Little Ships follows a man and his two adolescent daughters devasted by grief and forced to relocate following the sudden loss of their wife and mother. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Well, to start with I live in a multigenerational household! But mostly, I had a dear cousin whose wife died suddenly–this was a long time ago–and he did move in with his mother and his son and daughter. They live in TX, I’m in MT, so I don’t know much about how that went, but in fact he died two years later, too. He was dear to me, and the sorrow has stayed with me for a long time.

Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?

I grew up living in my grandmother’s home. And now I have my daughter and granddaughter in mine. It seems like the way of the world, the melding of generations. It just happens, because it needs to.

What was your approach to writing the interactions between Eleanor and Nick?

WIth all dialogue, I go around like there is a play running in my head, for weeks, maybe months, and with this story, literally for years. They pop up at odd moments–in the bathtub; mostly on walks. I hear them. I seek them out.

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

I am writing a novel based on my years of living in convent boarding schools, from 7th through 11th grades, in Texas. Goodness, I don’t know to expect it. I am aiming for the first of 2025 to have a manuscript I can show my agent. Wish me luck! (ALL THE NUNS ARE DEAD.) LET’S AIM FOR 2026 PUBLICATION!

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