What is something you really want to learn but haven’t had the time to learn yet?
I’d love to learn to be a visual artist, whatever that might look like for me. I wish I could draw, paint, sculpt, photograph, design, and/or animate.

Have you or do you plan to be part of any collaborative writing projects?
I am writing a poem right now with my brilliant friend Mary. You can read some of her poetry here. I imagine that I’d have a really, really difficult time trying to collaborate with someone on fiction. I’m a bit too opinionated and headstrong for that to be a good experience.

How long have you worked at UNW? Have you had the same job there since you started or has your job changed? Is it difficult to write and work at UNW?
I’ve been working at the University of Northwestern since September of 2003. I work in the admissions office, and I’ve held three different positions while there. I started as an admission counselor; then, for a time, I was both an admission counselor and the recruitment manager. These days, I am a senior admission counselor and so glad for it. It was very, very difficult to manage my writing life and my recruiting life when I was in management. Now that those duties are no longer on my plate, I have a lot more free time and space to write!

If you could choose any genre to write other than YA, what would it be and why?
I would probably write adult contemporary fiction. I would love to be able to write fantasy, but I just don’t seem to have the capacity for that. (Maybe one day!) I’d also love to write short stories. That is not an area I excel in, though from time to time I have an idea that seems to demand the medium. But in a lot of ways, short stories are harder for me to write than novels.

If you could marry anyone in the whole world, who would it be?
Augustus Waters. Or Silas Hart. Unfortunately, they are both fictional. And seventeen.

What is your favorite food?
Chocolate. Cheese.

Why did you start this blog?
I started my blog originally as a platform for my writing career. That, and to help lead people with OCD to freedom.

What do you like to do when not writing?
Spend time with friends, read, shop online (the online part is very important– I rather dislike shopping in stores!), play with my favorite kiddos, and learn (I love poking around on Quora and Wikipedia. I also subscribe to Today I Found Out and A Word a Day. I also read reference books. Really. And I will get excited about an idea and check out about 20+ library books about it and read up.).

Do you want to be a full time writer someday, without a day job?
I’d love for writing to one day be my day job!

What are some movies that you like or hate (especially book adaptations)?
I love the Harry Potter movies. I love the latest rendition of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and am excited for The Silver Chair to come out (not till 2017). I really liked the adaptations for The Book Thief, Divergent, and The Fault in Our Stars. I cannot wait for the Jellicoe Road movie to come out!

Do you have kids?
I do not. But I have kids in my life who own my heart. My friend Tracy’s four little kiddos are the ones I’m always referring to on my blog. This fall I will add two new little girls to that queue, as two of my other best friends are having their first babies!

When did you accept Jesus into your heart?
When I was 14 years old, in 1996. I finally was set free from the bondage of OCD in 2008 and have truly delighted in my Christianity since then.

These are great questions. If you have others, never hesitate to ask!