How did you choose the genre of your book? 

I’ve never started writing a novel with the intent of writing to a specific genre. Instead, I write stories that I would enjoy reading. Stories that make your pulse race and touch your heart at the same time. That’s what I tried to do in Hearts in the Storm. It’s more than a story about two people clinging to life on a small boat in an angry sea. It’s a story about the struggle to stay afloat in the sea of life, where the churning waves of loss and regret threaten to drag them under. It’s also a story of hope…and love. It is a romantic suspense novel, but I like to call it “suspensepirational” with a touch of romance. 

Was your storyline something that you envisioned from the beginning, or did you build/change it as you wrote your novel? 

I know that many authors map out the plot of their novels before writing. I don’t. I usually start with a question or a premise. For example—What happens when rescuers fail to rescue? What impact does this failure have on them? What impact does it have on the loved ones of the lost? When I started writing Hearts in the Storm, these were the questions I wanted to explore. The questions shaped the characters, and the characters drove the plot. I knew where the story would begin, and I had an idea of where it would end. The rest evolved as I wrote. 

How did you develop your characters? 

I believe telling a good story is really about creating interesting characters, placing them in conflict, and then letting them write their stories. The character Sissy in Hearts in the Storm is a prime example. When I began writing, I have to admit that I didn’t have a clear idea of who she was. As her own conflicts emerged, she became this fiery, tenacious woman who tries, sometimes unsuccessfully, to hide her tender, caring side. Because of her strong-willed nature, her behavior is sometimes aggressive and unpredictable. This adds texture and subplots to the story that I hadn’t even envisioned when I began typing the first chapter. I think I’m a much more successful writer when I turn the storytelling over to the characters. After all, it’s their story to tell. 

What are you working on now? 

When confronted with a high-stakes choice between loyalty or principle, which do you choose? How do you live with the fallout of knowing that you’ve betrayed one or the other? This is the central problem in my current work, All the Fallen Stars. The story is set in Bethany Crossing, a rural town in south-central Virginia. This is the same setting as my first novel, Dreams of the Sleepless, and several of the characters from that novel make cameo appearances in this book. 

Portions of this Q&A were edited for clarity.