How did you choose the genre of Reasonable?

I have always been drawn to the darker things in life, devouring books within the murder mystery and psychological thriller genre for as long as I can remember. Even when I’m not writing or reading, I’m often binge-watching episodes of Dateline or 20/20. One of the things that has always resonated with me about crime stories in particular is the lasting impact that they have on the survivors and the victims’ families. There’s this universal feeling of despair and wondering why things turned out the way they did that hits home for me. In many ways, I’ve turned to this genre as a way to cope with the hardships in my life that have left me longing for answers in a world where they are in woefully short supply.

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

When I first started writing Reasonable, I had a clear vision for the storyline but never sat down and developed a full outline. I wanted to let the characters drive the story forward and let them be the ones to determine how their story should be told. Initially, I thought this would be a stand-alone novel, but as I got to the halfway point, I realized that there was still so much left to the mystery that couldn’t be resolved in one book. That’s when I decided that I needed to make it a series instead, and I’m so glad that I gave myself the freedom to adapt to that change.

How has critical and/or reader response influenced the way you think about your work?

Before writing Reasonable, I never used to share my work with anyone until it was “complete.” But because of that, I never actually finished anything. When I sat down to write this book, I decided that I would do everything differently than I normally would and commit to sharing my work with readers as it was being written. This one change is what ultimately gave me the confidence to finish my first full-length novel. I’m so grateful to the people in my life who have helped me realize this story’s potential with their feedback. If it weren’t for them, Reasonable would likely be sitting in a draft graveyard with the rest of my incomplete projects.

What are you working on now?

Having just completed Forget-Me-Not (the sequel to Reasonable), I am now focused on finishing the series with the final installment in the trilogy, Unhinged, which is slated for release in early fall 2024.

Portions of this Q&A were edited for clarity.