No, You’re Crazy follows a teenage girl diagnosed with Cotard’s Syndrome who questions if she is mentally ill or actually clairvoyant. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I’ve always been interested in identity. Who we think we are, how we see ourselves, and how other people see us. But, more than that, how we see the world we live in. I am especially fascinated by how our minds can warp our perception of reality, maybe to protect us from danger, to protect us from ourselves, or to give us happiness. So when I read an article about a strange disease called Cotard’s Syndrome, where the sufferer believes she’s dead, it caught my attention. I was fascinated to hear that some people are living their lives while believing they have already died.

I started to play the what-if game. What if someone thought they were dead and others believed her? Too far-fetched. Well, what if she believed she was physically dead but still spiritually alive and had special powers bestowed on her by a higher power, namely the power of clairvoyance? Okay, now I was on to something. And I began plotting a story.

I wanted to write a novel that left the reader to make many judgments. Is the teenage protagonist crazy or is there something to her wild beliefs? And who gets to decide? So, ultimately, the question is, what’s real and what isn’t?

What were some of the emotional and moral guidelines you followed when developing your characters?

I only wanted my two main characters, Ashlee and Mike, to be true to themselves. Even if Ashlee’s actions are often strange or “crazy,” they always needed to be authentic. That, to me, is the toughest part of writing fiction. Keeping everything genuine when the story itself seems astonishing.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

My main goal was to write a story that touched upon the paradox that families can both hurt and heal you. The message or theme No, You’re Crazy delivers is universal and uplifting: That love offers our best chance for survival. Which means we are stronger together than alone.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

I have written a cli-fi story set 25 years in the future, when climate change has caused the largest, and deadliest, migration in human history. It’s not only migrants from Latin America headed north as they flee hunger and violence. Americans, too, have joined this dangerous march into northern Canada. This novel is a harrowing portrait of survival and sacrifice that combines a page-turning thriller with a moving look at how trust and acceptance of others can be our salvation. It’s a sweeping saga of displacement, loss, and love told in the voices of eight diverse characters. When it will be available to read, of course, is a mystery even to me. This story is in the hands of several agents and publishers.

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