First, can you give us some background about yourself?
When I was grade school and high school ages, I was concentrating on fine art painting. I only began writing in my early 30s, around the time I had my children. I wrote poetry and short stories, but only read non-fiction books at that time. As an adult, I fell in love with fiction--reading and writing.

What have you written?
I've written numerous children's stories and some mystery suspense short stories. I'm also a poet, having published in a few places over the years. My most recent work is my first mystery suspense thriller/psychological, Web of Destruction. It takes place in Philadelphia, PA, Cape May in South Jersey, Bar Harbor, Maine, and Mt. Pocono, PA. I am presently working on the sequel at the request of many of my readers anxious to know what happens to the characters after book one.

Are you currently working on anything?
Yes, as I stated above, I'm working on the Sequel to Web of Destruction on Amazon, and my blogs for the month of August are based on the sequel with a few hints as to how some of the characters from book one have changed outwardly. I'm having fun working on it. I am also back in college for a BS in Criminal Justice and only a year or so from graduating. This degree is to aid me in the criminal aspect of my books.
How much research do you do for your writing?
Even though I write fiction, which is more research in my brain, I do a lot of research for the criminal parts, the medical issues, and locations. I try to write locations in which I am already familiar, but if I am not, I will travel to that location if possible. All of these subjects, even in fiction, must be accurate. I also try to use real businesses, shops, and anything else possible to make the setting more familiar to readers. Only if something bad happens in a restaurant or shop, etc., I will make up a name. I love doing research and just personally have researched so many subjects in my life, and now I definitely do a lot of research in school as well.

What is your process like in the midst of writing a book?
I'm mostly a plot person right up front. I have so many plots in my head, I have to write them on little papers and keep them in a box. The one I work on stays in my head for months until I have the beginning of the story, the ending and some of the characters in my head. I then create a huge board I can use chalk on and place all the names of the characters, locations, crimes, and as much detail as possible visually, connecting them according to the storyline so far. Then I try to find either photos I've taken or pictures from magazines of people who I feel my characters may look like and I stick them on my board near their name. It's fun and since I am more visual than anything else, it helps me to study the board and eventually the characters become more real in my mind. Only then do I begin typing the storyline. And it does take twists and turns to which anyone who reads my book can attest.

What does your routine look like when you get to the editing process?
Oh, wow! This was my first book and boy, did I learn a lot. It was a nightmare. The story went well. I went back and edited it at least 25 times, making changes, adding more detail here and there, etc. Then I had beta readers, as they are called, take over. They loved it from the start, but I told them to be honest and give me feedback, so they did. By the time I made some of those changes--the ones I agreed with, I was mentally exhausted and just wanted to get it out my head. So I finally hired a real editor. I knew with school and writing, I wouldn't have the time to publish it totally myself, so I hired Writer's Relief, who did most of the heavy work and I did the rest. I'm still the publisher, but they were a tremendous help. I couldn't have done it alone.

Do you have any quirks or rituals that help you achieve your writing goals?
This is going to sound crazy, but it seems like water affects my brain. Every time I take a shower (and yes, it is more than once a week, haha), I get a great idea to move the plot along. The same goes for doing dishes. I don't believe in dishwashers. I think they are more work setting them up , rinsing the dishes, drying them, and such. I like to stand at the sink and daydream while I wash them. Walah! I end up with another great idea. I know--it's crazy. But it works and I hope we don't run out of water any time soon.

Tell us about your work space.
Right after I started my first book, we had the attic refinished in our house. The plan was that I would have one side for sleeping and the other side (since it's very long) for my writing and artwork. I love it so much! I put the fan on up there and go to work. It's so quiet, which is how I have to write. It's my getaway for sure.

Are there any software or apps that help you in your writing process?
There weren't, but I just purchased Scrivener recently and listened to a webinar of the process since it is quite complicated I hear. I do have a relative that is a computer-whiz so I should be okay. I'm excited about being able to finally have my work in one place all the time. It can get confusing otherwise when sometimes I may write a scene way ahead of time and somehow it gets lost in the shuffle of scenes. On Scrivener that should not happen. I can't wait to begin.

What do you do when you lose focus? Any tips for getting it back?
Not to sound 'different', which I'm sure I'm not, but I rarely lose focus. Once I'm into the book, that is all I think about. Yes, I spend time with my fun-loving, big family and some friends and I do enjoy them, but at times my mind goes off to a character that I might be trying to change or complicate or something. I love writing fiction and creating plots and characters so much that for me it's almost like falling in love. Creative people do sometimes fall in love with their work--painters too. But look out if it's not going well.

Tell us about your publishing process.
As I was saying earlier, I went to a business called Writer's Relief. You may have heard of it. I knew about them because I won a box worth $300 of literary works for some little contest blurb they had going a few years back. I couldn't believe how great the publications were (and still are). So I kept up with what they were up to and when I was writing my book, I checked out every single indie publisher out there. It was all so confusing and time-consuming. But I finally settled with Writer's Relief. I felt I had the best in them and that was my choice, and I didn't go wrong. I will go with them again for the sequel.

Where can people find you and your work?
http://www.amazon.com/author/gippy-adams-henry
http://askdavid.com/reviews/book/suspense/13263
http://www.omne.ws/29hNQBM

Author Interview: Gippy Adams Henry