1. Lexi, what can you tell us about your debut novel PRETTY EVIL? It is a funny, racy paranormal story about three playboys who tick off a sexy supernatural vixen. To get revenge, she morphs into each man's "fantasy woman." She seduces and destroys them in very clever, wickedly entertaining ways.  It's definitely an "out of the box" type of novel, and that's a good thing if you're looking for something fresh and different to read.

2. Describe your journey to being published by Simon & Schuster. When did you start your journey and what kinds of challenges did you experience? I got an agent, we sent the manuscript to Simon & Schuster and they bought it. It was really very simple -- if you leave out the part about all the praying, nail biting, rejection letters, crying, sweating, praying, worrying, waiting, wondering, praying, screaming and praying.

3. Did you choose your genre, or did your genre choose you? Good question. It chose me. At first, I was writing straight horror, but I ended up scaring myself and having an awful time. When Simon & Schuster's editor got my manuscript, she said I had a fresh, funny, breezy voice without all the horror stuff. So I stuck with the breezy, sarcastic humorous side of the story which came easily for me, and I kept the supernatural elements which I find fascinating and intriguing. After that, I was free to write very contemporary, lively characters and place them into unusual paranormal situations, and then let them do exactly what I would do if faced with similar situations – RUN!

4. For those who may not be familiar with your work, are there any other existing novels that are similar to PRETTY EVIL? If so, what are they? Honestly, no. That's why I wrote a novel like this. There's nothing quite like it. It's just crazy.

5. Lexi, you have a wonderful sense of humor. Can you say what influences that humor? And how did you learn to write such funny dialogue? I love to laugh. I love being around people who love to laugh. We should learn to laugh more and not take ourselves or others too seriously. It's a beautiful thing when you can deal with all that life throws at you, and still find something to laugh about.

6. So far, what has been the best thing that's happened since becoming a full-time published writer? You mean after cashing my advance check? Hmm, let's see. It would have to be talking with people who read PRETTY EVIL, who "got it", who laughed, who connected with the book on some level.

People have already started asking me, how did you come up with the idea for this crazy, unusual supernatural story? I tell them this story is based on actual events that I sat down at my computer and thought up. J 

7. What do you love the most about your novel? In PRETTY EVIL, I got to take on many different and interesting personalities, and I loved that. I loved being devilish, mischievous and "uninhibited" (ahem!) through Vixx, the sexy she-devil "bad girl" of the book. I got to be innocent through Sunnie, the heroine. I also shared certain sentiments with all three "playas" too, strangely enough in a cross-gender sort of way. Even Coach, the big, tough pro-football player who speaks his mind and dares anyone to object, has a side of me in him.  He gets away with it because he's big and intimidating. I liked that, wished I could get away with doing that myself. But Coach, like the other two guys, also had a big heart to go along with his big exterior, big head and big mouth.

8. What type of reviews have you been getting for PRETTY EVIL? Great! I love seeing how different people view this book in so many different ways. So far, PRETTY EVIL has been categorized as mainstream fiction, humorous, paranormal, horror, romance, suspense, and inspirational. Whew! It's hard to believe they're all talking about the same book. Some reviews describe it as very sexual, sensuous and racy; others pick up on its inspirational and religious aspects; others say it's fast-paced and action-filled, and others focus on the romance in it. Truth is, it's all of that!

9. What kind of life experiences have you had that made you want to be a novelist? Writing fiction is a great way to deal with a dark and sordid past, a lack of adequate psychological counseling and persistent neurotic tendencies–not that I have any of those, I'm just saying.  J

10. What type of atmosphere do you need to have in order to do your best work? It's an internal thing with me. Magic happens on the inside –inside my mind, my spirit, my emotion, my creative heart –but a little darn peace and quiet on the outside wouldn't hurt either!

11. Are you nervous about any aspects of your book's release (such as reviews, meeting fans, talking in front of an audience)? What do you hope to achieve once your book comes out in October?  No, I'm not nervous at all. I'm actually looking forward to it. I want this book to introduce me to the world, and give readers a tiny glimpse of what I'm about. There's so much more to come.

I guess because I've been waiting so long and working so hard towards it, I'm not nervous, but full of anticipation.  I know I have a lot of hard work ahead of me. This is definitely a business, make no mistake about it. But I've decided that I'm going to have fun with this. I'm going to enjoy it. The more I live, the more I realize that being happy – or having true joy, I should say – is a decision one makes. I've always wanted to write, God has blessed me with the opportunity to do it, and I'm going to enjoy it.

12. Any final thoughts or comments? Yes! If you like to laugh, if you like to be a little spooked, if you like things that make you go, hmmm…, go buy this book. And write me, and tell me if you don't think Vixx is a trip! She really put it on those three fine brothers, didn't she?