Keeping Claudia (Save Me Book 2)

Q. What inspired you to write this book? Was there a particular moment or event that sparked the idea?

Ans. I needed to bring his and Claudia's story full circle, and give them the "happily ever after" they deserved. I was able to give them that in Keeping Claudia.

Q. What was the biggest challenge you faced while writing this book? How did you overcome it?

Ans. Creatively, the biggest turning point was publishing book two in the series, Keeping Claudia. It took me years to write, years that I picked it up and put it down, wavering in confidence, unsure I had it in me to be an author, much less a writer worth her salt. When reviews started coming in, saying that it was better than the first book, with readers declaring that it gave them ‘all the feels’ — making them laugh and cry — it was gratifying beyond belief. I knew then I would persist on this journey, that as long I am able, I’ll continue to write novels.

Q. How did you go about developing the characters in the book? Were any of them based on real people or events?

Ans. All of my characters have aspects of me in them, though none closely mirror my life. If I had to pick one that I most identified with, that would be Toby Faye. Growing up in a small town where people make assumptions without truly knowing you, a history of family strife and alcoholism, and how low self-confidence makes it impossible to grow and flourish. I dramatized Toby’s challenges, and they are far greater than any of my own, but I understood the core of his wounds, as I believe readers of Saving Toby have. Many reviewers praise Toby’s great sense of humor, which I’m happy to admit is my own. Rereading his funnier lines all these years later still makes me chuckle.