1. Hi Mindy. As you know my first question is always the same. What have you been up to in the last year?

Lots! I’ve been promoting GIVEN TO THE EARTH, which comes out April 10th, the second and final in the GIVEN TO THE EARTH series. I also have a book releasing in January of 2019, HEROINE, which is about the opioid crisis. Lots of work has gone into that manuscript, and I’m excited to get it to the reading public. I also have a full slate of appearances scheduled for 2018, which you can view here and will be updated as more are scheduled.

2. You live in a home with lots of furry friends, can you tell us a little bit about them and how they impact your life as a writer?

I do have many fur babies. Two dogs, and nine cats. I had the normal mount of cats – 3 – and then a litter up at the family farm was abandoned by their mom and I ended up bottle feeding them. Once you connect like that, you can’t just give them away. There is always at least one kitty hanging out with me while I’m writing. They keep me warm, and sometimes entice me to nap, so I don’t know if they are actually helping or not.

3. Since you started your podcast WRITER WRITER PANTS ON FIRE, what have you learned from talking to all of the different guests you’ve had on?

That everyone’s journey as a writer is different. I love running the podcast, and I hope to continue it in the future. 

4. Though you wrote a set of companions (NOT A DROP TO DRINK and IN A HANDFUL OF DUST) how has writing the GIVEN duology been different from the rest of your standalone works?

GIVEN has been very different for the simple fact that it’s a fantasy, which is by far the most difficult genre I’ve ever attempted to write. The world building, plot, and character motivations are extremely complex, and both titles were quite the challenge.

5. You seem to enjoy genre hopping, what is one genre you haven’t written that you would like to, and why?

I don’t really know that there is a genre I want to write, but I can pretty much guarantee you’ll never see a romance from me.

6. Your books have a lot of intense an emotional scenes, what is it like for you when you finish one of those heartwrenching moments?

Honestly, they don’t feel that different from the rest. The climaxes are intense, but in order to make them work I have to put just as much effort into building up to them.

7. Can you tell us where some of the ideas from your past novels have come from?

In most cases, we writers usually don’t know where our inspirations come from. A lot of us are fortunate to just have them fall from the sky into our minds, and I don’t like to poke too much at that lovely miracle. I just accept the gifts.

8. Will you ever revisit some of the worlds you’ve created for DRINK, MADNESS, or others?

I would love to! If I were ever to revisit the world of DRINK I would probably write a prequel, showing the experiences of Stebbs and Mother as teenagers when the Shortage was occurring. I do have a sequel idea for MADNESS, but no pub date to announce as of yet.

9. What’s up for you next?

GIVEN TO THE EARTH releases April 10th and HEROINE will be coming in January of 2019!