What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The Adventures of Casey, Kendall and The Stucco Beings?
I wrote the story one chapter at a time across a decade of plane flights. I had a ritual with my kids: every time I went on a business trip, I’d come home with a new chapter to read out loud to them. I had no idea for those first few years that it would become a book, but by the time they were teenagers, I had 50+ chapters, and they made me promise that I would get it published. So here we are! Actually, my original goal was just to write a story that was good enough that they wouldn’t know I had written it! I was on a flight from Houston to North Carolina with an empty pad of paper in front of me: Casey, Kendall, and the Stucco Beings were all born that night at 30,000 feet.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of The Adventures of Casey, Kendall and The Stucco Beings, what would they be?
Well, off the top of my head, I’d have to go with a couple of Queen songs for Casey and Kendall, since I was obsessed with Freddie Mercury when I was young: “Bohemian Rhapsody” for Casey and “You’re My Best Friend” for Kendall. And The Stucco Beings’ theme would have to be “Every Breath You Take” … They are always watching!
What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
To read? Science Fiction. Hands down. I would love to write science fiction, but it’s just so hard to do well! I guess I’d have to say my favorite genre to write is short stories — they give you more room to not have to fit in one genre or another.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
I read books slowly, so I am currently midway through two long book journeys: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (which both terrifies me and blows my mind over repeatedly) and The Purple Orb (a remarkable world-building fantasy novel by my friend G. Kay Bishop). Next on the pile is “I Heard There Was a Secret Chord” by Daniel Levitin, about the sustaining and healing effects of music on us all.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
All of my favorite scenes are the ones that most surprised me. It’s so fun to look at what I’ve written and go “Where did THAT come from?” So if I’m going to pick one, it would be the scene where Casey’s gum-smacking, free-spirited friend Avery first shows up.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
Well, I don’t know if writing most of this book at 30,000 feet on airplane flights counts as quirky! But I guess the quirkiest part of my writing this book is that I actually created a spreadsheet to track the appearance of different themes and characters across the chapters!
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
I believe that Consciousness is evolving in the Universe, and that we humans are just one small branch of that. So I think of my purpose as being in the service of Consciousness evolving. And my favorite new quote is one that Kendall surprised me with: “Never settle for too narrow a definition of what is True.”
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
That none of us can do it alone. And that we never, ever have to.
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