Choice follows a young woman that kills supernatural creatures and encounters one who makes her question everything she knows. What was the inspiration that created the fantastic journey these characters go on?

The story really came about all on its own. The idea hit me and the main scenes quickly became clear. I try to keep things as organic as possible, with the characters taking the lead and getting out what they need to say. I find if I fight that, if I try to make something that is mine instead of theirs, it doesn’t work out and ends up in the unfinished file folder.

Both Choice and Vienna were written after my first novel Isabel (as well as two other previously unpublished novels). Those other books took so much out of me, being my first books, I think I really needed Vienna and Choice. They are both quick and fast-paced and a whole lot of fun (perfect for the struggling reader I used to be in my youth). All a bit different than the emotional toll my first novel, Isabel, had on me.

There was a lot of time spent crafting the character traits in this novel. What was the most important factor for you to get right in your characters?

The book idea actually started with one unique character trait: the taste of peaches. I couldn’t get that line out of my head. ‘The taste of peaches. The taste of peaches.’ Until, ‘the taste of hope’ was added to it, and then I was running to my writing desk to get the story down.

I really care about my characters. When you spend so much time with a project, with the characters, you hope your readers will care about them as much as you do. You want them to be believable. You want the things they say to be believable. You want them to be their own unique selves, and to try to keep that as much as you can throughout the later editing processes.

I felt that there were a lot of great twists and turns throughout the novel. Did you plan this before writing the novel, or did the twists develop organically writing?

A story comes to me in a moment, a daydream, and very quickly the main plot points reveal themselves. I jot down everything that has appeared to me, everything I know is going to happen. The first few chapters are usually being written about the same time as I try to get as much down as I can before I forget something. Then, with the idea settled and I really begin writing, often new characters and story twists and turns begin to reveal themselves. Many of them surprise me.

Choice had a pretty solid straight line from start to finish. I knew what was going to happen.

Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?

I could write a second book for Choice, but I really love leaving something up to the reader, encouraging their own imagination. Instead, I am currently focusing on writing new projects and getting older, finished works out into the publishing world. 

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