Thanks for being my guest today! 

To start with, let’s take a little ‘flight of fancy’. How would you finish the following statements?

If I could travel anywhere in time and space, it would be to…

I want to spend a year traveling the US with my kids and our tent camping gear. I would love to see as many national parks as possible.

I can’t say camping would be my first choice, but seeing all those national parks would be amazing!

If I could assign one household task to the fairies forever, it would be…

Definitely dishes. I would be so grateful to never wash a dish again.

It’s a never-ending chore, isn’t it?

If I were a musical instrument, I would be a… 

I would be an old, out of tune one. Maybe a guitar.

Haha. At least guitars are relatively easy to tune…

If I were an animal, I would be a…

Well, my gut reaction is horse. However, I often tell my husband I’m going to die and come back as one of his dogs because he treats them so good.

Lol!

If I could only eat one type of fruit for the rest of my life, I would pick…

I’d have to go with apples. Can never go wrong with a fresh apple, sautéed apple, or apple pie.

Ooh, yum! They are so versatile!

If I could say one thing to my younger self, it would be…

Do it now. Don’t wait.

Carpe diem!

If I could be an Olympic athlete, I would compete in…

Figure skating… but this is so laughable. I can’t walk without falling in shoes or barefoot… ice skates? Oh mercy.

Haha. I love figure skating!

If I could have one superpower, it would be…

I would pick flight.

That would definitely be cool!

When I was a child, I wanted to be a…

Veterinarian. I didn’t quite make that, but I administer a lot of farm first-aid around here.

That seems to be a popular response from my guests!

One item on my bucket list is…

I would like to ride my horse on a white sand beach.

Hard work for the horse! But how lovely.

My ideal place to read would be… 

In a hammock, in the shade, 80 degrees outside. Lemonade in my mason jar, and bugs naturally avoid me (with no foul odor involved).

Oh, definitely no bugs. How relaxing that would be!

Now, down to business. Suicide is an emotional and often difficult topic. What led you to deal with it in your novel?

I’m glad you let me warm up with the easier questions. I felt very called by God to tackle suicide in my writing. It was hard to navigate because my mom and my son have both attempted suicide. I have friends that have lost loved ones to suicide. An early reader of my novel asked, “Is suicide really that prevalent?” Unfortunately, it is.

Who are the point of view characters in this novel, and why did you choose to tell this story through their eyes?

Liz is the mom, Josh is the dad, Tyler is the surviving son. I told the stories through their eyes because I wanted to show how grief affects people differently, and how it often impacts relationships. I also wanted to offer hope that those things can be worked through, one step at a time.

What are some of the struggles the characters work through in this novel?

Anger. Guilt. And blaming each other/themselves.

Which of these characters did you find it easiest to identify with and why?

I connected with Liz from the first line. I think because I’ve shared an inkling of her grief and anger.

How did you find yourself challenged as you wrote this story?

It dug up a lot of things I hadn’t processed in regard to my son’s struggle, and even my mom’s. It challenged my own guilt and blame (toward self and others) and made me face it head on.

What was something that surprised you as you wrote this novel?

Tyler wasn’t who I expected him to be. I battled with him/his role a few times. It wasn’t until my 3^rd or 4^th round of edits/read-throughs that I actually liked him the way he came out.

What was something that gave you hope as you wrote this story?

I remember one point being so thankful that we can wrestle with God when we endure hardship. He doesn’t forsake us for struggling. And you can’t wrestle with someone that is miles away – it reminded me that being able to wrestle with God is a reminder that He is near.