Comfort in the Wings follows one woman’s journey of grieving as she faces emerging secrets and new possibilities. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?

The primary inspiration for my story of one woman’s journey of grieving comes from my own experiences with traumatic loss of several immediate family members in a short period of time. As I began to speak of my losses openly with others, I found that people were open to sharing their stories with me of loss, grief, and finding a way to move forward in spite of loss. Struck by the many variations of loss and the many ways that people look to signs from nature, or signs from their loved ones for comfort and solace, I became driven to give a voice to those experiences through writing fiction and developing relatable characters with similar journeys.

Larissa is an intriguing and well developed character. What were some driving ideals behind her character’s development?

Larissa’s ideals are driven first by her deep, unconditional love for her children. Additionally, she feels for all mothers who have lost children, whether by death, or pregnancy loss, or loss of connection. While early in her journey, she can barely speak to others or function day to day due to sadness, anxiety, and sleeplessness, she eventually becomes motivated by connections to others, and a goal to dispel the stigma around speaking about child loss. She finds as she opens her own heart and mind to the possibility of signs from her loved ones, that she wants to share the possibilities with others.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

A theme that surprised me during my own experiences and I wished to express to others was the realization that seemingly opposite emotions can, and do, co-exist. A person can be feeling deep sadness and gut-wrenching grief, yet still experience joy and gratitude for the beautiful experiences in life that continue to present themselves. Another theme is compassion for others and acceptance of the weaknesses that are part of being human. Finally, the theme of connections is very prevalent. Connections with friends and family, connections with virtual strangers encountered in the airport, connections with loved ones who have passed, through a psychic medium. Connections bring Larissa great comfort throughout her story.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

I have begun to write another story of Larissa and the people she cares about. They have so many more connections to make with people from the past, and people not yet encountered. I’m hopeful that it will be available in the summer of 2022.

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