Q&A with the author
That’s me! I’m the author. How cool is that?!
I have been working on a media kit for Holland, My Heart. I put together a few Author Q&A’s. What do you think?
Where did you get the idea for this book?
When the world shut down in March 2020, I was living in Tulsa, Oklahoma with a plethora of rescue dogs. (In case you’re wondering, a plethora is two dogs more than a pack. This is not science, but it is a fact just the same.) In the absence of anyone but my roommate and our canines, I started writing a novel based on one of my favorite stories: the book of Ruth.
For as long as I can remember, the story of Ruth and Naomi has resonated with me.
וַתֹּ֤אמֶר רוּת֙ אַל־תִּפְגְּעִי־בִ֔י לְעׇזְבֵ֖ךְ לָשׁ֣וּב מֵאַחֲרָ֑יִךְ כִּ֠י אֶל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר תֵּלְכִ֜י אֵלֵ֗ךְ וּבַאֲשֶׁ֤ר תָּלִ֙ינִי֙ אָלִ֔ין עַמֵּ֣ךְ עַמִּ֔י וֵאלֹהַ֖יִךְ אֱלֹהָֽי׃
But Ruth replied, “Do not urge me to leave you, to turn back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
בַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר תָּמ֙וּתִי֙ אָמ֔וּת וְשָׁ֖ם אֶקָּבֵ֑ר כֹּה֩ יַעֲשֶׂ֨ה יְהֹוָ֥ה לִי֙ וְכֹ֣ה יוֹסִ֔יף כִּ֣י הַמָּ֔וֶת יַפְרִ֖יד בֵּינִ֥י וּבֵינֵֽךְ׃
Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus and more may the LORD do to me if anything but death parts me from you.”
Something about Ruth’s unremitting devotion to her mother-in-law grabbed my heart and would not let go. I think my own mother is the reason I am so connected to this story. As a military brat raised by a military brat, I can say with certainty wherever my mom goes, I will go. And yet, she also taught me that anywhere I am, she is with me. When you regularly have to pick up everything to move thousands of miles away, you learn to keep the important people in your heart.
What made you decide to self-publish?
When I set out to query agents and publishers, I had very little to show for myself. I saw self-publishing as an opportunity to build a following. I’ve loved the process; it appeals to my personality. I’ve loved figuring out all the steps, leaving myself breadcrumbs for the next four (or more!) books.
Are there any specific authors whose writing styles or subject matter inspired your book?
Not one word of this book would have made it to the page if it weren’t for A.J. Hackwith’s The Library of the Unwritten. I’ve read horror novels that were less terrifying than her vision of what can happen when we don’t write what is in our hearts. I shudder to think of where I’d be if I hadn’t happened upon her novel.
When you self publish, do you do it all yourself?
In the 20 months I worked on Holland, My Heart, I had a ton of help from my friends, family, and new friends I met along the way. The journey of this retelling of Ruth’s story as a contemporary romance has been a joyous ride for me. Some of my favorite women have helped me shape this novel. My bookseller buddy Emma told me we needed to see Kai right away (so we could know if he’s good enough for Holland).
My friend and business coach Janae taught me that men abhor being grilled on a date—a lesson I have yet to learn in real life.
My cousin Lisa had some shaping suggestions (I mean, some Real Talk—I’m so grateful she gave me the good stuff) that are now tightly knit into the finished product.
When I thought I was finished, my writer friends Arlys Avery, S.F. Henne, Dan del Villano, and N.M. Garrison helped me realize I was nowhere near done. So I went to Sarah Gribble and Joe Bunting for coaching. I could not, would not have finished this without their thoughtful and thorough advice.
I designed my own cover and then asked my graphic designer friend David Burney to help me polish it.
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