A: I find inspiration everywhere, really. From conversations I overhear, things my friends tell me, funny/sad/scary stuff that happened in my family, incidents I’ve observed out in public, stories I’ve read in books or seen on TV, as well as those endless “what if?” questions writers always ask themselves. For this new novel specifically, my husband and son and I took a driving trip down Route 66 (some of it on the actual road and most along the Interstates that cut through the areas where it used to be), and I was really intrigued by its history, the little towns that developed as a result and some of the unusual attractions. I found myself thinking, “There’s a mystery somewhere in this journey…and a love story.” Plus, I’ve kept some kind of diary or journal since the middle of 7th grade and, when I was younger, I’d sometimes write in code. I’ve wondered often what it might be like to have to interpret clues that were found in someone else’s… In fact, the first thing I needed to do in drafting this novel was to actually write out all of Gideon’s journal, which turned out to be more complicated than I’d first imagined!

Q: Tell us about the main characters in this story. Who are Aurora and Donovan?

A: At the start of the novel, Aurora Gray has just graduated from high school and is one month from turning 18. This isn’t a paranormal story—she’s not psychic or telepathic—but she is unusually perceptive, particularly for her age. She’s kind of a natural “mentalist,” who’s used to reading people’s reactions and has a history of being pretty accurate. So when she finds the journal of her missing brother, she’s able to make some connections that those around her would never think to make. It gives her both a determined and a stubborn streak when it comes to thinking she might actually figure out what happened that summer two years ago. Donovan McCafferty, on the other hand, is extremely practical, realistic and not especially bookish. He’s 23, has an Army background and is brilliant with mechanical things. He’s also very loyal, very protective of those he cares about and not remotely inclined to take flying leaps of intuition like Aurora. To use a character parallel from “The X-Files,” Aurora would be a bit like Mulder (“I Want to Believe/The Truth is Out There”), but without that whole alien thing, LOL, and Donovan would be the more skeptical Scully type.

Q: Did you draw your characters from real people in your life? 

A: Some of my characters have a smattering of qualities and personality traits drawn from people I know, but I do a LOT of blending. It’s incredibly important to me to make my characters unique. To do that, I feel I need to give them a range of quirks and some very distinctive behavior/thought/speaking patterns. The real people in my life are certainly interesting, but none of us (myself included) are entirely “fiction-worthy.” And, boy, am I glad! I wouldn’t want to be a real-life character. I wouldn’t want to be oddly specific enough for fiction. And I sure wouldn’t want those closest to me to be riddled with the stresses and insecurities prominently featured in the characters I’ve created. So, while I’ll happily pluck a trait or two from someone I know to add to the character mix I’m making, I have to do much more to any character to make him/her novel-ready than merely copy someone from my everyday life.

Q: Do you use your OWN experiences? 

A: Absolutely. There are a few of my real-life experiences peppered throughout all of my novels. However, I use far fewer of my own experiences than I do my own emotions. It’s not very important, in my opinion, that a writer live through any particular situation in order to write about it. She should be familiar with some of the corresponding feelings a person in that situation might have, though. For instance, I never went to our prom in high school. But I did go to other high-school dances, and I was asked to be the date of someone on the Homecoming Court when I was in college. What I really know about the prom experience is less about event-specific details (I can make those up!) than about the emotional state of a girl who might’ve felt disconnected and marginal at an event full of pomp and pretension. I think anyone who’s ever been in a room full of people and felt unbelievably alone, but still had to pretend to be having a great time, could channel those feelings and write a scene from that emotional place. For The Road to You I had to call upon some memories from about 12 years ago when my parents and I couldn’t get in touch with my brother. He was just away on a trip that weekend, but none of us knew that, so it turned into a really frightening 48 hours… We were so worried that he might be missing. I’ll never forget the fear and sadness I felt, and it’s given me quite a lot of empathy for people who experience the terrifying loss of a family member.

Q: When did you first begin writing? 

A: I wrote songs and poems and little stories in elementary school, but sixth grade was when the notion of writing professionally first occurred to me. Aside from being on the newspaper and yearbook staff in high school, though, I didn’t take writing seriously until I was about 30. Then, I spent the next several years writing completed manuscripts and submitting them to agents and editors before my fifth one finally sold to Kensington Books. That was According to Jane—a romantic coming-of-age novel (for mature audiences, ages 17+!) about a young woman who has the ghost of Jane Austen in her head giving her dating advice. The Road to You is my eighth published novel.

Q: Where do you write? Describe your writing space—what’s it look like?

A: I write in my home office—a messy, absolutely cluttered place—I won’t deny it! There are stacks of paper and towers of books everywhere, but also a very nice window overlooking our backyard. Sometimes I’ll write at a local coffee shop (either with my laptop or, most often, just with pen and notebook paper), and that location has the advantage of endless cups of hazelnut coffee and the occasional almond-flavored bear claw.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about being a writer?

A: Getting to do something creative every single day. Truly, that’s been such a gift. Even when the plotting of a scene is giving me fits or the synopsis doesn’t seem to make sense at all…I love knowing that I have a place to play with these characters and storylines. My hope is that by writing deeply and personally about realistic people—about their hopes and their fears—and addressing their talents, dreams and flaws as honestly as possible, I might get closer to helping readers recognize truths about their own lives. It was this sense of recognition that my favorite novelists gave to me, and I’ll always be grateful for that.

Q: What’s your secret indulgence? A certain food? A particular movie? What would you buy on a day of shopping?

A: Easy. Gourmet European chocolate—dark or milk, with all kinds of different fillings. I’ve tried to break myself of the habit but, really, that’s just not possible. The chocolate goes well with old movies, too, like The Philadelphia Story and Roman Holiday, which I can watch over and over again… Mmm. Cary Grant, Gregory Peck and Godiva/Ghirardelli/Cadbury!

Q: What’s one thing no one knows about you?

A: That I am always watching them—LOL. I just can’t turn off the writer thing and am, at all times, collecting the quirky habits and mannerisms of the people around me. (Now they know this, of course, and will be more careful… 🙂

Q: What other art form inspires you as much as writing?

A: Music, hands down.  Playing and listening to music remains one of my most enjoyable and inspirational pastimes. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Music is the favorite passion of my soul,” and I agree with him.

Q: Do you listen to music while you write?

A: No. I wish I could. I adore music, but it’s wildly distracting to me while I’m writing. (Probably because I love it so much and am too often inspired to sing along—however badly!) I reference songs quite a bit, though, in the narrative itself, so I listen to a lot of music while I’m working on a story—just not when I’m actually sitting at the computer doing the typing. One of my favorite activities is to go on walks with my iPod and think about scenes, testing out different songs to see if they provide the right musical subtext. For The Road to You I used road-trip music and the classic songs of the 1970s. For According to Jane, I have an entire soundtrack of ‘80s tunes amassed. And for A Summer in Europe, I referenced musicals, especially those of Andrew Lloyd Webber. (I have a “Soundtrack” link for each of my novels on the “Books” page of my website.)

Q: Do you have any phobias, like fear of spiders or enclosed spaces?

A: I absolutely HATE celery. That’s not an official phobia, as far as I can tell, but I think it should be. The stuff is so horrible it scares me… I’m also not a big fan of rodents. Or snakes. Or driving in downtown Chicago. But I do think celery may still be the worst of them.

Q: In an alternative universe, what would you be doing?

A: Traveling. I love it. All forms—road trips, trains/boats/planes, international excursions. I’d explore everything from the alternative universe’s equivalent of The Great Wall…to their version of the Pyramids…to the place where they make the best chocolate and/or ice cream on the planet. And I’d want to people-watch and blatantly eavesdrop—at cafés, historical sites, random shops, national parks, etc. I’m pretty sure it would prove that people the world over, at their essence and in whichever universe they inhabit, are all very much the same.
Q: What’s your life like outside of your writing career?

A: Outside of writing, my life is rather quiet. I live in the suburbs, drive my son to his various lessons, clubs or practices, meet my friends for coffee whenever we can arrange it and occasionally drag myself to the gym for a much-needed workout. (I don’t go nearly as often as I should…) When I want to relax, I read, listen to music, play the piano or watch films or TV shows with my husband and son (we all really enjoyed Under the Dome this summer and have just gotten hooked on Sleepy Hollow). And we’re all big fans of travel, so we like to go on short trips together, especially really simple day-trips or quick overnights where we just hop in the car, don’t make any reservations, drive somewhere that’s interesting to us, stay longer if we love it, press onward to somewhere else if we don’t… I never get tired of that. And I love spending time with family and close friends, just talking. And, when possible, eating brownies, too.

This book blitz courtesy

 Plain Talk is proud to be a part of  The Road to You book blitz.