How do you pronounce your last name?
I've got one of those tricky Irish names with stealth letters that don’t make a peep. The "gh" is silent, and so it is pronounced "Cray."

Why do you write for teens?
Because, on the inside, I think I must be a perpetual teenager. And when my characters come to me, asking for their stories to be written, they are nearly always teenagers.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
The best and truest advice I can give is that you have to write your story. While you should definitely be open to critique, your initial aim should be to write a story that you would want to read. Write with an audience in mind, yes, but write to please yourself too. Also, when you take that first step, write with abandon. Give your mind time and space to play. You'll find that the guts of your story often come from the subconscious. Worry about the details and technicalities later, when you get to the revision process. This is advice I have to give myself constantly. Just remember to listen to your characters even if they go against the grain of your plan. Usually, they're right.

What made you decide to become a writer?
 The short (and slightly crazy-sounding) answer to this is that I am a writer by compulsion. I don't think I could ever stop writing. I have too many ideas and characters haunting my brain and it seems as though they've always been there. It's to the point where I've had to ask them all to please take a number, find a seat in the waiting room and chill out until I call on them. Not to mention that I get really cranky if I have to spend a lot of time away from telling their stories.  So I think I am a writer out of love for the craft and for telling stories, but also because I just can't seem to help it!

What gave you the idea for Nevermore?
I started writing Nevermore in late fall of 2005. In the beginning, I had a cheerleader and a goth and the thought of throwing them together for an English project to watch the sparks fly. At this point, Poe was in the back seat. I thought that, of course, my goth guy would pick the focus of the project. Poe seemed an obvious choice and, since I also wanted there to be supernatural elements to the story, I went with it. So I started researching Poe on a surface level, just getting the general facts. At the time, I was more concerned about the drama developing between my lead characters. Then the weirdness set in. I was startled by all of the strangeness and mystery surrounding Poe's death. I began to notice a trend in his writing--that he mentioned dreams and dreaming constantly in his works. His poetry began to read like riddles to me, and I started to develop my own otherworldly "what if?" scenarios about his fate. Isobel and Varen's story began to change and morph. Poe pushed to the forefront, commanding attention. I immersed myself in Poe's fiction, listening to his stories on audio and then reading them again and again. I also learned about the mysterious figure known as "The Poe Toaster" and soon, I had all of these pieces to a complex Poe puzzle. Then, when those pieces all started to fit together with what I was already doing, I got really really excited and, at the same time, really really creeped out! (In a good way.)

Did Nevermore take a lot of research?
Yes. In fact, I am still researching. Poe's life is so layered that I feel like I learn something new every day. What is equally intriguing is the amount of information we don’t know about Poe. There is so much left to speculation and debate, which is one of the reasons why I (and so many others) find Poe so fascinating. I read as much as I can by Poe and about Poe. In particular, I love reading the letters he wrote to his foster father, John Allan, to his aunt, Maria, and his wife, Virginia. I feel like letters to family reveal so much about Poe's personality. In addition to book research, I've traveled to Baltimore a few times where Poe is buried. When the story started taking on a life of its own, I knew had to know more and see more, to stand in the places where Poe had once stood. I've been to Poe's house in Baltimore as well as the Poe Museum in Richmond and I have to say that the knowledge I've gained by traveling to these places has been nothing short of invaluable. (Of course, it doesn't hurt that the city of Baltimore is wicked fun!) 

Do you have a favorite story or poem by Poe?
My absolute favorite story by Poe is William Wilson. I love the element of the doppelganger and the subject of duality, which is a theme that I find in a lot of my own writing. My favorite poems by Poe are Annabel Lee, A Dream Within a Dream, Alone and, of course, The Raven.

Is this book a series? Will there be another book?
 Yes. I am currently at work on the second book.

Do you have any pets?
Yes. I have a dog named Annabel. She’s a terrier mix and I adopted her from the pound two years ago when I got back from my first Poe-research trip to Baltimore and Richmond. She rolls over and plays dead whenever I shout “Avada-Kadavra!” She can sit, lay down, say “I love you” and “mama.” I am very proud.

Tell me something random.
Junior year I was my high school mascot, Sam the Ram. I wore a furry crimson body suit with a ginormous Ram’s head that had these huge Princess Leia Bun horns that made it hard to fit through doors. No one knew, either. My friends were all goths, skaters and theatre nerds so I was too afraid to tell anyone. They always wanted to know why I “skipped” pep rallies. It was totally my secret identity.

So you’re a bellydancer? Really?
Yes! Really! Bellydancing is a huge part of my life. It has been called one of the oldest dances in the world and celebrates the feminine spirit, mind and body. I initially became interested in bellydancing as a form of fitness exercise. I quickly fell in love with the dance as an art form, however, and began to dance for the sheer joy. I discovered I had a knack for the movements from the start and studied and practiced as much as I could. Bellydancing has improved my health and contributes so much to my happiness and self esteem. After sitting at a desk and writing for hours, there is nothing better than putting on some baladi and rocking the cashbah. For more information about bellydance, there are some great articles written by some amazing dancers here.
http://www.bellydance.org/about_bellydance.html

Can you get any weirder?
No! I don’t think it’s possible!