When I wrote Beauty Secrets of The Martyrs, I treated it like a day job, and it was just wonderful. I had my little room at the back of the house to go to, and I’d be there from nine until five every day. Getting that much work done was a luxury, but circumstances change, and lately I’ve not had the material means to work as hard on stories as I'd like.

I have Marfan Syndrome, the connective tissue disorder that killed Rent’s Jonathan Larson. It’s an incurable illness that means I get a lot more tired than regular people, injure easily, heal slowly, and need medication and medical supervision to keep me safe and functioning. There are sudden events to worry about, like lungs collapsing and retinas detaching. It’s painful and expensive. When I'm trying to meet my material and health needs, something often has to give, and, miserably, it's usually the writing.

Your support equals more time and energy for me to finish stories and to play with new ideas. Maybe even to work a bit less and focus on what I love a bit more. Even $1 a month helps me to pay my Internet bill, buy that rare book I need for research, pay the fare to get to a convention or scout out a location. And it means I know people are listening, which is the most important thing of all for any author.

In case you don't already know me and my work, here's a window into my world...