The appeal of writing a romance was that I'd never written one before the The Thorn and The Blossom.

What writers do - everything comes from inside, from experiences of the world that we have digested. And then we turn it into silk, or stories.

I think part of my purpose in this life is to talk about magic, and to make it.

If you believe you have a voice and something to say, chances are you do, and the world needs you to do whatever you're drawn to do. So you should do it.

Read a lot. But read as a writer, to see how other writers are doing it. And make your knowledge of literature in English as deep and broad as you can. In workshops, writers are often told to read what is being written now, but if that is all you read, you are limiting yourself. You need to get a good overall sense of English literary history, so you can write out of that knowledge.

Now that The Thorn and the Blossom has come out and I'm done with my doctoral degree (yes, I'm finally Dr. Goss), I'm turning to longer projects.

I see so many talented writers who have difficulties with that. And if you don't believe it's important, you won't put in the work you need to.