Aspiring Author Thursday: Introducing, Ru!

I'm excited to have, Ru with me today. She is so awesome and funny. Her blog is hilarious. Check it out, here.

When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

I think I've always had the idea of being a writer in the back of my mind. When I was little, I would draw picture books and staple them together. In sixth grade, I started writing short stories on my parents' brand spankin' new Gateway as I taught myself to type. (It took me nearly a year to figure out the SHIFT key was a better option than hitting CAPS LOCK every time I wanted to start a new sentence.)

LOL! I totally did the CAPS LOCK thing too. ;)
Do you have a writing schedule, or do you just sit down whenever you get a spare moment?

I generally sit down whenever I get a spare moment. This is one reason I miss college - it was so easy to just sit in the living room in my sorority house and type for a few hours. This being a grown up is a fool's game.

I hear ya. :P
Could you tell us a little about yourself? Random facts? Hidden talents?

Random fact: I have a serious fear of getting into bad situations while wearing inappropriate footwear. When I cross the road in flip flops or heels, I'm way more afraid of getting hit by a car than when I'm wearing sneakers. Sometimes I'll leave the house and pause by my car to decide whether that day feels like a day I might get chased (by what? zombies, I don't know) and then I'll go back inside and change into flats.

Oh, my heck! That is hilarious! You never know when you'll be chased by zombies. :)

If you were stranded on a desert island, what is one thing you couldn't live without? (Besides your family and a laptop of course.)

I don't know, that one's tough. I figure I'd bring a bikini and just make the best of the situation.

Me and bikinis aren't friends. I'm sure you'll rock yours though! ;)

What is one book you could read over and over and over?

Oh my gosh, I feel like I've gushed about The Stand about a thousand times online, but it's just true. I read it every summer. There are so many different characters, so many different subplots--I really do notice different things and remain engaged every single time.

Yet another one to add to my TBR pile. Sounds awesome!

What book are you dying to read this year?

Dang, so many. Well, for starters, EVERNEATH, by Brodi Ashton; A DANCE WITH DRAGONS by George RR Martin (yes, I know it's already out, but I haven't gotten to it on my list yet); STRANGE FATE by LJ Smith (I've actually been waiting on that one since 8th grade ... fingers crossed it comes out someday); and ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins (yes, I know, I'm super behind!).

Yay for Everneath! That seriously looks so good. I've gushed about that gorgeous cover many times. Never heard of Strange Fate, but Anna and the French Kiss is excellent. And I've heard I'm missing out on A Dance with Dragons. Gotta add those to the pile too. :)

What genre do you write and why?

I have written chick lit, commercial adult fiction and contemporary young adult. There's no real rhyme or reason, since I love to read all sorts of books. Mostly, I just want to make people laugh, and some genres make that easier than others. I've tried the paranormal romance thing, I've tried to be literary and serious -- it just never flows for me as well as writing about people who are spunky and sarcastic and generally not all that grim.

I agree. Gotta love sarcasm. And I do. :)

Do you have any writing rituals? Music, silence, eating, etc.

Diet Coke is really my only constant. Sometimes I want music, sometimes I want the TV on in the background, sometimes I want total silence. My best writing has usually happened late at night, and I'm trying to change that habit so I can start getting more done in the mornings before work.

I get so much more done in the mornings now. And I'm NOT a morning person. Like, at all. My hubby gets scared of me in the morning. He he. Kidding. Sort of...
Where do you come up with your ideas? Dreams, while driving, etc?

I love thinking about writing when I'm driving, but I still remember when I got my best idea thus far--sitting in a hot tub. I clearly need to invest in a hot tub of my own.

A hot tub would be awesome. Someday...

Any advice for other aspiring authors?

Take advantage of any time you have to write now, because you never know when your life is going to get out of control and that time is going to evaporate. I really wish I would have written more in school, because it only got harder to find the time after that. (But to be fair to the former me ... Greek Philanthropy Week and the law school Halloween Party weren't going to plan themselves!)

LOL! Great advice! :)
Random Writing Question: Who would your MC rather fight? Darth Vader, or Voldemort?

Voldemort, for sure. I hope no one hates me for this, but I really do not get Darth Vader as a character, probably because of Episode I - III. Sure, he can force choke people and he murdered a whole planet, but I just don't find him scary. Worse, I don't find him all that conflicted. Voldemort, I think, scares the crap out of everyone, and the fact that he has all these exploitable weaknesses makes him interesting. Darth Vader killed a bunch of Jedi babies just so he could hold his girl like that one time by the lake on Naboo? I'm baffled. I think The Situation from Jersey Shore makes a more credible bad guy. (Oh snap, I went there.)

Ha ha ha! Oh, dear. The Situation. :P And I'd totally pick Voldemort as well. ;) Thanks for being here today, Ru! :) Oh, and I'm being interviewed over at Reece Hanzon's blog today! Go check it out, here! :)