1) How did you start writing and who were your influencers?

Growing up we all had to read a lot and write a lot – I hated both. I didn’t read my first novel – that wasn’t for school – until I was 18. But a current events article in my fifth grade class got me excited for writing and figure skating (during the 1998 Nagano, Japan Olympics). Tara Lipinski, triple looped right into a gold medal and became my idol and influencer.

2) When did you first start writing?

I started with writing poetry at the age of 17. I would dream up short stories in my head but never wrote them down until one day I started a story and in 2015 did my first NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) that’s when I wrote Summer of April Pierce.

3) What is NaNoWriMo and how did it influence your work?

I was perusing Barnes and Noble in Union Square and destiny put my hand on this tiny book, No Plot? No Problem by Chris Baty. I read the back of it and promptly stuck it into my bookshelf never to be seen again – until for unknown reasons said destiny made me float to the shelf, dig out the book, and read it. I finished it in time for the 2015 NaNo.

4) What is the hardest part about writing?

The hardest part is not the writing part. I have endless ideas from all the thousands of things that spark my interest. The hardest part for me is not to be afraid of writing bad or being criticized. Then there is the part where you have rounds and rounds of editing and self-doubts.

6) How do you come up with characters and names?

We just do. We get influenced by anything and everything. From TV shows to movies, books, and people on the train.

7) What languages do you speak?

I speak Russian and English. I used to know Hebrew and French and now learning Spanish!

8) How do you spend your free time?

Swimming and gym at least three times a week – fitness is a big part of my life. Buying a ton of books and tea is the other.