Racing Towards Destiny follows a neurodivergent marketing professional who has her whole life implode in a single day, she quits her soul-sucking job, catches her boyfriend cheating, and impulsively buys a one-way ticket to Spain. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Half of the inspiration was having a bad boss for eight years. I wrote Racing Towards Destiny after six of those years when I’d had enough. A couple of friends and I would leave work on Fridays for lunch and fantasize about not coming back. Of course, we always returned after lunch, but sometimes we’d joke and say, “Is this the day we just keep going?” That’s where Anna’s move came from.

The second half of the inspiration was from following MotoGP. There were five sets of brothers racing in the various levels (Moto3, Moto2, and MotoGP), and I wondered how it would be to be the one always in the shadow. That’s where Isaac’s character arc and his story came from.

The other background for the setup was based on a favorite children’s book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. Anna has the adult equivalent and moves to Spain.

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

It was important to me that the characters felt real, or three-dimensional, which was why I spent so much time and energy working on them. Anna’s character traits have a lot in common with mine, especially her neurodivergence. While she is not entirely based on me (and our childhoods were very different), many aspects of her ASD are mine. The way she sees the world and how she interacts with it is much like how I do. It was important to me to portray someone on the spectrum who wasn’t emotionally flat but full of emotion and capable. Just sometimes overwhelmed.

While the racers were inspired by some of the real MotoGP racers, they are all fictional characters, so I invented things about them that could be true or seemed to fit with what I know of racing and the racing lifestyle.

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

Themes of finding your people and advocating for yourself were important. If we don’t put ourselves first sometimes, who else will? Anna was also learning to accept her own value. As the story progresses, she is more difficult to take advantage of and starts to believe she deserves to be treated well.

Acceptance was also an important theme. I also explored the idea of best friends and family.

I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?

The second book is already written, and I’m just waiting to pitch it to my publisher (Black Rose Writing) this summer when they’re figuring out titles for 2027. Vince (Isaac’s older brother) and Catarina’s story takes place during the following racing season. Love on Track #2 is currently called Racing Hearts: A Sports Romance (Love On Track #2).

A second, related duology is in the works; this series will be called Love Off Track and will focus on secondary characters from Racing Hearts. Expect at least one of these in 2028.

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