When I write a novel, it's like a giant tidal wave hits my life. It takes all the people I've known, places I've been, books I've read, movies I've seen, news I've watched, history I've poured over, and breaks all this experience up into tiny pieces. I sift through them until one gets stuck in my brain--starts to haunt me. I ask myself what if? The answer to that question emerges as a voice that becomes a character. Sometimes the guy arrives on the scene first. Sometimes the girl does. When I get them both, they start talking in my head. I jot down those conversations.
The storyline emerges from their whispers to me and is shaped by the hero's journey archetype. My characters have to do more than fall in love. They are always on a coming of age journey, so they must face tests, overcome obstacles, learn to trust each other and themselves. And they usually have to come to grips with what love really is.
2. The story takes place mostly in Lausanne, London and Michigan. Are any of these places special to you in some way?We lived in London, Ontario, Canada. While we lived there, my daughter sang with the Junior Amabile Youth Singers--a girls choir. I got to travel with them and loved the competitive choir scene. It was great to get to use that setting. And their boys choir is every bit as amazing as I portray them in the book.
When we moved to Lausanne, Switzerland, my daughter was fourteen and heartbroken. Her friends in Amabile kept in touch and kept her sane. It was great to get to use some of my favorite places in
Switzerland for SING. We actually stayed in the mermaid hotel Beth's choir stays in.
I put Beth in Michigan so she'd be close to Derek. We used to shop in Port Huron and fly out of the Detroit airport, so I'm familiar with the area, but I had to do research to be able to write about it convincingly.
YouTube was my best friend. You'd be amazed at what people post. I also went on real estate sites and found Beth's house and researched the local high school. I call it "Port" in the book to make it fictitious--I like how that sounds better, too.
3. Derek's secret is very serious. Why do you choose to write about that particular difficulty?Derek was inspired by my daughter's dear friend, Matt. He was one of those London friends who kept her going when she was so miserable in Switzerland. SING is dedicated to him. His mom is a good friend and helped me so much with this book. I can't let you know too much about Matt or it will wreck Derek's secret. After you read SING, be sure to read the Author's Note in the back. I will have more about Derek's secret posted on my website after SING launches. But I promise to mark it with a great big SPOILER ALERT. I hope SING generates a lot of conversations about this issue--AFTER readers have read the book.
4. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?I want readers to find their own messages. I don't think about theme and message when I write. I'm always touched when readers tell me they feel love and hope as they read my work. That experience is what I want them to grasp.
5. Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?I am awful at plotting. My editor is amazing at it. Working with her has helped me grasp it a lot more.
6. Please tell us about your next book and when will it be available.This fall I wrote the sequel to TAKEN BY STORM, my 2009 debut novel. It's called UNBROKEN CONNECTION. Penguin hasn't signed it yet, so I can't tell you when it will be available.
SING ME TO SLEEP is out March 4, 2010, and the paperback for TAKEN BY STORM launches
February 4, 2010.
I also have a romantic coming of age historical novel about a Scottish coal miner, who has to leave the love of his life to emigrate to
North America that my agent is marketing called, MY ONLY LOVE.
Check in with me on my ChatSpot blog on my website for updates on both UNBROKEN CONNECTION and MY ONLY LOVE.
7. Do you have anything special that you want to say to your readers?Only that I love writing for them and love hearing from them. I hope they all know how wonderful and amazing they are. Protect and cherish that. Don't let anyone stomp on you and your dreams. If they do, pick yourself, bandage your wounds, and keep going. You are a gift--remember that!
Thanks for taking your time to answer my questions, Angela! I hope Sing Me To Sleep will be a huge success! 
