I've been tagged!

The lovely author Elizabeth Seckman tagged me to answer some questions about what inspires me. Visit Elizabeth's blog to learn more about her books!

1. What am I working on? 
I am currently working on the final read-through for Fire of the Sea before it goes to press. Release should be in the next couple of weeks! My next project is also bouncing around in my head. It's a dystopian theme this time, and I've got the first few chapters written, as well as a full outline. I'm itching to write, but I am also working on finding time to sleep with a newborn. That's not really panning out... ;)

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre? 
My mermaid story certainly has shades of The Little Mermaid, and on purpose. But this is a modern story set in Iceland, which really mixes things up. My main character, Aeva, challenges fate to protect a sacred relic (think Norse mythology) AND the human she love (think modern day Viking descendant). Add in a shapeshifting demigoddess, and this story is sure to stand out among both mermaid stories and Norse/mythological stories.

3. Why do I write what I do? 
I LOVE young adult lit. It's just something I am drawn to. A lot of my story ideas come to me as vivid dreams with ridiculous levels of detail (just ask my amazed husband). They are almost always YA fantasy or dystopian. I love that I can inhabit a completely new world in these genres. I also really enjoy the challenge of character/world building within a fantasy or dystopian environment. I love the magic and mystery of it all.

4. How does my writing process work? 
I am pretty structured once I have a concept. My ideas come from lots of sources. Dreams (as I mentioned before), chance encounters, my children, other forms of art that happen to spark an idea. Then I work on that idea in my head a bit—let it organically take shape and tell me what it wants to become. I "listen" to it for a while. I wait for my characters to materialize. Then once I feel like I have the basis for a full story, I sit down and attempt an outline. The outline becomes a synopsis, and in some cases, that synopsis will become a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of detail. Then I start to write! With my next novel I am trying something new, which is to have my beta readers give me feedback on chapters as I write them early on, instead of handing them a full final rough draft. So far I really like this method. I feel like my first draft will be tighter right out of the gate.

Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear how other authors would answer these questions. Shoot me a link if you post the answers on your own blog!