A Healing Heart - Riverview Series Book 1
How did you get the idea for the story?
At the time I started writing "A Healing Heart" my youngest child was four and he had some awesome young teenage girls as babysitters. My youngest had a very special relationship with each of them and bits of my youngest can be found in Riley as well as Bailey has many of the characteristics that my babysitters had.
What sparked the idea of the book name?
It came over time, about mid book, when I was writing the part about the necklace Bailey gets for her birthday. The broken center, the solid outer, it just hit me and that was it. I knew I'd found my title.
Did you write from beginning to end?
I wrote the prologue first, and then the ending. The rest I filled in pretty much in chorological order. The book was originally released in 2012. With the release of my 2nd book "A Healing Spirit" I did a development edit and rearranged a few things and added a couple new scenes.
Fun Facts?
The Mexican Restaurant that Collin takes Bailey to is based on a family owned restaurant that my husband took me when we first started dating. It closed down several years ago and to this day I've never been able to find a Mexican Restaurant that cooks with such a creamy cheese.
The Lookout mentioned in the book is based on a real location called “the point”
Riverview is based on my hometown.
Near the end of the book Riley tells Bailey “Baiwey, you love me!” This is based on one day my youngest was sitting on the couch with one of his sitters. He was sitting on her lap facing her and they were playing around when he reached out to her cheeks holding her head still and told her “You love me!” It just shows how little kids speak their heart, no games, just what they feel and think
The heart pendant described in the book I had made by a jeweler. An image of it was on the original book cover. During the redesign of the covers there wasn't an easy way to integrate it, which is the one thing I miss about the new cover. I have included a picture of the pendant I had made it in one of the quote mems.
A Healing Spirit - Riverview Series Book 2
How did you get the idea for the story?
For “A Healing Spirit” I was thinking about what story I might be able to tell. A couple years previous to the beginning of writing I had a client who’s daughter had fallen over thirty-two feet from a chair lift and survived. Just her story was amazing. After contacting her and interviewing her I was inspired to use pieces of her story to create Mia’s journey. At the end of the book under the Author's Notes I tell a little bit about her real life accident and journey.
What sparked the idea of the book name?
I had figured out the title by the time I was through with Chapter 1. I knew I wanted to tie it to the first book. Mia is strong willed and determined and I felt it was a good fit for her.
Did you write from beginning to end?
For this one I did write from the beginning to the end. The first few drafts though were in third person. It was only at the last stages I turned the entire story to first person. While I did lose a few scenes and glimpses, in the end I felt that the story ended up being stronger as first person.
Favorite scene in the book?
The hospital scene where Mia is finally awake and Dylan comes to visit.
fun facts
Do you prefer to write in silence or with music?
Music is a must! But, it can’t have any words, otherwise I find myself typing the words in the middle of the book. I have found that certain soundtrack scores have worked really well for my “writing music”. Not the entire soundtrack but often specific songs. They are also more inspiring when it was a movie I really loved.
Any other books in the works?
Natasha's story will be book 3 in the Riverview Series. Tentatively titled "A Healing Touch". Initial concept and the beginning is underway. I'm also working on an unrelated new adult story.
Do you write as you go or do you have the book all planned out from page 1?
I mostly write linear, chapter to chapter. But I often only have a sketchy idea of where I'm going and the story develops as I go along.
What made you decide to write a novel?
At the end of summer in 2010 I had just finished a set of books which I flew through in less than a week, by the time I finished the last page I just had this burning urge to write again. I had done a lot of writing in high school, but nothing for almost twenty years. I couldn't get it out of my mind, it was there taunting me when I was driving, at work, laying in bed. I tossed ideas around in my head for a few weeks and then one evening sitting on the couch watching TV I grabbed some paper and before I knew it the prologue was there on the paper. A couple days later I had a rough draft for an ending and from that moment on it was something I knew had to be written.
I spent almost every weekend for the next 6 months writing, not during the day, but usually in the middle of the night when the house was quiet, one chapter after the next unfolded. I would sometimes formulate a rough outline ideas for what might come next, but for the most part all I can say is that it was an experience. I would sit at my computer and the story just unfolded I don't know where it came from for the most part. The images would come into my head, the words poured from inside through to my fingers as they flew across the keyboard. Sometimes though I'd sit and write, then delete, write and then delete, but most of the story just came easily. I remember sitting thinking, what is the character feeling right at this moment? What do they see, hear, smell...and the words just came. I remember thinking on several occasions, am I crazy?? Is the story any good?
The few people I let read as I wrote were all encouraging, but I always wondered deep inside were they just being nice because they didn't want to hurt my feelings. But I kept at it, and when I was done I went into editing, and had someone do my copy writing for me. But I designed everything, the cover, the text, the fonts, the format, everything. I guess it is the designer in me that just wanted total control. Seeing it out there and having others enjoy it and be touched has been one of the most exciting things for me.
The decision to write the second one was easier, it just took a couple of years before I could find the time to write out Mia's story.