What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
Heartache, resilience, and bravery. I wanted both characters (and Cooper’s son) to exhibit these elements that have become cornerstones of my brand. But beyond those basics, I’d been intrigued by Andie from the moment she showed up in book one of the series. She was reserved and closed off but extremely efficient and professional. I wondered what she was hiding behind that smooth mask and tight bun. I wanted it to be big. I wanted her to be hiding a dangerous prior life. Once I started to unravel the trauma of her past, it snowballed into a way to tie in characters from another series as the perfect Easter egg for loyal readers, without requiring anyone to have read the prior series. It made me a bit giddy in the best Taylor-Swift-esque kind of way.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?
“Fate of Ophelia” by Taylor is the main song that inspired this book. Andie comes from a small town where her father was the big shot, but behind closed doors, life was far from perfect, and it isn’t until Cooper walks into her life that she finds a way out of the prior life she’s still drowning in. But like all my books, this one has a song title for each chapter. Readers can find the full playlist here: https://geni.us/TMWCL-Play
What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
I do read a lot of romantic suspense, which is also my catnip to write and just the way my brain works. I’ll be riding in a car, see a storage unit facility in the middle of nowhere with nothing around for miles, and think… hey, that would be a good place to hide a body.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
I can’t wait for the next Laura Griffin book (Thunderbird Ranch) in November, and I have Toni Anderson’s Cold Rage and Brynne Asher’s Royal Desire queued up next.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
This question is always so hard. I love how Andie defends Cooper’s son, Lucas, not only from Cooper himself before she gets to know him, but also from the person targeting her in the climax. And I loved every single one of the delicious moments where Andie surprises Cooper by showing him what lies past her reserved businesswoman exterior by knowing how to line-dance, riding horses, and pulling up the best rock love songs in their hurried rush to get back to her house… and a bedroom.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
Quiet and cats cuddled up to me definitely help encourage my writing habits. When I’m stuck on a scene, all I usually have to do is turn on music I’ve queued up, and a scene will magically appear while I listen to the lyrics and rhythms.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
“Love is the only real superpower” is a quote from my books, and it’s one I try to live by because love should be spread all over the place. But I also really love the lines from Taylor Swift’s song “Marjorie” about “never being so kind you forget to be clever, never be so clever you forget to be kind,” as well as “never be so polite, you forget your power, never wield such power, you forget to be polite.”
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
One thing I hope everyone REMEMBERS is that no matter your past, your mistakes, or what you’ve lived through, you deserve unconditional love. You deserve someone who shows up for you as Cooper does for Andie. But I hope readers FEEL just like Andie does at the end of the book—like they’ve finally come home.
