1) I wrote gruesome stories as a child. For a class assignment in middle school, I wrote a story about a girl who murders her father while they are out in the forest chopping firewood (in real life, we heated our house with a wood stove, and I hated chopping firewood!). Looking back, I'm surprised I didn't get sent to see the school counselor.
Laura McHugh
2) I wanted to be a writer all my life, but I was a first-generation college student, and I felt pressure to choose a stable, practical career. Following my dreams was not an option. Instead, I became a software developer and spent ten years writing insurance software in a basement cubicle.
3) I was unexpectedly laid off from my stable, practical job while I was pregnant with my second child, and it was then that I decided I would finally attempt to write a novel, as I had always dreamed of doing. It was a huge risk, because the longer I stayed out of the tech field, the harder it would be to get a new job. I gave myself a year to complete the first draft.
4) I started my first novel with no idea where the story would go. I wrote much of the book in my head while I cared for my two young daughters. I would spend my days changing diapers and playing dolls while my mind worked through twisted plotlines, and then after everyone went to bed, I'd brew some coffee and start typing.
5) I had a terrible fear of public speaking before my first novel was published, and I was petrified at the thought of getting up in front of people and talking about myself and my work. I got great advice from my publicist-just tell yourself that everyone in the room wants to hear what you have to say. After the first few times, I got past my fear, and now I actually enjoy it.
6) The first time I won an award for my novel, I did not have a speech prepared. I wasn't expecting to win. I got up on stage, and the first words out of my mouth were something like "I feel like I might throw up right now."
7) I've written in the public library, in coffee shops, on my couch, at the kitchen table, but never at a desk. Now that I'm working on my third novel, I'm finally getting myself a proper writing desk and a filing cabinet. I have a fantasy that office furniture will somehow make me more organized.
8) I am in a writing group called the Beasties with five other women-a poet, a short story writer, a memoirist, a food writer, and a novelist. We have become more of a writing support group than a critique group. We drink wine, commiserate, offer advice, and cheer each other on. They are the first ones I turn to when I'm crying over my manuscript or have good writing news to celebrate.
9) I write mystery and suspense, but I read widely, in many different genres. In addition to mystery, I love science fiction, non-fiction, horror, short story collections, and literary fiction. My early influences include Shirley Jackson, Ray Bradbury, and Stephen King.
10) I try to respond to everyone who writes to me. I get some lovely emails from readers, which always make my day, but I've also received some angry messages, and a few that were downright odd. Not too long ago, someone left a message on my author page asking if my cat has asthma. (Nope.)
