Kilómetro Cero follows three people who work together and end up in a messy love triangle that could end in disaster for all of them. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The relationships in Charles Webb’s novel The Graduate always intrigued me. Unlike in The Graduate, I imagined a young male protagonist who falls for and chases an older woman who works for his father, and whom his father secretly desires. This young man is out of his depth as he tries to convince her that his intentions are sincere. He also has to deal with his working relationship with his father, and the backlash of disapproving family and friends.

What was the inspiration for the love story and the connection the characters have?

I’m fascinated with the idea that two people can fall in love and have a wonderful and healthy relationship despite a significant age difference. We all have a certain level of maturity, and it can determine who we feel most comfortable around. In Kilómetro Cero, Nick sees in most of his friends an immaturity that he feels less and less connected to. He’s attracted to Elizabeth’s beauty, but also her confidence and maturity, which he finds more sincere than his own juvenile cockiness.

Why choose this place and time for the setting of the story?

I have an art background and a love for Spanish Renaissance painting, so I chose Madrid, Spain as the backdrop for some significant scenes and a portion of the story. I intended to incorporate the city’s Puerta del Sol, a historic square, into some of my scenes. There is a plaque in the square that is positioned at the geographical center of the country. It designates the starting point of Spain’s national roads, known as the zero-mile marker or Kilómetro Cero. It symbolizes the main character’s life choices and the various directions he might take. Aside from Spain, a larger portion of the story takes place in Atlanta, Georgia, which I chose for contrast. I wanted a big city, but one less cosmopolitan than New York. I set the entire story in modern times to take advantage of current culture and technology to make it more familiar and hopefully relatable for my readers.

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

I have two novels set to be published next year. One is currently being edited and should be available in January, titled A House of Cranes. It’s a mix of a family saga, psychological drama, and erotica that takes place in the affluent suburbs of Hartford, Connecticut, and later in New York City. The story spans two decades. The second novel, which I’m currently writing, titled Last Days in Paradise, is a contemporary age gap romance that takes place in Brisbane, Australia, and on a small island off the east coast of Australia, to be published in late 2024.

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