How did you start writing? When I was a child, I grew up in a very crowded house in Charleston. I have three sisters. The way I would escape all the mayhem was by reading. From kindergarten on I became a voracious reader. At eight, I would read my parents’ novels, whatever books I could find. At night instead of counting sheep I would tell myself Cinderella type stories where I got to be the heroine. But my first real writing class was when I worked in high-tech in Boston. I took a class at Harvard Extension, and the professor read my story aloud to the group. He asked me to read it, but I was too self-conscious, because it was the first story I had ever written. From that day on I was hooked.
What inspires your writing the most? I spent two decades working as a croupier on land and cruise ships. Although I didn’t realize it at the time every day was research. When I read or watch movies about casinos, they are always filled with errors. The dealers use the wrong hand, pay the bets in the wrong order, or plan a heist that is pure fantasy. These sloppy mistakes are my pet peeve. My husband and I compete to see who can catch the first mistake. I wanted the plot of my novels to be logistically possible. But most of all I want the stories to be entertaining.
My inspiration was to write the first realistic novel about casino life from the perspective of an experienced table games dealer. Those years were invaluable in recreating crime scenes. My novels, Cruise Quarters and Casino Queen, have been about the casino and cruise ship industry because those were my life experiences. My new short story The Perfect Breasts was written for breast cancer month, it is a very raw and personal story pulled from family lore and life experiences. I like to write realistic novels, because life isn’t a fairytale. I also never write perfect characters, I like to show the shades of gray in people.
What would be your dream location for researching your book? When I was single and lived in Boston, I was offered the opportunity to join Princess Cruises as a croupier. Jumping at the chance, I spent the next five years circling the globe. Sometimes life exceeds your dreams. I was awed by the wonders of Venice, the fjords of Norway, the banks of the Amazon, and the Northern Lights in St. Petersburg. My first novel Cruise Quarters was inspired by those fantastic locations and my true love story of the whirlwind romance between me and my husband. We met on the Star Princess and were married three months later.
Where do you like to write? I was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and it has always been my dream to get back to the ocean. We now live in a high rise in Hollywood, Florida, where I have the privilege to be able to write, while wistfully gazing out at the ocean.
Southern Sisters Book Club 