What is the name of your books?

JAKE/GEEK: Quest for Oshi
Published by Expansive Press (my company)

Give us a short summary of your work.

What happens when 15-year-old cyber genius Jake Green discovers that his best friend, Oshi O’Malley, is missing? Jake’s convinced a virus he planted in a rival’s laptop may have caused her disappearance. He won’t stop until he finds her, including breaking into a top-secret military base using psychic cloaking, an implanted microchip, and futuristic spyware from the Department of Paranormal Research at Stanford to uncover who’s behind a classified experimental project, ENERGENX. Jake’s beliefs are shaken to their core when he enters a particle transmutation pod and drops into the World Wide Web, where he fends off creepy avatars in a battle for his brain. Will Jake find Oshi in time—and will they come out of this alive?

Tell us a bit about your path to publishing, from idea to submission to publication.

About 10 years ago I enrolled in the Institute of Children’s Literature program. After completion I was asked if I wanted to enter the Advanced Program and write a book. Of course, I chose my favorite genre, Sci-Fi. At the time, my daughter was a preteen and I was concerned about computer privacy and was very interested in the world of hackers. My protagonist, Jake Green, a 15-year-old hacker, came out of this exploration.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing since I was a young child, winning an award for my first Sci-Fi story in 3rd grade. I have written poems, books, screenplays, and blog articles, including for my blog about grieving: https://www.reinventingmyself-agrievingwidowsjourney.com. I love to write.

What’s your favorite genre to write and why?

SciFi/Fantasy/Paranormal – I enjoy writing about subjects that expand our horizons and our minds. Hence the name of my publishing company, Expansive Press.

Which ICL or IFW courses have you taken?

I took the Beginners course in writing for children and then the Advanced Writer’s course to complete a novel.

Writing for Children and Teens

Shape, Write, and Sell Your Novel

How has taking our courses helped your writing and/or career?

Taking the courses from the Institute for Writers helped me immensely in my career as a fiction writer. The instructors were excellent and I learned so much, especially in the Advanced course when I was able to request Deborah Vetter as my Instructor. She is a highly skilled editor with tons of experience in the industry. Her editing of my book was invaluable.

Have any of your class assignments been published?

My completed novel, JAKE/GEEK: Quest for Oshi was published on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and several other outlets.

Do you have a favorite writing tip you’d like to share?

Discipline. This is where I struggle the most. Stephen King says to carve out 4 hours per day to write. Don’t let anyone interrupt you. I had to rent an office to get away from home because there were too many distractions. If you are like me and get distracted easily by the goings-on at home, rent an office space a few days a week. Find a place where you can be entirely cloistered with no interruptions.

If you could travel back in time and give yourself one piece of writing advice, what would it be?

I would go back to when I was a young child and first started writing fantastical stories. I would tell myself how awesome these stories were and encourage myself to keep going. Never give up. These are expressions of our inner selves. I didn’t have the encouragement I needed back then, so I went into business for 30 years rather than follow my longing to write. Now I write everyday and am working on several ideas, including the second book in the JAKE/GEEK series.

What’s the most valuable thing you learned from your experience with the Institute of Children’s Literature?