What was the most fascinating place you visited while doing your research?
The cemeteries in Massachusetts were fascinating. I had never seen tombstones that old or with the kind of carvings that some of the oldest ones had. I guess my favorite was the Granary Burying Ground, a very old cemetery right in the heart of Boston.
If you were headed for a week's vacation, what book would you be taking with you to read?
It's hard to choose, as I've built up a stack of books I want to read, but I think I would take Beautiful Darkness. I've been waiting to read it since I got an ARC of it at the BEA. And it's perfect for a vacation because it's long and is something I'll want to read straight through with as few interruptions as possible.
If you could add a favorite literary, tv or movie character into Shadow Hills, who would it be and what paranormal power would you give them?
I think I'd choose Seth Cohen from The OC. I think he would fit right in with Phe and her friends and, like Brody, he'd have a big crush on Adriana---though Graham might get a little jealous because Seth would also be good friends with Toy. In line with his character on The OC, Seth's paranormal ability would be the power to turn people into cartoon characters. (Highly useful if a bad guy is after them, but then suddenly becomes just a drawing on a page!)
What is one thing you need to have when you're writing?
Quiet. If I had to, I could live without a computer--- though it would take a lot longer, I could type or even write my books by hand. And if there were no internet, I could head to the library and do my research in books. But I've never been able to write if there was noise around me. I'm too easily distracted.