Serenity Farm follows a young aspiring animal rights attorney whose extraordinary connection with animals helps bring healing and hope to a sanctuary community devoted to rescuing abused and abandoned animals. What is the most rewarding aspect of writing a series?

The most rewarding part of writing the Safe Haven series has been giving animals a voice. I wanted readers to recognize that animals experience a wide range of emotions and form meaningful connections, just as we do. Showing their individuality and emotional depth has been both a joy and a privilege.

I have also loved honoring the people who devote themselves to animal welfare. Whether they care for rescued animals at sanctuaries, advocate for stronger protections, or risk difficult and often heartbreaking work to expose cruelty, their dedication inspires me. If readers finish the series with a deeper sense of compassion for animals and the people who protect them, then I feel I’ve accomplished something meaningful.

Did you always envision the series as a collection of interconnected stories centered on animal welfare?

Interestingly, Serenity Farm was actually the first book I wrote. Before publishing it, however, I found myself wanting to understand and explain how Brie developed her extraordinary gift of communicating with animals. That exploration led to Safe Haven, which ultimately became the first book in the series.

From the beginning, though, I knew the stories would be rooted in compassion, animal welfare, and the bond between humans and animals. Those themes are at the heart of everything I write.

I do envision continuing Brie’s journey with at least one more novel in the Safe Haven series. I’m also fascinated by the possibility that she may not be the only person with this gift. Are there others out there who share her connection with animals? How has it shaped their lives? What paths have they chosen? Those questions continue to spark my imagination and may lead the series in exciting new directions.

Were your characters inspired by people you have known or observed?

Some of the human characters were inspired by traits I’ve observed in different people over the years, but none of them were modeled after a single individual. I often find myself drawing from a variety of personalities, experiences, and interactions, blending those influences together to create characters who feel authentic and relatable while remaining entirely fictional.

The animals, however, are a different story. Many of them were inspired by animals I’ve met personally through sanctuaries, rescues, and my lifelong love of animals. Their quirks, personalities, habits, and even some of their emotional journeys often come from real-life encounters. Anyone who has spent time with animals knows that each one is a unique individual, and I wanted that individuality to shine through in my books.

In fact, all of the rescue stories featured in Serenity Farm are based on actual rescues. While I adapted the names and places for the novel, the situations that inspired them were very real. By weaving real rescue experiences into fiction, I hope readers come away with a greater appreciation for the lives of animals and for the compassionate people who devote themselves to giving them a second chance.

What conversations about animal welfare or compassion would you like the novel to inspire?

I would love for Serenity Farm to inspire people to think differently about farmed animals and the lives they lead. Much of their suffering remains hidden from public view, which can create a sense of disconnect. It’s often easier to overlook what we don’t see or fully understand.

One of my goals in writing the novel was to help bridge that gap by portraying farmed animals as sentient beings with distinct personalities, emotions, and the capacity to form deep bonds. They experience joy, fear, grief, affection, and companionship just as many of the animals we share our homes with do. When we begin to recognize their individuality and emotional depth, it becomes harder to view them as commodities rather than living
beings deserving of compassion and respect.

I also hope the novel encourages conversations about the important work being done by sanctuaries, animal advocates, investigators, and those working to improve animal welfare laws. Real change often begins with awareness, and awareness begins with empathy.

Ultimately, I don’t expect every reader to come away with the same opinions. My hope is simply that they pause and consider the lives of farmed animals in a new way. If the story helps someone make a deeper emotional connection and inspires even a little more kindness toward animals, then I feel the novel has achieved something meaningful.

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