GUTGAA Meet and Greet Questions!

This is my official first GUTGAA Post!  Woo!

Before I get to the ever-important meet-and-greet questions, here are a few random things about me (that are not in the "Who am I?" section):

• Although I'm currently a grad student at the University of Tennessee, Virginia Tech is my true home (and undergraduate institution)!  I will always and forever be a Hokie!
• My favorite color is blue
• I might have seen "The Avengers" at least five times in theaters this summer.
• I once played R2-D2 in an English class skit.  We were re-enacting "Romeo and Juliet," and when it was my turn to enter a scene (R2 was The Nurse), I glided into the classroom on roller-blades.  
• I used the theme song from "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" to explore different theories/facets of young adult development for a paper in a senior seminar class in college.  It is, by far, the best paper I've ever written :)

Now, for the official GUTGAA questions:

Where do you write?

Right now I'm writing at the dining room table in our apartment (which doubles as a card table - yay grad school!).  Over the summer I wrote a lot in the little cafe area of Barnes and Noble.

Quick, go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left.  What is the first thing you see?

A bowl of Honey-Nut Cheerios, because it is breakfast time :)  If I were back in Barnes and Noble, there would probably be a Frappuccinno to my left!

Favorite time to write?

I'd say late afternoon/early evening - that way I've had most of the day to think about what I want to say (although sometimes random ideas end up getting typed out even if I've spent all day thinking).  I've also found that writing is a good way to de-stress from work, so writing that late in the day helps!

Drink of choice while writing?

Hmm definitely any kind of Frappuccino/Starbucks beverage, because I have a coffee problem.  Water is also usually around me at any given time - hydration is a must!

What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?

I've always loved Sci-fi, and one day I started to think about the show FRINGE (which is a fantastic show, so go watch it!), and played around with some of the concepts they explored.  Fringe science has always been this cool idea because it mixes the paranormal (which I love) with science (which I also love), so I thought it would be neat to explore that a little more.  I also love how the show is very much a family drama, and wanted to bring that same spirit to my story - both to keep it a little grounded, and to honor one of my favorite "little-shows-that-could."  

What's your most valuable writing tip?

I feel like all of the important/sagey sounding tips are already out there on the interwebs, so it's kind of weird to try and throw my two cents in.

Instead, I'll throw in Winston Churchill's two cents (sorry Winston, I'll pay you back one day!).

"Never, never, never give up."