NICK and CLANCY – A Tale of Nine Lives follows a gentle and wounded man recovering from severe heart trauma, who has a runaway dog turn up at his door, and gives him a new purpose in life. Where did the idea for this novel come from?

The character of Nick is inspired by the life and death of my younger brother, although I have fictionalized his personality and life course in ways he would never recognize! The character of Clancy was inspired by my good friend’s Sheltie collie, now deceased, who I swear was sentient. I wanted to give Clancy to Nick as a gift that I wish I could have given my brother.

I loved that Clancy is not just a sidekick in this story; she is just as active and engaging as Nick. Her character is funny, loyal, guilty, protective, and oddly wise. How did you decide what emotional range to give her?

Little spoiler warning: In the story, Clancy’s personality reflects her previous lifetime as a zany, devoted person. I’ve known several of those. So she was actually an easy character to imagine. Think of a zany, devoted person you’ve known – that’s Clancy.

Humor shows up amid fear and illness. How did you find the balance between laughter and emotions that overtake a person when facing an illness such as Nicks?

Life isn’t all one color, or even two (black and white). I wanted Nick’s story to be rich and full of love and laughter that often come hand-in-hand with loss and tragedy. We are multidimensional beings; if only we open our minds and hearts. 

What do you hope readers feel when they close the book?

I hope they feel the love that permeated Nick and Clancy’s lives, and that it inspires them to reach out and share their own love with others, while we have the time and place. As Nick’s Aunt Nancy would say, “Micro-moments matter. Even the tiny ripples matter. Just ask the fish in the creek.’”
 
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