Two Hearts Within One Soul, Volume 2 follows a woman in her fifties whose quiet life in Hampshire opens into love, grief, faith, and self-discovery after her connection with a man she meets over a book changes how she sees herself. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Layla was inspired by the transformative power of an unforgettable courtship. I wanted to explore the moment someone truly loves you enough to mirror your own worth back to you before you even recognize it yourself. This story is about being introduced to a world of passion and purpose—a world that encourages you to reclaim your identity rather than letting it be consumed by the rules and standards of society.

Your book is as much about Layla reclaiming her own worth as it is about the romance with Mate’O. How do you write a love story where the most important relationship is the one the protagonist has with herself?

Layla represents the many souls who have endured loss and simply surrendered to the life they were given. I wrote her journey to show that when a love is truly pure, it acts as a catalyst. Mate’O doesn’t just offer romance; he challenges the status quo of her heart. Being “in love” creates a sacred hunger for more—more growth, more understanding, and more life. Her relationship with herself changes because his love gives her the courage to explore the parts of her soul she didn’t know existed.

The invisible red thread is the book’s central symbol. Where did that image come from, and how did you develop it?

The image is a bridge between East and West. It draws from the Southeast Asian legend of the “Red Thread of Fate,” which may stretch or tangle but can never break. I wove this together with the Greek myth of the original “split soul”—the idea that we were once whole and are now destined to find our other half. Across the series, the thread evolves from a mere symbol into a living, mathematical heartbeat. It is the literal weaving of a mirror soul searching for its counterpart across time and geography.

The book treats love almost as a sacred force. What does “soul recognition” mean to you as a storyteller?

To me, soul recognition is the ultimate cosmic memory. It is the moment two souls, bound across every lifetime, fulfill the promise to meet again with the same depth, passion, and desire. As a storyteller, it is the most haunting theme I can explore: the idea that if these two do not find one another, the soul will continue to yearn with a “cosmic ache” until breath finally departs from flesh and bone.

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