Tell me about yourself. Where are you from?
MI: I live in Houston, Texas, with my husband, two of my adult triplets, and our very opinionated pets—Buddy the dog and Daisey the cat (yes, with an e, because she’s extra). I’ve immersed myself in the performing arts my whole life, and I’ve always loved the beautiful escapism storytelling offers.
What genre do you read? Who’s an author you read? Name your top 5 authors.
MI: I read romance, sci-fi, historical, and romantic fantasy.
Fav authors – too many to list.
What book are you reading right now, and what do you like about it?
MI: I am currently drafting another book. I do not read while drafting.
Favorite sports.
MI: Dance, gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, football, baseball, swimming
Favorite thing about the state/country that you live in.
MI: Texas has every kind of landscape you can imagine, and we love exploring it all. And the food? We’re obsessed. Absolutely obsessed.
How long have you been writing?
MI: I began writing in my thirties, took a long pause, and then—after tutoring my triplets through college—I picked it up again about six years ago. Since then, I’ve been writing full-time, and I’ve loved every minute of diving back into the magic.
What inspired you to become a writer?
MI: I love writing because I love telling stories, and the fantasy side of what I create is the perfect kind of escapism. I also adore blending lore and history into my worlds—twisting old fables, myths, and legends into something new and romantic. It’s where my creativity runs wild.
What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?
MI: I’m a huge plotter—truly. My outlines can run upward of 200 pages and often include snippets of dialogue. I love planning a story in great detail because it lets me work through developmental edits during the outline stage. By the time I sit down to write the first draft, everything flows smoothly and much faster.
How did you come up with the ideas for your series? (If your book is a standalone, please skip)
MI: I came up with the idea for my Stones of Iona series by blending everything I love—Scottish history, ancient lore, and the magic of ‘what if.’ What if the legends were real? What if the old stones held power? What if love itself could shape fate? One spark led to another, and suddenly I had this sweeping world filled with Fae, dragons, Celtic myth, and epic romance. It became the perfect playground for my imagination—and it hasn’t stopped growing since.
How do you celebrate finishing a book?
MI: Pizza, wings, and wine.
What would you tell a writer who is just starting? What program do you use for writing? What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book? What’s your writing software of choice?
MI: I’m pretty simple when it comes to tools—I use Microsoft Word for everything: outlining, drafting, and revisions. My outlines can get massive, so Word just works best for me.
For writers working on their first book, my biggest advice is this: write. Put the words on the page, even if they’re messy or awful or not what you pictured. You can’t edit a blank page, but you can shape, polish, and improve something that exists.
Also—read a lot, write a lot, and don’t try to do this journey alone. Find other writers, join groups, and connect with people who understand the process. And above all, remember: you can revise anything, but you can’t revise what you never started. Get it down first. Magic comes later.
How do you organize everything and find the time to sit down and write?
MI: How do I organize everything? Honestly—my outlines and my OCD work together like a well-oiled machine. My outlines keep the story on track, but it’s my obsessive need for order that helps me remember every little detail from Book 1 through Book 7 in the series.
And when it comes to finding the time, I’m a 9–5 kind of girl. I treat writing like any other full-time job. I sit down, I show up, and I work during those hours. The structure gives me momentum, the outline gives me direction, and together they keep the books flowing.
As an author, what would you choose as your spirit animal?
MI: I’d choose a fox. Clever, curious, always sneaking between worlds, and just mischievous enough to twist a legend into something new. Foxes slip through shadows and stories with ease—and that’s exactly how I love to write.
Who has been the biggest supporter of your writing?
MI: My biggest supporter has definitely been my husband. He gives me emotional and spiritual support—and he also proofreads my stories, even when he doesn’t fully understand the magic systems. We’ve had hours-long debates over magical realism, and he still shows up for every draft. I couldn’t do this without him.
How do you name your characters?
MI: I usually name my characters based on meaning. I’ll hop on Google, look up names connected to the theme, emotion, or mythology I need, and choose the one that resonates with the story. Sometimes the perfect name comes from something completely ordinary—a word, an object, or a random moment of happenstance. When that spark hits, I know I’ve found the right one.
Can you describe a typical day in your writing life?
MI: A typical day in my writing life starts with answering emails and filtering out spam—there’s always more than I expect. From there, I dive into my 9–5 routine. Some days are pure writing days where I review my outline, slip back into the story world, and let the words flow. Other days are full marketing days—social media posts, newsletters, graphics, giveaways, reader groups, all the behind-the-scenes work that keeps the books moving. I balance the two, take coffee breaks, pet the dog, and then get right back to it until I’ve hit my goals for the day.
Tell us about your current release.
MI: My current release is Highlander’s Holly & Ivy, a cozy, romantic Scottish Christmas story set in my Stones of Iona universe—but written so anyone can jump right in. It follows Alex MacDougall, a Highland laird with far too much responsibility on his shoulders, and Lady Iris Erskine, an Englishwoman who slips into the Highlands under the name Ivy while trying to uncover her tangled past.
Their worlds collide during a snow-soft December filled with tartan, traditions, mistletoe, and just a hint of ancient magic. As Ivy digs deeper into her lineage, she discovers secrets tied to the mystical Stones of Iona—and to Alex himself. What begins as a research trip quickly turns into a tender holiday romance where trust, belonging, and destiny take center stage.
It’s warm, atmospheric, and full of Highland charm—a story about finding love, finding home, and learning that sometimes the greatest gifts are the ones we never expected.
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