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Please tell us a bit about yourself.
I’ve been married for almost twenty-two years (whoo-hoo!), and I’m a stay-at-home mom of five great kids. Four of them I homeschool, and the oldest will start his sophomore year in college this fall.
I was born and raised in Colorado Springs, CO, but now live in the great state of North Carolina. I’m a music junkie—iTunes ADORES me. I love too many movies to list, but a few of my favorites are: Pride & Prejudice, Princess Bride, Moonstruck, and While You Were Sleeping. But, most importantly, the first three Rocky movies. Yes, really. I catch so much grief for this, but there’s just something about Sly. I would LOVE to meet him! It’s okay, my husband knows all about this.
Could you tell us in short what this book is about?
Family. Loss. Guilt. Forgiveness, and of course, Love.
Which character was the easiest to write and which one was the hardest to write?
The most fun character to write was Garrett, he’s also my favorite. I just love him.
The most difficult character to write would be Grace. It was important to me that people didn’t get annoyed with Grace since the story is from her POV. I wanted to make her likable, but realistically likable. Strong, but vulnerable. Hopefully, I achieved this.
With which character do you identify the most?
The Anderson brothers are close to my heart because of the loss they experienced with the death of their sister. My baby brother died of a rare form of cancer at the age of twenty-six. I miss him every day.
Are your characters based on people you know?
Garrett and Miles have many of the character traits of my three brothers. Miles is soft-spoken and tender like my oldest brother, Rodger. Garrett is fun, loud and big-hearted like my younger brother, Miles. The kindness, generosity and thoughtfulness are traits all three of my brothers possess.
Where did the inspiration for this series come from? Where do you generally draw your inspiration from?
This answer will either get me into A LOT of trouble, or A LOT of fond smiles, but here goes: Inspiration struck while reading Twilight. My daughter wanted to read it, but I’d heard conflicting reports about the content, ie: Edward’s stalkerish behavior, etc, so I had to give it my approval. Surprisingly, my favorite aspect of the book was NOT the relationship between Edward/Bella. My favorite aspect was the relationship of the Cullen’s. The way they protected each other no matter the cost. Yes, they are vampires, and yes, they are fictional. BUT, what a great picture of how families should be! So, I came up with the Anderson family. Grace and Kate only had each other, but when they met the Anderson’s they had a family again. They were loved, they were protected…no matter the cost.
What research did you do for this series?
The only research I needed was references to the construction business of the Andersons. Lucky for me, my husband is an expert since he is indeed a Project Manager for a construction company. I had to ask him several times “What is this called?” or “Is this realistic?” This was especially important for the part where the Andersons build Grace and Kate the music room. I had to be sure it was realistic that something like that could be completed in the time-frame I’d written. If readers want to question the “realism” of that, they can take it up with my hubby.
Are there any other projects you are working on at the moment?
Yes. I’m so excited to be writing the next book in the series, which will be about Garrett. SO many people have said how much they love Garrett, hopefully this will make them happy. I KNOW it’s making me happy to write more about him.
Do you have any writing quirks?
I MUST have music. I have a playlist titled “Writing” on my computer. The songs change, but the music is a MUST.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
I’m sooooo boring! I’m a TOTAL homebody. I love my home. I love the people IN my home. When I’m not writing, I’m just doing the same thing most stay-at-home moms do: take care of husband/kids, laundry, clean, laundry, home school, more laundry, cook, and yes, laundry. Did you doze off?
Are you a reader? What are you reading at the moment?
I really like Elin Hilderbrand. When I read, I like to take a vacation in my mind, and she writes about such great places in her books. As much as I love my reality, I enjoy stories that take me to another place for a while. Give me fabulous places with fabulous people. Give me characters that are too good to be true. To me, that’s what fiction is about.
Is there anything you would like to add?
I am so blessed to have the opportunity to share Grace, Kate and the Andersons with people. These characters are dear to me, and I hope readers will love them as much as I do.
The Anderson brothers are close to my heart because of the loss they experienced with the death of their sister. My baby brother died of a rare form of cancer at the age of twenty-six. I miss him every day.
Are your characters based on people you know?
Garrett and Miles have many of the character traits of my three brothers. Miles is soft-spoken and tender like my oldest brother, Rodger. Garrett is fun, loud and big-hearted like my younger brother, Miles. The kindness, generosity and thoughtfulness are traits all three of my brothers possess.
Where did the inspiration for this series come from? Where do you generally draw your inspiration from?
This answer will either get me into A LOT of trouble, or A LOT of fond smiles, but here goes: Inspiration struck while reading Twilight. My daughter wanted to read it, but I’d heard conflicting reports about the content, ie: Edward’s stalkerish behavior, etc, so I had to give it my approval. Surprisingly, my favorite aspect of the book was NOT the relationship between Edward/Bella. My favorite aspect was the relationship of the Cullen’s. The way they protected each other no matter the cost. Yes, they are vampires, and yes, they are fictional. BUT, what a great picture of how families should be! So, I came up with the Anderson family. Grace and Kate only had each other, but when they met the Anderson’s they had a family again. They were loved, they were protected…no matter the cost.
What research did you do for this series?
The only research I needed was references to the construction business of the Andersons. Lucky for me, my husband is an expert since he is indeed a Project Manager for a construction company. I had to ask him several times “What is this called?” or “Is this realistic?” This was especially important for the part where the Andersons build Grace and Kate the music room. I had to be sure it was realistic that something like that could be completed in the time-frame I’d written. If readers want to question the “realism” of that, they can take it up with my hubby.
Are there any other projects you are working on at the moment?
Yes. I’m so excited to be writing the next book in the series, which will be about Garrett. SO many people have said how much they love Garrett, hopefully this will make them happy. I KNOW it’s making me happy to write more about him.
Do you have any writing quirks?
I MUST have music. I have a playlist titled “Writing” on my computer. The songs change, but the music is a MUST.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
I’m sooooo boring! I’m a TOTAL homebody. I love my home. I love the people IN my home. When I’m not writing, I’m just doing the same thing most stay-at-home moms do: take care of husband/kids, laundry, clean, laundry, home school, more laundry, cook, and yes, laundry. Did you doze off?
Are you a reader? What are you reading at the moment?
I really like Elin Hilderbrand. When I read, I like to take a vacation in my mind, and she writes about such great places in her books. As much as I love my reality, I enjoy stories that take me to another place for a while. Give me fabulous places with fabulous people. Give me characters that are too good to be true. To me, that’s what fiction is about.
Is there anything you would like to add?
I am so blessed to have the opportunity to share Grace, Kate and the Andersons with people. These characters are dear to me, and I hope readers will love them as much as I do.
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Grace Burke doesn’t need a thing.
She enjoys her quiet life in Fall Rivers, Colorado—running a bookstore and coffee shop with her cousin, Kate. The two have a successful business, a small circle of friends, and each other. What more could she want?
When the Anderson brothers move into the house across the street, it doesn’t take long for her to realize exactly what she’s been missing. At first sight, the youngest brother, Michael, captures Grace’s heart, and her quiet life is disrupted.
Then it turns upside down.
Grace isn’t the only one with eyes for Michael. Nina Sandler, one of Michael’s clients, threatens to come between them. When Nina can’t get Michael’s attention, she focuses on Grace—in a very dangerous way.
But love is never easy and if the best things in life are worth fighting for, then Grace must find the courage to fight. Not just for love and happiness but for her very life.
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