WHERE I WRITE

I love to write outside, and I am lucky enough to split my time between a home in Los Angeles and a home on the island of Kauai—both are killer outdoor workspots! It’s really nice for Ninja, my partner in crime rescue pup, who gets a little bored when I’m staring at a screen clacking away for hours and hours. She especially loves it in Kauai, where she goes off on little walkabouts to visit everyone on the beach in front of our apartment (you can see her off exploring in the Kauai picture!). Writing in a nice setting really lightens my mood. I am definitely like Sasha in that way—I’d always prefer to be out of doors!

WHEN I WRITE

I try to write everyday for at least two hours without fail (only exceptions are really travel days). I don’t always focus on the same project, and in fact sometimes I need to change it up to keep myself from getting fatigued, but luckily I have ongoing forays in novels, screenplays, short stories, and poems. The most important thing about writing every day is that it helps me keep my inner Perfectionist Task Master from taking over—I worry less that each word is perfect off the pen (or keys) and let my creative spirit experiment.

WHAT I LISTEN TO

My favorite thing to listen to is just the ocean in Kauai, right outside (it’s also my favorite thing to fall asleep to). When I’m in LA, sometimes I listen to recorded wave noises (not as good as the real thing), or low-key music like Lorde, Sia, or Florence + the Machine, which can fade into the background. During non-writing time, I love all kinds of music from Taylor Swift to Ours (Olivia’s favorite band in the novel) to the Killers to Eminem and Drake. I think Eminem is an absolute poetic genius. Whenever he comes out with a new album, I listen to all the songs on repeat just to make sure I get every magic beat of his words!

WHAT INSPIRES ME

Everything! I find I am the most interested in the tangles of complicated families, especially parents and kids, siblings (young and adult), and the difficult transformation that goes on when ‘kids’ start families of their own. I find a lot of inspiration in my own experience and the experiences of those close to me. On the other hand, I also love to create brand new worlds like Aurora, where similar themes can be expressed in new kinds of metaphor and magic!

MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT WRITING

I am intoxicated by poetry: writing it, reading it, breathing it. Poetry is my innermost language, just like Noa. No matter how many times I read ee cummings or WB Yeats or Emily Dickinson, their words sing through my senses as intensely as the very first time. I love wrapping their language around me, and even more, I love the feeling of creating my own to send back. Filaments of poetry, connecting the world…