’d know it if I saw it. 

Anyway, the psychic took me to the lower level of her home and offered me a seat at a card table. The sparse furnishings left me wondering, but I was immediately impressed when she started to tell me things about myself that were personal and true! Near the end of our consultation she said to me, “You should start writing again. Use your gift.” I laughed and told her I’d never written a thing in my life. She proceeded to tell me that I was an author in a former life and that I had several books published. Well, I thought it rude to contradict a psychic in her own home, so I just smiled and left. 

I pushed her words aside for nearly three years. But there was something about what she said that intrigued me. So, I declared it a challenge and sat down to pull up my so-called gift for writing. Whether the woman was right or wrong, it started me writing and that’s all that matters.

I’d love to see that psychic again. Perhaps, ask her the names of the other books I’ve written. It would save me a whole lot of time writing the next one.

What was your inspiration behind While the Daffodils Danced?

Although the story is fiction, my fascination with daffodils is true. Each spring, I’d visit a field of daffodils near my childhood home. Growing up in a challenging environment allowed for much time away, so I sought solace in this field and began to see the world in a different way.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time when you’re not writing?

If I had any spare time, I’d tell you. No, I do carve out a little time for fun. Of course, I enjoy reading. I love women’s fiction, now that’s a surprise. Anne Tyler, Billie Letts, Elizabeth Berg, Barbara Kingsolver, Bobbi Smith, Elizabeth Bevarly, and Debbie Macomber are among a few of my favorite authors. 

Gourmet cooking and gardening are passions of mine. My family and I planted 250 daffodil bulbs this past fall. We’re a family who loves to play board games. I also devote time to my business as a beauty consultant for Mary Kay.

Are you working on any current projects?

I’m working on a second novel. It’s also mainstream women’s fiction. The working title is Innside Out, but that will probably change. The story takes place at a bed & breakfast set in a small town in Michigan. The protagonist, Tess Womack, is a naïve girl who is highly superstitious. My research on superstitions has been entertaining and enlightening.

What advice would you give to other writers?

Trust the process. Don’t keep second guessing yourself. Stay with the idea and continue in the direction you’re going, especially with first draft. Some of what you write, you will keep in the rewriting stages, and other stuff you’ll end up pitching. But none of it is ever wasted. The scenes you end up cutting may have been for your benefit to strengthen your knowledge about your characters. Sometimes, you have to go around the barn a few times.

Secondly, let yourself go. Don’t be worried about what other people are going to think about your writing. This creates surface writing. I’ve read books where the author took me to the edge then pulled back, out of fear, I believe. Can you say frustrating? Go to that deeper level and take your reader with you. They don’t want average, boring, and mundane, or they’d stick with their own life instead of escaping with a good read. If you promise them a journey, you have to deliver.

Lastly, join or start a good critique group. This is invaluable. Friends and family will tell you that your novel is wonderful because they still have to share holiday meals with you. Form a group with those writers whom you trust to give you honest feedback. It can be painful, even brutal, at times. But it’s nothing compared to the editing process that goes along with publication. Get used to the idea that not every word you write is fantastic. Sometimes you write great stuff, but it doesn’t fit into that particular story. Listen to others and you’ll be amazed at how you can flourish as a writer.