I would say all of myself, in a sense. I pour my heart into all of them, so there are pieces of me (or my life) in every person. For example, Ally’s Dad in Exposed is my idealistic side. Ally and Jessie are very loosely based off of my own situation with my husband, except I was more angry and mean and George was even more passive than Jessie.
What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
Quirky is my middle name, so I’m not sure if I can answer this without writing a novel. Let’s just put it this way … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg-gd3pT-zw
When did you first discover that you were a writer?
I always wrote when I was a kid. Stories, plays, business plans. My grandmother always told me I’d grow up to be a “writer,” but in my mind I already was.
Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
Mostly non-fiction. It’s rare that I love a novel. When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin is the recent one I adore. I love non-fiction by Thomas Kempis, St. John Chrysostom, Mother Teresa, and really anything that convicts me to be a better example of Christ.
How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?
I don’t run. That’s about as simple as it gets. I am simple. We don’t have a TV or watch very many movies. We have three kids under three, so that keeps us running, but we take time to smell the roses. We don’t stress out when everything is going nuts. When I clean up spilled milk and turn around to a kitchen drizzled with chocolate syrup, I clean it up, discipline the monkey, then look at my husband and laugh. I think the best medicine to a hectic life is laughter.
I so agree. One of my novellas was titled The Best Medicine because of that. You can read it in Snowbound Colorado Christmas. How do you choose your characters’ names?
It’s very random. I just look through baby names until I find something that fits.
What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
Giving birth naturally more than once and having three beautiful children who haven’t suffocated in their cribs, no matter how many times I panic that they aren’t breathing.
If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
A horse. I think it fits my personality best. A wild horse, that is. :-) I like to run and dream. Stables make me feel like a wilting flower.
What is your favorite food?
Hm. Wow. I don’t know if I can answer that. My husband and I love food. Lately we’ve been enjoying homemade soups. One that I love is very simple. It’s a chicken pot pie, but it’s more like a stew. A dutch thing. We’re from Lancaster, PA so it’s big around here.
Just finding time. I wrote Exposed while pregnant with my second child and my first was only 16 months old. I also work for our design company. I overcame it by becoming friends with sleep deprivation, which I don’t recommend. I’ve stopped writing for a little while. There’s no way I can do it with my current lifestyle. My family is more important right now.
Tell us about the featured book.
Exposed is a snapshot of my heart. It’s about a couple trying to re-tie the laces of their marriage after tripping over them when porn entered the scene, and a young girl looking for her worth as she stumbles into the porn industry. When I discovered my husband’s addiction I was writing another novel that never took off. This idea came and it flew from my heart to the page. I think my heart needed to write this story.
Please give us the first page of the book.
The sound of my cell phone buzzing across the dining room table, the scent of Pine-Sol from the kitchen sink, the strange feeling that my life might change forever—I remember that Friday as though it were yesterday. I picked up my cell phone before it slid off the edge of the dining room table.
“Ally, are you home yet?” Jessie’s voice forced its way through bad reception. “Yeah, I left work early.”
“Oh.” He paused. “So, you’re home? What time is it?”
“4:30 or so. About to start dinner.” I paused. “Is that okay?”
Silence.
“You’re not planning something romantic, are you?” I smiled. “Did I ruin it?”
“Maybe,” he said. “I’ll be home soon. Love you.”
We hung up. I sat down at the dining room table, tapping my foot, daydreaming about a growing belly. We’d been trying to get pregnant for two years. No luck. My hand moved to touch my stomach, but I accidentally jostled the mouse of Jessie’s shiny Macbook Pro. The screensaver displaying our wedding pictures disappeared, then an image of a naked woman starred at me from the screen.
My foot stopped tapping.
Very intriguing. How can readers find you on the Internet?
I’ve stopped personally blogging, but readers can find me at http://www.morethandesire.com/ .
Thank you, Ashley, for taking time from your busy day to be with us.
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