5.  Imagine if you were to win the lottery - big time. How would you spend your money?

- Well, first I'd enlist the aid of some really great minds and try to figure out how to educate the people of this planet so that we could live in peace. I'd give everyone in my family enough money to indulge their favorite fantasy and I'd save a big chunk to travel to all over the world - and I'd do it first class all the way. (You did say "big time".)

6. Who is your favorite writer and why? Do I have to limit myself to one?

- That's tough. Like most writers, there are so many that I admire, each for a different reason. Okay, if I have to pick one, I'll say William Faulkner. Why? Because, to me, his characters are the most complex in literature. I know his prose is difficult, his style verbose, but that's part of the attraction. He's a challenge. I can read his books again and again and find something new in them every time. Would I ever try to write like him? Absolutely not! He's totally unique. No one else could get away with what he did..

7. What will thwart your creativity the most quickly?

- Thinking too much. Asking myself "Can do this?"

8. What has brought you the greatest joy in seeing your dream of publishing fulfilled?

- Seeing my name on the cover of a real book. The pure, sensual pleasure of holding the book in my hands. No fingers and toes to count, but surely the next best thing.

Today I'd like to welcome Sandy Cody, who has graciously agreed to answer the questions I've posed.  It's a pleasure to have you here, Sandy.

1. Sandy, tell us a little about your most recent book with a brief synopsis. Also, was there an idea in particular that inspired you to write it? Where can the book be purchased? 

- LOVE AND NOT DESTROY is a traditional mystery. A baby is found in a basket on the grounds of a small-town museum during their annual Folk Festival. Twenty-two years later, a homeless man is murdered in the exactly the same spot. Connection? Or coincidence? Peace Morrow, the foundling, now an adult working at the museum, is haunted by this question and begins a quest that explores the nature of family, of loyalty and responsibility. As she tries to reconstruct the victim's history, his story becomes entangled with her own search for family roots. Her journey leads her through the dusty boxes in the museum’s storage area, to an antique market in a tiny hamlet in northern Pennsylvania, and, ultimately, to the innermost reaches of her own heart. What inspired me to write this particular story? It wasn't an idea, but something concrete. Literally. A concrete building. The picture of the castle on the cover is a real building and it's constructed of concrete. It's ... you guessed it ... a museum in the town where I live and is the sort of place that sets the imagination racing. The book is available through Amazon; the link is http://amzn.to/wxIV81  or, of course, you can go to Amazon and type in my name and/or the title. If you would like to learn more about this book or my other books, please visit my website: http://www.sandracareycody.com

2.   Is there a person in your life who influenced you the most to become a writer?

- I'd have to say my mother. She read to my brothers and me constantly when we were young. Even after we were old enough to read for ourselves, she continued to read to us, not necessarily from children's books, but from books she enjoyed herself, anything that she considered a good story. She was one of five sisters and, growing up, I loved to listen to them play can-you-top-this with the (supposedly true) stories they told. I was fascinated that, even when they were talking about the same event, the details were different. I think that's where I learned the importance of point of view and that the devil is indeed in the details.

3. Do you have an inspirational picture or quote that you look to when you have a case of "writer's block"?

- Interesting question. I never thought of it like that before. have a copy of William Faulkner's Nobel acceptance speech on my computer. Sometimes, when I get stuck, I'll open that file and read it over. The bit about "the human heart in conflict with itself" reminds me what makes a good story and helps me find the heart of the story I'm trying to tell.

4.  If you could be anything other than a human, what would it be?

- I'd be a bird. A hawk, I think, not because I want to be a hunter, but because I love watching the way they move through the air - swooping and soaring. It's like watching a ballet where the dancers are unfettered by gravity - total freedom of movement. In reality, I'm pretty klutzy. Maybe that's why I am so fascinated by such pure grace.

Good morning, everyone! 

It's time to start thinking ahead to summertime and summer reading!  Here in western Oregon in March, we had  the highest recorded rainfall for the past fifty-some years!  It is indeed time for sunshine and warmer weather... 

My latest reissued e-book, Her Sister's Keeper, published by Books We Love Ltd. went live on Amazon Kindle this morning.  So if you're dreaming of summertime in the country, gazing at meteor shows on crisp dark nights, horseback riding in the hills, and camping under the stars, please take a moment to check it out this delightful summer romance: 

http://www.amazon.com/Her-Sisters-Keeper-ebook/dp/B007ULHBXQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334590183&sr=1-1