Till Tomorrow Never Comes follows a man with terminal cancer who reflects back on the life he left behind due to family expectations, religious doctrines, and rigid societal norms. What was the initial idea behind this story, and how did that transform as you were writing the novel?

I have terminal cancer, and so does my best friend. As we discussed end-of-life issues, it occurred to me that one of the most difficult issues would have been a romance that had never been resolved. People tend to confide their problems to me. I’ve worked for the Postal Service, non-profit organizations, sold insurance and real estate, and been employed in numerous other industries over the years. In all of them, people shared their darkest secrets with me. Based on those revelations I crafted this story of tragic love. The initial idea was clear. Then I created the characters and setting. After that, I attempted to write the story based on how the characters would have reacted to the situations they faced. This caused a few twists and turns I didn’t expect, but the end result was inevitable.

Were you able to achieve everything you wanted with the characters in the novel?

I was happy with what I accomplished with Kurt and Mary. I showed their love, anguish, and heartache. Most importantly, the novel ended with Mary knowing that Kurt had truly loved her and in a sense been faithful to her through everything that happened. Kurt didn’t have the same assurance, but knew in his heart Mary loved him, too. Meghan was the most difficult character to write. She was as much a victim as Kurt and Mary. She had the benefits of children and financial security from her marriage to Kurt, but there was a wall between them she could never understand. I’m not sure I conveyed that message as well as I would have liked. Meghan benefited from Kurt’s faithfulness, but never received his unreserved love. Mary received his unreserved love from afar, but did not receive children or financial security that a faithful husband would have provided. I don’t intend that to be sexist, but a single, female, head-of-household is the most common root of poverty in the US. The contrast and tension between Mary and Meghan was an important part of the story.

There is so much to be said about love in this book. What do you hope your readers take away from your story?

True love perseveres and is unconditional. Faith and integrity are essential parts of life. That said, people of faith, and people with a high level of integrity are vulnerable to manipulation and abuse because of those qualities. People who abuse others do not realize the long term harm they do to them. They are focused on their own short term goals at the expense of long-term loss and heartache of the people they abuse.

What is the next book in the Finding Love in the Heartland series that you are working on, and when will it be available?

The next book in the series is “Walking by Your House.” It should be available before Valentine’s Day, 2025. It is a humorous tale of an awkward adolescent as he matures and attempts to express his feelings to his true love. There is some drama in the latter part of the book as an idealistic young couple face unexpected hardships, but strive to overcome them and pursue happiness together.

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