Wildflower is a novel that narrows in on mental health, placing a spotlight on certain disorders, showing cause and effect relationships that may come to be in a family situation. My main character is completely in the dark about her past, the dark past of her family, and why she reacts to things the way she does. Through the course of the book, her story is unraveled and she grows as a person as bits of her past life surface.
There is also the beauty of a new romance and the suspense of a stalker, who has a whole new set of mental health problems, to hold the interest of readers.
I was inspired to write Wildflower after finishing my BA in psychology. I wanted to put a creative spin on the information I took in during my undergrad experience.
What do you think about this emergence of New Adult literature?
I love this new genre. It helps to differentiate between the kind of YA a very young teen would be interested in, and the more mature YA an older teen or adult would find fascinating.
What is your favorite way to write - in an office, outside, at the coffee shop, etc?
I write any and everywhere! I cannot limit myself to a schedule because I don’t know when my next burst of inspiration will come. Because of this, I carry a notebook with me at all times. I could be out shopping or playing soccer mom and something hits me. Anytime turns into the perfect time to take a break and start writing.
If you could offer advice to aspiring New Adult authors, what would it be?
Never stop writing.
Any new projects coming up?
I’m halfway done the first draft of my second novel. It is a big turn from Wildflower. Instead of going in a realistic fiction route, I decided to write a fantasy. My main character is thrust into a world she never imagined existed, forced into a fight - that isn’t hers - to change the world for the better with powers she barely knows how to use. But ultimately she seeks to save the one person who matters the most to her while destroying the one who caused her the most pain and torment.
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