Crazy Love follows two lovers that want a better life away from crime, when their past catches up to them, can their romance survive? What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?

Crazy Love is a sort of a sequel, as its two lead characters, Danny Fenton and Dawn Robinson, appeared prominently (though not as the main protagonists) in my debut novel about the Fenton family, Mr. Wonderful (2018). They were the misfit dreamers, prone to trouble, offspring of that novel’s focus, Brian and Corinne Fenton. Many readers told me how much they enjoyed Danny and Dawn in that first novel and wondered what might happen to them in the future? I shared that interest. So, I began writing a novel about the troubled but charismatic nature of their relationship and put them on the run trying to reinvent themselves in the big city of St. Louis. It became Crazy Love.

What was your inspiration for the character’s interactions and backstories?

Like a lot of writers, my inspiration is a combination of real, observed people and pure fiction. My son, truth be told, served as a bit of inspiration for Danny—he’s always been a ‘shoot from the hip’, spontaneous, ‘figure it out on the road’ kind of guy and his taste in girlfriends includes equally brash and brassy women like Dawn. And I thought that taking their very different occupational dream worlds—Danny as a newly-minted private investigator and Dawn as a first-time restaurant owner—and putting them into unexpected, even dangerous, conflict would make for a strong, intriguing crime story as well as an engaging love adventure.

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

I’m a big dreamer myself—as I think a lot of people are—so I wanted to explore not only how dreams powerfully shape our life decisions but also how they can get us into trouble. Hence the book’s tagline: ‘What happens when your biggest dreams become your biggest problems?’ I also think the idea of reinventing ourselves is a quintessential American trait (perhaps even universal one) and that readers could really resonate with that sort of theme.

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

I’m not currently working on a book, but I AM working on an important next life for Crazy Love: I’m finishing up some rewrites on the dramatic film adaptation of the book—I work as a writer/producer in the film business as well as a book author. And I’m happy to say, we’re looking to go into production on Crazy Love, the film, by late fall of this year!

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