What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Five Years Later? There was so much that went into Five Years Later. It was inspired in many ways by my own life and the emotional turmoil I had to unravel in my twenties. Most kids are just getting on their feet at this stage in life, but the ground beneath mine was torn out from under me as my parents divorced and my family fell apart. I had to leave college. I had to leave my home of twenty years. My dad and I could hardly speak to each other. I felt angry and betrayed and terrified, and guilty on top of it all for having all those emotions… but it got me to where I needed to be today. It made me realize I not only wanted to tell a modern-day love story (I usually write paranormal) but a story about overcoming family trauma as well as overcoming our own selves. It takes a lot of courage to face our demons. It takes even more courage to take them by the hand and say “I acknowledge you” so that you can begin the process of moving forward. If you woke up in the world of Five Years Later, what is the first thing you would do? The first thing I would do is get in Scott Darcy’s Tacoma and tell him we’re going on an adventure! I loved developing Scott’s character. He was such a cold, tough-ass at first but the more I got to know him in my own head, the more I wanted to put him on paper. What did he really want? Who was he really? I loved finding out, because even I wasn’t sure until the end of Five Years Later! If you had to write a blurb for the last book you read, what would it say? I am currently reading Athena Bahri’s Raise Your Vibes and I’m pretty sure if I had to write the intro blurb it would read, “Come one, come all, Moon Children and Scientific Skeptics alike!” I love books that focus on Eastern and Indian medicine like sound bathing and meditation, and while I am a heavy skeptic as well I’m also a believer in the power of our wild, amazing Universe. Where did you write Five Years Later? I wrote most of Five Years Later while curled up in some strange positions on my bed that resulted in tailbone strain and the need to bring a memory foam pillow to my office job… Yes, it was worth it. Haha! Pretend you qualified for the Olympics this year. What sport would you compete in? Hiking…if it were an Olympic sport, but since it’s not probably running. I’m a get-up-and-go kind of girl for sure!
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