Broken Image centers around a woman grieving after tremendous personal loss, recovering from an accident, and healing after an abusive marriage, who finds herself in an area terrorized by a serial killer. Where did the idea behind this novel come from?

Broken Image is part of a four-book series, with each book centered on one of the four Bennett siblings. I needed a love interest for Jay, and a reason for her to be in Edmondsville, so I decided to bring back Joe Grimes, one of my favorite secondary characters from The Row Series. Making Sage, his great-niece, felt like the perfect way to root in the small town.

I also enjoy creating strong female protagonists who face real challenges, so I gave Sage the dual burden of grieving her daughter while escaping an abusive marriage. That enabled me to bring in Brooke O’Connor Matthews from my Victory Hill Series. Brooke runs a social network that helps women and children escape dangerous situations, and in this story, she’d been corresponding with Sage’s Uncle Joe. Writing is the fun part, but marketing matters too, and I’ve found that intermingling my series is a great way to introduce readers to worlds they might not have discovered otherwise.

As for the killer…he’s hiding in plain sight, living within the very community that trusts him. He will stay there, quietly keeping everyone on edge, until he finally makes one fatal mistake in book four, Final Image.

Sage’s healing feels just as important as solving the mystery. Was it always your intention for her emotional recovery to be the heart of the novel?

As a retired librarian and educator, I tried to weave in details that might genuinely help readers deal with their own grief or hardship. Jay dealt with the loss of a bullied high school classmate to suicide by keeping a journal of his thoughts and recovery, and that experience shapes how he connects with Sage. He buys her a journal and encourages her to do the same. I included excerpts from Sage’s journal throughout the book, and I’m hopeful that the idea resonates with readers. Journaling can be a simple and powerful tool for working through pain.

I wanted Sage to overcome her grief and abuse and come out the other side a strong, independent woman. She was never really weak. She was just a victim who got in over her head, desperate to do the right thing by her little girl. While editing the book, I took Donald Maass’ Advanced Fiction Methods course, an invaluable tool that helped me sharpen my focus on Sage’s recovery arc. I didn’t want her to simply survive her circumstances. I wanted readers to watch her grow. We see so much grief and abuse in today’s world, and I wanted Sage’s story to show that it’s possible not just to endure it, but to come out the other side stronger than before.

You occasionally let readers see events from the criminals’ perspectives, creating suspense by revealing dangers the other characters don’t yet recognize. What made you choose that narrative approach?

I am an avid Nora Roberts/JD Robb fan, and I’ve always admired how she lets readers into everyone’s head, not just the hero’s. There’s something powerful about that kind of access. It creates a sense of dramatic irony where the reader knows more than the characters do, which increases the suspense. When you see the danger coming before the characters, you’re not just wondering what will happen; you’re bracing for when it will happen.

I also love creating strong, distinct characters, even frightening ones, and letting readers see the world through their eyes. It’s a way of making the threat feel real and immediate, rather than abstract. Readers aren’t just told a killer is dangerous; they are inside his thoughts, seeing how close he already is.

Can readers look forward to more installments in the Bennett Auction Series?

Yes! I am currently working on book three, False Image, which follows Mary Kate Bennett and Sheriff Duane Peterson’s story. Book four, Final Image, will wrap up the series with GW Bennett and Miranda Dooley.

There’s still plenty left to resolve – a ghost who needs to cross over, symbols on a brass key that need to be located to solve a century-old town mystery, and a serial killer who still needs to be caught. I’m excited to bring the Bennett siblings’ stories full circle in 2027, and I hope readers will stick around to see how it all comes together.

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