NEW! Novel Released: DAKOTA
Hello, everyone! I'm excited to announce my new novel, DAKOTA is available now!
Carissa is a high school senior who's never been to a party. When she's invited, and finally authorized to go, she finds herself having the time of her life, until she's not. The consequences of that night will be with her for the rest of her life.
Detective Priest mourns her little sister. When the opportunity to find justice lands in her lap, she must keep her vengeful desires at bay in order to uncover the truth, which runs deep into the heart of the city.
The truth that connects them may also bring them peace.
Genre(s): Young Adult | Contemporary | Christian | Women's Fiction
Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | Goodreads
Paperback: $20.99 | Hardcover: $28.99 | eBook: $3.99 | Kindle: $2.99
Brief Q&A
Q: You wrote a book from a female perspective. What was that like?
A: Women are people. I wrote an individual that happened to have boobs and a vagina. She was, yes, put in a very difficult and uniquely female situation. That required putting myself in someone else’s shoes. I understood the stakes. I’m a listener. I put my soul in her body and walked around for a while. I gave her a life, breathed, ate, and scratched an itch if I got it. I gave her goals. Put a little bit of myself in her. Like me, all she wants is to be genuinely loved. That’s the beginning of heartbreak. Writing a novel is about helping your characters survive and overcome and communicating that struggle. It’s about showing those core desires people have, male or female, and the obstacles humanity or other adversaries offer along the way.
Q: What’s your favorite book, so far?
A: I love Carissa [Dakota]. I loved being inside her head, voicing her snarky opinions. In a way, she’s become a part of me. However, I look forward to getting back to sci-fi. The Catalyst was my first love. The journey’s not finished, yet.
Q: What was your greatest challenge when writing your novel?
A: Many writers suffer the same challenges: time management and procrastination. Finding, making, and committing time to your writing, then writing in that designated time.
Q: Do you have any regrets now that you’re finished with the book? Things you wish you addressed or added.
A: Originally, the story was going to stretch over a span of years. You would have seen Carissa mature into a full adult, mother, professional, while tackling challenges. There’s a movie, About Time. It was an inspiration for this story but with a profoundly different story-line and trajectory. It ended up going a very different direction. Part of me would like to see where that original story would have gone. That would require a sequel. It would have been nice to tell a little more of Sean’s story. He was right there with Carissa, suffering his own betrayal, a traumatic experience, and losing an important person in his life. In the end, it would have taken me too far from the core story. It wasn’t his story.
Q: Do you plan to write a sequel for Dakota?
A: Well, no and yes and no. Some of the characters that exist in Dakota existed long before I thought of Dakota. Assuming I get around to telling their stories, you’ll see familiar faces. Sadly, I’m not sure we’ll see Carissa again.
Q: What inspired you to write Dakota?
A: Not so much a what as a who, God. A story had to be told about a terrible experience and choice too many women have suffered. I wanted to show people the best option, a support system, and give a worse-case scenario purpose and reason. I hoped it would offer an example of how the Christian community can (has) respond(ed) and support(ed) a person in Carissa’s scenario. Whatever happens to you, God is available and ready for you. He’s the one to go to. And His people can be your support system. We’ll love on you.
Detective Priest mourns her little sister. When the opportunity to find justice lands in her lap, she must keep her vengeful desires at bay in order to uncover the truth, which runs deep into the heart of the city.
The truth that connects them may also bring them peace.
Genre(s): Young Adult | Contemporary | Christian | Women's Fiction
Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | Goodreads
Paperback: $20.99 | Hardcover: $28.99 | eBook: $3.99 | Kindle: $2.99
Brief Q&A
Q: You wrote a book from a female perspective. What was that like?
A: Women are people. I wrote an individual that happened to have boobs and a vagina. She was, yes, put in a very difficult and uniquely female situation. That required putting myself in someone else’s shoes. I understood the stakes. I’m a listener. I put my soul in her body and walked around for a while. I gave her a life, breathed, ate, and scratched an itch if I got it. I gave her goals. Put a little bit of myself in her. Like me, all she wants is to be genuinely loved. That’s the beginning of heartbreak. Writing a novel is about helping your characters survive and overcome and communicating that struggle. It’s about showing those core desires people have, male or female, and the obstacles humanity or other adversaries offer along the way.
Q: What’s your favorite book, so far?
A: I love Carissa [Dakota]. I loved being inside her head, voicing her snarky opinions. In a way, she’s become a part of me. However, I look forward to getting back to sci-fi. The Catalyst was my first love. The journey’s not finished, yet.
Q: What was your greatest challenge when writing your novel?
A: Many writers suffer the same challenges: time management and procrastination. Finding, making, and committing time to your writing, then writing in that designated time.
Q: Do you have any regrets now that you’re finished with the book? Things you wish you addressed or added.
A: Originally, the story was going to stretch over a span of years. You would have seen Carissa mature into a full adult, mother, professional, while tackling challenges. There’s a movie, About Time. It was an inspiration for this story but with a profoundly different story-line and trajectory. It ended up going a very different direction. Part of me would like to see where that original story would have gone. That would require a sequel. It would have been nice to tell a little more of Sean’s story. He was right there with Carissa, suffering his own betrayal, a traumatic experience, and losing an important person in his life. In the end, it would have taken me too far from the core story. It wasn’t his story.
Q: Do you plan to write a sequel for Dakota?
A: Well, no and yes and no. Some of the characters that exist in Dakota existed long before I thought of Dakota. Assuming I get around to telling their stories, you’ll see familiar faces. Sadly, I’m not sure we’ll see Carissa again.
Q: What inspired you to write Dakota?
A: Not so much a what as a who, God. A story had to be told about a terrible experience and choice too many women have suffered. I wanted to show people the best option, a support system, and give a worse-case scenario purpose and reason. I hoped it would offer an example of how the Christian community can (has) respond(ed) and support(ed) a person in Carissa’s scenario. Whatever happens to you, God is available and ready for you. He’s the one to go to. And His people can be your support system. We’ll love on you.
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