Come in, kick off your shoes, and get comfy. I don’t mind if you put your feet up on the furniture. Hang out.

I was born on a Thursday. What’s that prehistoric saying about Thursday’s child?

‘Thursday’s child has far to go.’

Errr….

I grew up in California. Sadly, not by the coast, but close, just a hop, skip and a car ride away. My Grandfather had a vineyard. A small one…in the middle of cow country. Imagine that on a hot summer’s day. Nice visual. I’m the oldest. <Read> bossiest. Where is this going? Remember the whole Thursday’s child thing, I have far to go. So, try to keep up. And since you’re along for the journey—I hope you’re wearing comfy shoes. Anyhow, I started my writing career at a very young age. It started with imaginary friends. What? You try living in a place with just grapes to talk to. I published my first story at the tender age of eight. It was four lines and about a frog.
I won some silly award. This meant I got out of school for the day and went to a banquet thingy. The rest is sorta froggy. (Punny huh?)

The four-line story grew into bigger stories, written in notebooks, on binder paper. I’ve always written stories.

Life’s pathways split and took me on a few winding roads into strange but fun careers. Sorta like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, except without the tornado, the dog and the scarecrow. Okay maybe not like Dorothy…

I started writing longer, complicated stories. Then I did something that shocked even me. I started reading lots of books. I learned something: in order to improve your writing, you must read and read and read. Now I have paperbacks living under my bed, in my closets (note the plural), overflowing from bookcases (note the plural, again). I’m breeding paperbacks! Or at least that’s my excuse. <Grin> It will be our little secret. You can keep a secret, right? Right?

Picture of me at 16.

My life condensed. Read. Write. Read. Write. Hang out with friends. Feed fat cat before she bites me. Catch the latest episode of Supernatural, drool over Jensen Ackles. Read. Write. Read. Write. There’s sleep in there somewhere.

That’s Kitty in a nutshell.

On writing…

Q: Where do you get your story ideas?

A: Everywhere. I keep a Dream Journal. Also, I get many of my ideas while driving or soaking in the tub. I let my mind zone out. Mostly, the ideas pop into my head. I’m very character driven. I will come up with two characters, peg them against each other, and then design a plot to torture them. It’s not as violent as it sounds. Conflict makes good fiction.

Q: Are the characters in your books based after people you know?

A: No. There might be some aspects or quirks of someone but never based on the people around me. My characters live in my imagination. Believe me, that’s enough. I don’t hear voices, really I don’t.

Q: When did you start writing?

A: Err… I have always written. I used to write my stories out long hand in spiral ring binders and let my friends at school read them. They were usually romances. I’m a romantic sap.

Q: Who has influenced your writing?

A: My biggest influence I would say is movies. I’m very visual. I love John Hughes Movies from the 80’s. Kitty and John sitting in a tree…Go ahead say it, get it off your chest! He wrote The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful and many more. He perfected teen angst.

Q: What kind of music do you listen to when you write?

A: I’m weird. I don’t. I used to, but now it distracts me. Sometimes, I’ll play Celtic music. I have eclectic tastes. I used to be a DJ in high school. I started out studying Radio and Television in college. (I’ve major hopped a few times.) I love 80’s music. I’ll listen to almost anything. However, I’m not crazy about rap. My hubby was in a rock band. (They once opened for Z Z Top.) So, he introduced me to rock. I like Carrie Underwood, Cold Play, Daughtry, Taylor Swift, Depeche Mode, Ten Thousand Maniacs, The Railway Children, Evanescence, Corey Hart and so much more. I have the words from Corey Hart’s song, “Never Surrender” taped above my desk. They are words to live by.