Citing her literary work as evidence, the lovely Meg Ripley has a unique mind. She's also multi-talented and down-to-earth.

1. Humble beginnings. Share the low-down on your life:

I was born in London, Ontario, but grew up on the east coast of Canada. The most easterly point in North America, in fact! St. John's, Newfoundland. While growing up, Newfoundland seemed like a rocky, foggy and very boring place to live. Newfies (the term for Newfoundlanders) are known for: their uninterruptable accent, seal clubbing, their ability to laugh at jokes told at their expense, icebergs, whales, moose, a booze called Screech and quirky phrases like, "Slower than cold molasses running up a hill." During my time there, I never acquired a taste for cod tongues, though perhaps my mom never learned to cook them right? I never kissed a cod or did anything else unladylike with a cod, besides eat one. (A fillet! Mind out of the gutter.) So, therefore, I'm not technically a true Newfie. Just a poser. Someone who got in, saw the true grit of the isle known as "The Rock", and got out again, relatively unscathed.

In retrospect, it was a very beautiful place to grow up and the people there showed me hearty values; making a lot with very little, how to laugh when times are tough and how walking up hill is only hard if you complain about it.

2. How has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?

Growing up, I spent a lot of time in front of the TV. I mean A LOT. I'm a movie buff. My favorite visuals growing up were: "The Muppets", "The Dark Crystal", "Legend" (yes, the Tom Cruise and Tim Curry one), "Star Wars", "Alien" and "Poltergeist". I watched the "X Files". I loved HR Giger. I watched "The Exorcist" and Stephen King's "IT" a million times (Tim Curry again). I love dark. I love the thrill of being afraid. Not gore, that's good too, but I eat up smart chills. I think consuming massive amounts of screen time not only made me a narrative person in my art forms, but more specifically, it helped me develop a gut instinct for driving plot. A friend of mine once labeled me the queen of conflict. I was very flattered by that.

I think my books unfold like movies simply because, although I've always been an avid reader, I am foremost, a film watcher.

3. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

"A box is still a box, no matter how fancy it's decorated."

This is the gist of my book, The Kitten & the Cloud. I'm not anti-religion (organized or unorganized), but I am scared of boxes and labels that pit the unassuming against one another.

4. Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

I love hearing from readers. Kitten is my very first book. I'm proud of it and it has taught me much in terms of patience and respect for craft. My readers typically comment on the action and thrill they find in my work. Most admit that it was my clever concept that got them interested, but tell me they became hooked when they found substance, interesting people doing unexpected things.

5. What secret talents do you have?

I love to draw! I have an MFA in Illustration from The School of Visual Arts. I always thought I'd be drawing the pictures, not writing the words. But, here I am.

I like explaining what things smell like. That's not something I could accomplish in my drawings. I typically like to explain how things smell bad.

6. What are your ambitions for your writing career?

Publication would be amazing. I'd be so humble if and when it ever happens. I'm lucky enough to be a stay at home mom right now. I'm able to make writing a daily habit. When I can't find a window of time to spend in front of my machine, I work in my head. My career goals would be to get that oh-so-coveted book deal and to spend my days writing books and movie scripts. So, for all you reading this, the answer is; I want the same thing you do. To have my cake and eat it too.

7. While you were writing, did you ever feel as if you were one of the characters?

Of all my characters, I was mostly Raine. When I started writing her, I was a new mom for the second time. The thought of losing one of my boys was terrifying to me and I was convinced that every trip to the supermarket was going to end with us separated and one of them being stolen or clubbed by some can of chickpeas fallen from up on high. Raine's desperation to find her brother was one in the same with my wanting to secure the safety of my own kids. Now I know my kids are made of rubber and that they need me for sustenance, so our trips out aren't as scary. They stay close enough.

8. What else are you working on?

I'm working on a sequel to The Kitten & The Cloud, called King's Highway and another book, Sleepytown. It's a sci-fi/ thriller about a friendship gone bad in a small town, not unlike the one I grew up in.

9. What are some day jobs that you have held? If any of them impacted your writing, share an example.

My resume is almost comical:

A line cook, sous chef and grill master for three different restaurants. Phone support for one credit card company and two international banks. I've been a graphic designer, then a Creative Director for five years. A freelance Illustrator, off and on. The jewel however, in my crown of experience: I once worked at a call center that, believe it or not, sold investments in diamonds. Try that cold call! Selling diamonds to people who will never ever see them, over the phone. Holy, was it awful and damned near impossible. My quota was 5 solid leads a day. I topped out at two a day (sometimes) and after a month of threats of losing my job, quotas unmet, I willingly headed for the hills.

It was a great learning experience. When people on the phone heard me speak, they didn't believe I had any knowledge of diamonds... because I didn't. Now I write about what I know. It's easier to sell. People like me better and I can sleep at night knowing they got what I promised.

10. Characters often find themselves in situations they aren't sure they can get themselves out of. When was the last time you found yourself in a situation that was hard to get out of and what did you do?

Hummm. I'm a runner, so I can be pretty adept at avoiding beer tabs. Generally, most days I enjoy walking my frenchie, Lodi, so I don't have the challenge of finding a creative spot to hide from his laser eyes in our shoebox of an apartment.

After my kids were born I decided I was going to run a marathon. I'd run off and on for years and my twin sister had already run one. So, there was no pressure. She was slim and I wasn't. She was experienced now, unlike me. No biggie.

I trained hard, took a class, planned, bought the right food, picked up my bib and then found myself knees trembling and stomach churning at the start line.

Halfway through I asked myself, "Meg, what the hell are you doing?"

I admitted to myself that running 26.2 miles was self-torture.

But THEN...

I reminded myself that I'd vomited before, I'd peed before (maybe not in public, but these were strangers), I'd fainted before and I'd delivered babies in rooms with too many people watching, already! The bright side; I had only 13.1 miles to go!

I crossed the finish line and with a respectable finish time, too.

I had a similar experience with The Kitten & The Cloud. So many times I told myself that things were getting too messy. That it was too hard. That I felt tired. That everyone would know I was a fake. That I couldn't possibly finish. And...then it was done.

The take-away: Try. Who cares who the spectators are? In the end you'll be a more interesting person. Not everyone runs marathons. Shit happens. Not everyone is ok with ditching linens and exposing nether regions for the sake of a more comfortable second half. Not everyone writes a book. Every situation can be gotten out of, by simply (gracefully or ungracefully) following through.

Now I have the glory of living to talk about these experiences. Lodi "laser-eyes" is a fantastic listener. 

She manage to sell you a diamond yet? If you're not ready to peek at The Kitten & the Cloud, reconsider. Fast. To compare the story to a diamond is no joke, kids, and what's better, this diamond's real.