Did you always want to be a writer?

I never dreamed that I could actually make a living at it, but I have always loved to write. I have so many journals and computer documents filled with half-baked stories, but most of them haven’t seen the light of day in years. I think little me would be overjoyed that I wrote a whole book, though!

How did you start writing?

I wrote a lot of fanfiction! Don’t get excited—it’s not published anywhere, and it’s not the spicy kind. I just liked using existing characters to tell my stories. It was kind of like using training wheels; I could practice writing a story without having to create everything from scratch. I learned how to write dialogue that sounded true to a character, how to describe settings, and how to tell a story from beginning to end. Most of my old stories are pretty terrible, but they got me through that rough practice stage. When I decided to write my own book, I was ready!

How long did it take you to finish your first book?

It took about six and a half years to finish my first draft! The first five years were slow going, mainly because I hadn’t worked out all the pieces ahead of time. I let inspiration strike as I went, which was sometimes helpful and sometimes hurtful. While I was working on my Master’s, I got a lot of feedback from my professors and peers that helped me polish what I had already written and work ahead to finally finish the draft. (Also, having to turn everything in by the deadline was a big motivator!)

How did you come up with all of the puzzles for your book?

I’ve made a lot of puzzle games for my family, so I already had a feel for what it would take to create a series of connected puzzles. I knew that I wanted to showcase a lot of different puzzle types and solving skills, so I kept asking myself, “What haven’t I done yet?” I also work best when I bounce my ideas off someone, so my sister (who loves to write too) helped me workshop some of them. The great thing about puzzles is that there’s no one way to create them, so you can start anywhere!

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

The best advice I can give comes from a book called Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland. The book tells a story about a ceramics professor who divided their class in half; one half of the room would be graded on the number of clay pots they made during the semester (quantity), while the other half of the room was asked to submit a single perfect pot (quality).

Throughout the semester, the “quality” students debated the most perfect way to create a clay pot. They only had one shot at an A, so they didn’t want to mess it up. Meanwhile, the “quantity” students kept making pot after pot, and they learned from their mistakes and got better and better. Ultimately, the “quantity” students turned in the best pots, because they were the ones who put in the work to figure out the best creation methods. They got a ton of practice, while the “quality” students had next to none because they didn’t want to risk ruining their one perfect pot.

Anyone can have a great idea for a story, but it takes practice to turn it into a good book. Those ideas in your head may seem perfect, but if you never try to write them down, then no one else will ever be able to appreciate them. You can always learn from your mistakes and change what you’ve written, but first you have to actually write something. Give yourself permission to make mistakes, and you’ll be amazed at how much you learn and how much better your story gets. (This was hard for me because I’m a huge perfectionist, but I promise it’s worth it!)

Do you respond to fan mail?

I sure do! Check out my contact page for different ways to get in touch. I love to hear from my readers! 🙂

What are some other series that fans of The Treasure of Cajmoor might enjoy?

Some great series to check out are:

•The Book Scavenger series by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

•The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer

•The Mr. Lemoncello’s Library series by Chris Grabenstein

•The Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart

•The Red Blazer Girls series by Michael D. Beil

•The 39 Clues series by Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, Peter Lerangis, Jude Watson, Patrick Carman, Linda Sue Park, and Margaret Peterson Haddix