When did you start writing?

When I was teaching writing to middle school students is when I really got into serious writing. I had penned a historical fiction before that, but it was in the studying of writing and preparing for my students and writing with them, I realized I was a writer!

What makes writing your passion?

I have feelings, thoughts, emotions that have to be expressed and when I see them on paper or the computer screen, something explodes inside of me—passion for the expressed written word.

How long have you been writing?

I wrote a historical fiction in the late 80s when I was going to Colorado State University, so that's almost forty years.

After retiring in 2013, I got truly serious about it and have published six books and three cookbooks since then.

What was the feeling when you published your first book?

I felt humbled when I saw my words on the printed page. I breathed a sigh of relief that it was done because it took me twenty years to finally get it out of the drawer and out to the world. I also felt a deep sadness, because my mom passed away a year before I published it.

What’s the story behind your choice of characters?

I have only written one fiction book, and I chose Maria and a Mexican immigrant family to tell their story of prejudice and injustice in the 30s in Colorado.

What annoys you the most in pursuing a writing career?

I don't like not selling more books. I know my books are great, but it's so time-consuming to do all the marketing required to sell books.

How do you get over the “writer’s block”?

I have never had a problem with "writer's block." In fact, I have five books in the queue—three poetry books, a how to write a biography and a fiction, so there's just not enough time.

We all know the writer’s path is never easy, what makes you keep going? What advice would you give to new authors?

I keep writing because that's how I interact with my changing world. I have to express it!

Don't wait like I did for 20-30 years to publish. Admit deeply you're a writer then give it all you have to make it happen.

If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say?

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Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with the bad ones?

Yes, I do read my book reviews and I haven't had any bad ones yet. I know they're coming. I did get a one-star rating and I wonder about that because if they had written a review, I could have understood it.

What is the feeling when you get a good review?

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Have you ever incorporated something that happened to you in real life into your novels?

My fiction in waiting is a compilation of my real life experiences.

Which of your characters you can compare yourself with? Did you base that character on you?

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What do you think, the book cover is as important as the story?

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Do you connect with your readers? Do you mind having a chat with them or you prefer to express yourself through your writing?

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How do you feel when people appreciate your work or recognize you in public?

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Who is your favorite author? Why?

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What’s the dream? Whom would you like to be as big as?

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