Thank you to Deana Barnhart for organizing the Gearing Up To Get An Agent Blogfest. Check out her site for all the details. Today is the Meet and Greet where we can introduce ourselves and answer a few questions. So here goes.

I started writing in January 2010. It took me almost two years to figure out those stories in my head needed to be written down. Since then I’ve written over 1.3 million words in many stories. About a year and half into my journey, I started querying my first novel. That went nowhere. Now I’m preparing to query my second and am much smarter about the process.

The first stories I wrote were adult contemporary. The seventh one was young adult. I didn’t plan it, I just wrote it. Since then, they’ve mostly been YA–Read it. Write it. Love it.

So that’s my writing bio. The other basics: I have 2 kids, a husband and a dog. I’m mostly a stay at home mom, but also a civil engineer, although I don’t do a lot of engineering lately. I much prefer writing.

Here are Deana’s questions.

-Where do you write?
Two places. At my desktop in our computer room. Or on the laptop—which could be any place around the house. Away from the kids would be the best.

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?
My phone sitting on top of a AAA Northern California Tourbook Guide.

-Favorite time to write?
Anytime.

-Drink of choice while writing?
Lipton Diet Green Tea-Mixed Berry. *That sounds good now, I’ll be right back*

-When writing, do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?
Music—mostly my favorite radio station. Sometimes when I go to the library and forget my mp3 player, it feels weird to sit in the silence. I prefer the music.

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?
The current one… I don’t remember. I had few ideas jotted down from a year before and when I went back and read it in February, things started clicking. My next story idea, which I’m starting to flesh out, came from an episode of Law and Order Criminal Intent. And it has nothing to do with police or lawyer. It was the characters (the ones who only show up in that episode) that inspired the idea.

-What’s your most valuable writing tip?
Don’t query too early. I made that rookie mistake because unfortunately I just didn’t know any better. I do now. Edit, edit, edit. Find beta readers and edit some more. Get advice on your query from others so you don’t waste a bad query on good agents. Edit, edit, edit.