GUTGAA: Meet and Greet!

For those of you who are non-writing friends, this post won't mean much. For the rest of you, I KNOW you know what GUTGAA stands for: Gearing Up To Get An Agent! I'm super excited to take part in it this year. Hopefully the time difference doesn't get me too screwed up...

Today's blog post is the Meet and Greet. First a short bio, and then my answers to Deana's questions!

Bio:
A former journalist, I started writing fiction about eight years ago and haven't looked back. My most recent novel is Young Adult Urban Fantasy, and I think I've found my writing niche. I'm a triplet born on Leap Day, a former Marine wife and current Foreign Service spouse, and the mother of a two-year-old named Jack. Last week we moved to Yekaterinburg, Russia, for our first post in the FS. So far so good!

-Where do you write?
Either on my laptop on the couch or, up until last week, at my desk in our basement. Since we moved, however, that has yet to be seen.

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?
I guess I'll go with my prior writing space! If I looked to the left down in my basement, I'd see the world map I stuck to a cork board. It's covered in multi-colored pins, signifying all the different options on our Foreign Service bid list.

-Favorite time to write?
During nap time, simply by default.

-Drink of choice while writing?
Nothing or water. Although maybe I should try wine. Or vodka.

-When writing, do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?
I don't usually listen to music, but I don't necessarily need silence. Generally the white noise of the baby monitor is my soundtrack.

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?
My inspiration came from the term "Girl Friday," which I've always kind of loved. Somehow my twisted mind turned it into "Ghoul Friday," and I thought about what it would be like for an undead girl named Friday.

-What's your most valuable writing tip?
As an unagented writer, it's hard to believe anyone would find my advice valuable. However, I've been at this a while now, and all I can say is, don't give up! You'll never get published if you don't put yourself out there. I believe successful writers have some combination of talent, passion, persistence, and luck. Now I'm just waiting for my luck to change.

Can't wait to visit the other participating blogs! Thanks to Deana Barnhart for hosting this amazing event!