Stockboy Nation follows Phillip on a journey to discover a new life and re-evaluate his romantic relationships. What were some new ideas you wanted to introduce in this book that were different from the first book?

I wanted to convey the idea of the ever changing state of the world we live in. While Phillip was seemingly getting back to square one as the book starts off, the world was evolving into something that is almost completely different than what he had been expecting. When he’s back in New York City and the plot takes a turn that echoes real life recent events, we see that no matter what Phillip had done, he would have been back to square one anyway. We are never fully “settled” no matter what we may think. That I think is the greatest takeaway of the book.

I also liked the idea of introducing a new female love interest in to the mix to sort of test the boundaries of his love for Melissa. That was the main goal of the book. To explore the love triangle between Phillip, Melissa and LeAnn. I wanted readers to be taken on a journey to see which characters they wanted to end up together at the end.

Phillip ends up back at the same bookstore where he previously worked. Was this theme of starting back at the beginning something you did intentionally?

Absolutely. For Phillip to move forward, he had to confront his past and this book which he wrote about the store where he worked. I wanted Phillip’s character to move forward by confronting the details of his past which includes his love/hate relationship with New York City. It was intentional to bring him back to his old stomping ground in NYC.

Romance, and contentment, are themes explored in this book. Was there a certain perspective of these themes that you wanted to portray?

Yes. Romance and contentment with the cards you have been dealt in love (and life) were topics I wanted to portray. The perspective is that your happiness with life can be challenged at any given time. The same for one’s happiness in his/her romantic relationship(s). Life is never at a stand still and as we constantly evolve as human beings, our need for change and also for stability comes in to question. I think the book touches on these topics head on and I am very proud of it.

Will there be a third book in the Stockboy series?

Good question. Right now I am working on a “Heaven” project and the sequel to “The Separation.” It’s anyone’s guess whether or not I will return to do another “Stockboy.” I guess it all depends on how readers like “Stockboy Nation.” I’ve heard good things so far.

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