Some Laneys Died is a science fiction story that explores what happens when we experience different universes created by our choices. What was the inspiration for the setup to this thrilling story?

I’m very interested in the weirdness of quantum physics, including the fact that a particle (an electron or photon) can be in many positions at the same time, a photon can act as a wave and particle, and the possibility that multiple universes exists. I decided to translate some of this weirdness from the micro level to the macro level. If subatomic particles from different universes can interact, then why can’t versions of ourselves do the same? Like my first novel Someone To Kiss My Scars where I imagined memory existing outside the brain, I imagine a world in Some Laneys Died where consciousness can be shifted to an alternate self. The main character can “skip” to an alternate self by seeing through that self’s eyes and mind. The Many Worlds Theory served as inspiration, wherein a quantum particle spins one direction in one universe and another direction in another universe.

The story is an exploration of choice and consequences. What were some themes you wanted to focus on when writing the story?

I have always been fascinated (and troubled) by the impact of seemingly small choices on one’s life, how some which seem so inconsequential at the time can, in retrospect, make all the difference between joy and pain. Laney learns that some version of herself makes every choice no matter what she chooses, so maybe each decision isn’t so crucial after all. The story is about a broken family that finds some salvation. It’s about forgiveness and redemption. Also, the magical bond of sisters, even between those who don’t know each other. There is also much evil in the story, horrible evil that preys on young girls and women and the lasting impact this evil has on their lives. Yet love can overcome the pain.

The book was really entertaining. What was one scene from the book that you enjoyed writing?

Mainly the action scenes. Perhaps my favorite is when Laney is driving with a drunk, angry boy in his truck after he tried to assault her. She wants him to drive her home, but he hits a deer and spins off the road, tumbling down into a ditch. Laney is upside down, held in her seat by the belt, watching her blood drip onto her broken phone. She tries to imagine herself back in her bedroom, before she made the choice to meet the boy outside her house at 2 am. She grabs onto that girl’s mind and environment and just before she blacks out in the truck, she feels her phone vibrate in her back pocket as she sits in her chair, slumped over her computer. Her father is calling her back after three years of no communication. That’s the first time she skips between worlds. I still get chills every time I read that scene.

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

The book I am currently writing is the sequel to Some Laneys Died, entitled (for now) All the Other Laneys. In the first book, Laney was able to skip to other universes. In the second, people drop into her world, including other versions of herself and her friends. As well as Caden, the boy who murdered her at least twice, the boy she captured and put into prison. Yet there he is standing on the other side of the river in the first scene watching Laney and her sister Bailee. What happens when you meet another version of yourself? Can both exist in the same universe?

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