A Dangerous Friendship follows a woman navigating heartbreak, loneliness, and the lure of risk, who, after a failed marriage, is drawn to a magnetic yet volatile woman whose energy feels both liberating and destructive. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Any kind of loss that forces a woman to question her future and identity sends me into story-telling mode.  Especially against the backdrop of New York City in the 1980s, where there was an electric vibe and the possibility that anything could happen if you were open to it.  I lived in the City during that time and it was magical.  Wealth, street art, theater, fantasies of changing your life in a New York minute—it was heaven.

What was the inspiration for the relationship that develops between Tina and Spike?

Every female friendship I’ve had or witnessed since high school.  We know the archetypes of the popular girls, the mean girls.  What about the dangerous ones?  What about the women who promise to give us power.  Who tell us stories that we want to believe are true because are own lives seem so meh. Also, in the 1980’s, there was a second wave of feminism with women fighting for equal rights and questioning cultural and social norms.  That history fans the flames of the relationship between Tina and Spike and their confusion: wanting to be powerful in their right but also looking to be elevated to a different reality by wealthy men.

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

Reinvention after loss. I like to explore the ways women navigate identity and self-worth when their lives take an unexpected turn.  Also, truth vs. fiction.  I’m fascinated by the stories we tell ourselves and each other to survive.  Finally, the thin line between attraction and danger.  Tina calls this “the line of horror,” which she refuses to cross at first, then leaps over, believing that Spike, like a cult leader, will change her world.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?

My next novel is The Enlightenment of Henry Pike.  It leans even further into dark humor than A Dangerous Friendship.  It follows a slightly unhinged philanthropist who’s being swindled out of his fortune by those closest to him. At its core, it’s also about loss and reinvention—and our endless obsession with wealth, power, and the lives we think we deserve. Readers can expect it in the next two years.

Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | Facebook | Website