Night Princess is a gripping exploration of a fourteen-year-old girl’s entrapment in the world of prostitution, unveiling the dark and often unspoken reality of human trafficking. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

About eight or ten years ago I started learning about sex trafficking in other countries. Next, I learned that it happened in the U.S. Finally, I learned that it was happening very close to where I live in Minneapolis. Disturbed, I wanted to spread awareness about this bitter reality. At first, I wanted to make a documentary, but I have a job and a family, and a project like that would be difficult to manage with my schedule. Then I remembered (duh) that I’ve been writing my whole life, and resolved to write a non-fiction book about sex trafficking. After a year of doing research, I pivoted again, choosing to tell the story of a fictional character going through the realities I was learning about. I thought following a character through a real-time Hell would pack more emotional punch than non-fiction. When it came time to create a plot, it was easy – I just looked at patterns of things that happen and decided how I could tell a compelling story within the framework of realistic situations. The world I wrote about is full of drama.

On a personal level, I also went through an awful relationship when I was younger, and I drew on that emotional experience when I wrote about Persephone’s encounters with 8. People have told me that their relationship is believable, and that’s because there is some real-life experience undergirding the fiction.

Persephone Wolf is an intriguing and well-developed character. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

The fact that Persephone is fourteen is no accident because the average age of entry into prostitution is 12-14 years. Another source for Persephone was a group of “at risk” foster kids I used to work with. It was amazing to learn how vulnerable they are in spite of the tough veneers. In addition, I wanted Persephone to have a few “superpowers.” It was fun to give her the superpowers of escaping and figuring out how to get other people in trouble. Aren’t middle children good at that?

A final thing I wanted for Persephone was for her to be a survivor and not just a victim. In the first few drafts, she was too passive, and I really fought to give her agency in the rewrites. I was contacted by a reader who had experienced sexual assault and she actually found my novel healing because Persephone was so strong. The reader told me that Persephone’s story made her feel safe for the first time in years. That was immensely gratifying feedback.

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

One theme is what love really is. I tried to set up a contrast between Persephone and 8’s relationship and Bruce and Adenike’s. Persephone and 8’s relationship is based on lies, delusion, desperation, greed, and lust. On the other hand, Bruce is attracted to Adenike, but he’s a better, more noble person because of her, whereas Persephone is much worse because of 8.

There are also the themes of vulnerability, strength, and courage, as well as freedom and bondage.

It was also important to have Persephone revisit her relationship with her mom at the end of the novel because her mom, in some ways, was the cause of Persephone’s suffering. The mother/daughter relationship is another theme.

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

I’d love to pop out another book next month, but I’m sort of like an elephant in that I have a very long gestation period. All I know about my next book is that it might include chases in underground passages and a monster. Beyond that, I know nothing.

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