Two such things happened to me yesterday. First, in the morning I got an email from Amazon telling me that my recent order hadn’t been processed correctly because either my credit card number, expiration date, or zip code didn’t match. So, I clicked the link in the email to look things over. (side note: NEVER CLICK THE LINK! and dabble with your credit card number) But then my computer died, so I had to launch everything anew and just went directly to my Amazon account. I messed with some things (including my credit card number–I’d just recently added a new card) and then logged out. After everything was fixed I started to get a little befuddled because the order it specified was from back in February, not my most recent order from a few weeks ago. I preordered Harry Potter Book 7 way back then while ordering a few other books and assumed they’d charged my credit card for the completed portion of the order–I’d need to check my Feb. bill to be sure. But here it was again. At the time, I wasn’t sufficiently weirded out to worry about it.

Then last night, while at the beach, I started to wonder if I’d fallen for one of those email scams. Usually they’re so obviously ridiculous. But this one looked professional and had a listing of books I’d ordered. So I worried. It relieved me slightly that I was 95% sure I hadn’t followed the email link to make any credit card changes, but still. Now I’ve double checked, and had my husband look around too, and I think I’m good. Whew! I still don’t get the whole problem with the February order though.

The second weird thing regards a library hold. I’m constantly putting books on hold, checking up on them, removing the hold if I buy the book or lose interest. You could say I’m very vigilant about these things. So I put Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr on hold and was #9 in the request queue. A few weeks later, I saw that I was #10 and assumed I’d just mistaken my #9 place in the queue. But yesterday, I looked again and I was #12. How can this happen? Who is cutting in the library hold queue?!? I have no explanation for this, and it’s bugging me. My husband has suggested that maybe one library’s systems was offline, and that sounds logical, but for weeks???? It’s definitely bugging me. But at least my credit card is not involved.

Today I’m welcoming debut novelist Lindy Hudis! She’s the author of Weekends, which has gotten some awesome reviews; she’s also a screenwriter and filmmaker, and working on novel number two City of Toys, which is based on her own life as an actress in Hollywood. So if have any burning questions for Lindy, like ‘What’s it like to offer the services of your husband for romance novel covers right on your website??‘ (Check it out!), then ask away!

My questions are below, with her answers.

1. What advice, as a screenwriter, can you offer a novelist?

Well, when you are writing a screenplay, you have all kinds of other factors that play in: how much will this scene cost? How long will it take to shoot? That kind of thing. With a novel, you can let your imagination run wild, so to speak. You can have your characters do just about anything, and not have to worry about going over the budget, lol. I do enjoy writing both.

2. What made you decide to branch out from screenplays to novels?

I just love to tell stories, and I do write both. However, I started out writing screenplays. I had written the screenplay to my mystery novel CRASHERS back in 1997, and I was told that if I wrote the novel version, then that may be a way to get my foot in the door. I love the freedom that comes with writing a novel. However, then somebody will want the screenplay, so you are back to square one, lol.

3. What is your writing process? Are you a plotter/pantser? Do you do outlines/index cards? Do you write sequentially or do you go where the story takes you?

My stories are very character driven, so I let them take me on the journey. I don’t use outlines or index cards, bad memories of high school term papers, hehe. I try to get into the mind of my characters, just like I used to do when I was an actress. I almost use method acting when I am writing a story. I think “what would my character do now?” and I let them tell me the story. I just type it out.

4. How do you balance your writing with the rest of your life?

Well, I am the mother of a 4 1/2 year old and a 3 month old. It is hard to write and feed a baby at the same time, but I manage to do so. My husband works in the movie business (he is a stuntman) and I am running the house all by myself when he is working. I just take a deep breath and do my best. I write when my preschooler is at school and when the baby is sleeping. It is hard, but I think it is more challenging and fun than anything else. I am a Virgo after all… we love a good challenge!