I'm represented bySarah Younger of Nancy Yost Literary Agency

Noooo... I thought I was going to be a research scientist. I have a Masters in Physiology and an ABD (All But Dissertation) PhD in Neurophysiology.

I'm definitely not a pre-plotter, but I prefer to say that I "write for discovery" I ride around in my characters' heads and discover the world and events as they do. Another way to explain my process is that it's like I know I'm driving from Seattle to New Orleans, but not much more than that. I know I'll have to cross the Rocky Mountains at some point, but not when or where.

It depends on the book. Some story ideas come from dreams. The Twelve Kingdoms books came from a very vivid dream. Sometimes the idea for a character just appears.

I don't think any particular "kind" of scene is more difficult to write than any other. Some parts of any given story can be stubborn, throwing up walls that require patient chipping away before they give up the goods.

I'm much better at writing consistently and at trusting the revision process. The ways I've improved my craft would take book to detail! As far as publishing, I've learned that trends come and go. I don't get too worked up about the latest crisis or the most recent fad. Whenever events threaten to distract me, the best thing I can do every time is put my head back in my own work.

It really does work to write every day in a way that nothing else does. Build the habit of generating words. Write regularly.