1. Have you always been a writer?

Since I was about nine years old, so not *quite* always.

2. When did you realize that maybe writing was actually a “thing” you could do, get published and even sell?

Much later! I'd won a few local writing contests in high school—when dinosaurs roamed the earth—but didn't try to go beyond that. The convent interfered with that too. Yes, I have LOTS of stories.

3. What was your first sale as a writer and how did it feel to sell your work?

My first sale was my debut three-book deal (I hadn't mastered short stories yet). My then-agent called me at my Day Job with the news and I managed to suppress my natural shrieks. I don't know what I sounded like, but my then-agent was enjoying my response.

4. How has writing helped you in other areas of life?

If I said it's a safe way to get revenge on your enemies? For most of my life, it's been a safe haven for teen angst, a way to work through nasty real-life stuff, and almost always a joy to create. I say all the time that we all need more fun in our lives.

5. What was your biggest accomplishment as a writer?

Easy! I successfully rebooted my writing career! Two years ago, I got the rights back to my ex-nun private eye mystery series. It was time to move on from that series, but where to move on to? I wrote the first book in a brand-new mystery series, and also polished a stand-alone historical. Then I jumped on the query-go-round again. (Sometimes there isn't enough coffee or whisky in the world, am I right?) I landed three book contracts with two different publishers. Never give up! Never surrender!

6. Who has inspired you the most in the writing field?

Sara Paretsky. Everything about her is amazing.

7. What are some of the challenges you have faced as a writer and how did you overcome them?

Time! It's still my biggest challenge. When my kids were growing up, I snatched every spare minute I could to write. I brought my trusty 3-ring binder to soccer practices, band practices, games, performances, everywhere! I had to snatch those 20-minute intervals everywhere I could.

Also, acquiring rhino hide. Rejections suck. Losing contests suck. Facing up to the truth that your writing isn't quite there yet really, really sucks. The first writing contest I entered (and lost) came with critiques. When I opened the envelope, I tossed the critiques into the recycle bin. Half an hour later I got a clue and retrieved them. Then I studied them and began to apply what I recognized my writing needed. That was my first layer of rhino hide.

8. What is the best writing advice you have ever received and why do you feel it is important?

I work full-time and I'm also a freelance copyeditor. I've written fourteen books and at least as many short stories, and you won't be surprised that I used to edit as I wrote. This made the process soooo sloooow. I tried several times to break that habit without success. Then I discovered Becky Clark's Eight Weeks to a Complete Novel. I spent six months forcing myself to master her technique and I DID IT. I cut two months off my first draft time. I work full-time and can write only in the evenings and on weekends, and this technique truly changed how I write and view writing.

9. What sort of writing do you do now?

Novels are my first love, and currently I'm writing cozy mysteries, horror with a touch of humor, and working on a mashup—cozy horror. My short stories all seem to be horror. I'm challenging myself to write a short in a genre other than horror.

10. Where can we find some of your work online?

Amazon and B&N for my 9-book mystery series. (I got the rights back.) My current book, Demons & Ramen, is also on those, plus at my publisher: epic-publishing.com

11. What advice do you have for aspiring writers thinking of taking the leap of getting their work published?

READ. Read widely. Read the classics. Sure, the "rules" have changed, but there's a reason they're still read more than a century later. Keep a notebook of ideas, images, interesting things you hear people saying. Also, don't be afraid to suck at first. We all did, and it takes a lot of writing to find your voice. This is a long game.

12. What are your final thoughts about being a writer?

I've loved writing all my life and that hasn't changed. Knowing that total strangers are reading and enjoying my work is icing on the cake. And now I want cake!

ABOUT A.M.:

Baker of brownies and tormenter of characters, A.M. Loweecey grew up watching Hammer horror films and Scooby-Doo mysteries, which explains a whole lot. When A.M. isn’t finding new ways to scare the pants off readers, she's growing vegetables in the garden and water lilies in the koi pond. A.M. also has 9 books in the Giulia Driscoll PI mystery series (as Alice Loweecey) and 2 stand-alone horrors as Kate Morgan: Staking Cinderella and The Redeemers. She also has several anthologized short stories. Visit A.M. online here.