Kristin asked Gigi Pandian:

Did you always want to be a writer? or did you fall into it? When did you know for sure?

Gigi Pandian I've always made up stories, since I was little. But I never consciously thought I'd become a writer until my adult life. I began writing a mystery novel as a hobby in my mid-20s. I discovered National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), which helped me finish writing a full draft of my first novel, ARTIFACT. On a lark, I entered my work in a writing competition, and to my surprise, I won the Malice Domestic Grant! The grant is meant to foster the next generation of traditional mystery writers. That's when it occurred to me I should take my writing more seriously than a hobby, and was the push I needed to join writing organizations and learn more about the craft of writing. It's been a very fun ride.

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