Q: How long have you been writing?
A: I started writing short stories when I was a teenager. They were pretty awful. I also landed a book contract for a collection of essays and poetry I had written in high school, but the publisher went under before the book saw the light of day. Having looked over the manuscript years later, I'm glad it was never published.

In college, I majored in journalism, but was fortunate enough to take a few creative writing classes with renowned author and Rumi scholar Coleman Barks. I learned a lot from him.

After college, I stayed in journalism and broadcasting for a few years, but life led me in other directions for a decade or so. It's only been more recently, shortly after turning 40, that I found my way back to it. Since then, I have published a handful of self-help articles.

Q: Why do you write?
A: I have heard a question that asks, "If money was no object and you could do anything you want to do, what would it be?" For me, it would be writing.

In 2007, I quit my day job to take care of my in-laws, which gave me a lot of free time. That hypothetical situation where money is no object and I could do anything became a reality for me. I chose to write.

I enjoy the process of creating a story out of imagination and sharing it with others. I enjoy creating complex characters who face difficult circumstances, who occasionally make poor choices for the right reasons and who seek to become better people.

I also enjoy the process of editing and rewriting. It reminds me of putting together a puzzle, fitting together phrases and scenes, removing verbal crutches, finding powerful words that bring to life even the most sublime experiences. This is why I write.

Q: Historically, you have written nonfiction, including your first book Fight the Misery Conspiracy: Reclaiming Your Right to be Happy. Why now are you switching to fiction?
A: I started writing my first novel as part of NaNoWriMo — the National Novel Writing Month, where 100,000 people all over the world attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. I hadn't written fiction for years, but figured it would be a good exercise in writing, self-motivation and time management. I had no intention of publishing whatever resulted.

But after I completed the rough draft, my partner encouraged me to find a publisher for it. So I proceeded to revising and editing it. Along the way, I fell in love with the characters and the story. So much so, that I've set aside all of my other projects.

Q: Can you tell us more about your novel?
A: It's entitled A Sense of Community. The story centers around Kari Sullivan, a twenty-something lesbian who's struggling to maintain her sobriety in Phoenix, where there is no centralized gay community. Along the way, flashbacks to her college and early adult years give us snapshots into the events that led to her addiction.

Q: Most lesbian literature focuses on coming out stories and romance. Why did you choose to focus on the topic of addiction?
A: I enjoyed reading the plethora of coming out stories like Annie On My Mind and Rubyfruit Jungle, especially right after I came out. Likewise, lesbian romance has its place in lez lit. But I was looking for something more, something that addressed the other issues of life, including situations that have little or nothing to do with being gay. When I couldn't find any, I chose to write one myself.

Also, the sad truth is that the problems of alcoholism, addiction, and suicide are far more prevalent in the gay community than in the general population, often three or four times the national average. These stories rarely get told in gay and lesbian literature. But they need to be told. Addiction is killing our people.

Q: Is this book a memoir in a sense? Is it your story of addiction?
A: Sort of. There are some similarities in my history and Kari's, but there are a lot of major differences, too. And that's true of all of the characters in the book. Not a single character has a direct counterpart in real life. They are all amalgamations of myself, people in my life and pure imagination.

Q: When did you get sober?
A: On July 7, 1996.

Q: What led to your decision to stop drinking?
A: I found myself in the emergency room, having my stomach pumped. I had intentionally ingested three dozen aspirin and a half-bottle of Irish whiskey. I knew then that I had a serious problem that needed addressing.

Q: What have you learned about yourself and addiction since you got sober?
A: You have a couple hours? [laughing] One of the important things I've learned is the danger of resentments. Resentments kill. Suicide, murder, accidental overdoses, even terrorism — they can all be traced to resentments.

We hold onto negativity, not realizing how much it's hurting us. In Buddhism, it's compared to picking up burning coals with your bare hands with the intention of throwing them at someone else. We always get burned.

Q: How do you deal with resentments?
A: I let go of my attachment to outcomes. I focus on all of the blessings in my life. I share with the loving, supportive people in my life what's going on with me. I practice being in the moment. When I do these things, the resentments go away.

Q: Do you have plans for a sequel to A Sense of Community?
A: Yes, my next book A Sense of Family has Kari and her friends dealing with a variety of issues related to the idea of family. Kari wrestles with her relationship with her mother and brother. Teri and Shane, a lesbian couple from the first book, look into adopting a child. And another character, who swore never to become a parent, finds herself as caretaker to an elderly parent with Alzheimer's.

I have some ideas for future novels centered around the same characters, but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. I'm going to see what happens with these first few and take it from there.

Q: Will Kari Sullivan be the main character of those as well?
A: She will certainly be in the story, but I would like to get to know some of the other characters as well. C.S. Lewis did that with his Narnia series, where over time he phased out the original four Pevensie children and replaced them with other main characters.

One of the things that makes A.A. and the other 12-Step programs work is that we come and share our stories. We connect with each other. So I want to share the stories of Kari's friends as well.