Interview with Peg Hennessy, Author of Rescuing Innocence

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Rescuing Innocence?

My first title, Saving Soull, was written in a surreal, fairy tale style. It was written to emphasize the importance of listening to our own internal voice and trusting our intuition. I was still working as a mental health counselor when I wrote this first book and had become frustrated with the direction the business of mental health was going. I am retired now and decided to write a series in which a mental health counselor is the protagonist, working cases in small town, rural places. I wanted to humanize the process. Rescuing Innocence is the first in a series of stories I want to write about mental health cases in which my protagonist, Swan Sloane, is the very human counselor.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I like mysteries. I like detective novels and other comparable stories where a secret needs to be discovered. Often, mental health counseling involves a similar process.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I just started reading “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Chapter One, Swan’s first encounter with the family she helps to rescue.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

No, I just sit on my couch with my laptop.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

From the foreword of my book of poetry, “You are smarter than you think. You are saner than you think. Your deepest self and fullest potentials live within you. Find your peace. Write your poems.”

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Trust your instincts and intuition. Be in nature often.

Peg Hennessy is the author of the new book Rescuing Innocence

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