We’re pressed for space in our house, so my writing has always been done on my laptop at the dining room table, sometimes with a Spotify playlist to set the mood. Lately I’ve been less inclined to write amidst constant distractions, so I’m grateful that I now have some quiet time to write-when I can discipline myself to do it. I’ve always had to write whenever I could grab a few minutes either while babies were napping or kids were otherwise occupied. Everything and every member of the family was turned on its head.ĭo you have specific rituals when you write? A certain place or time? Music that you listen to? A special beverage? Megan is entirely fictional although I’ve observed a family implode much like Megan’s did following the death of a child. Alan and Jamie let me explore why couples in those situations are more likely to struggle. So the couples on those weekends, though they desired happy, long-lasting marriages, were putting themselves at a disadvantage. Statistically, couples that live together before marriage, especially those living together without plans to marry, are more likely to divorce. When we later got involved with Engaged Encounter as volunteers, most of the couples coming through the program were living together already too. Oddly enough for a church-sponsored event, the six of us were put on the defensive about it by the other couples and bonded pretty quickly. In 1996, on the weekend retreat we attended in preparation for our own marriage, we were one of only three couples who weren’t already living together. Tell us about Come Back to Me in one sentence.Ī separated couple and their mutual friend must master their selfishness and immaturity to find purpose and grace enough to start over.Īre Alan and Megan based on anyone you know or are they totally fictional characters?Īlan and Jamie were inspired by the experience my husband and I had with Catholic Engaged Encounter. Initially, I’d considered that Alan may have had a problem with pornography, something I ended up developing with different characters in All in Good Time. I knew there was more to Alan and Jamie’s story. Initially, I was looking for something new to write, and the characters from Stay With Me were still active in my imagination. What inspired you to write a sequel to Stay With Me? Once I started writing, the stories flowed more easily, and I enjoyed the challenge of taking all of those words and making something meaningful out of them. That manuscript, after many years and much revision, became Rightfully Ours.

However, I wrote strictly nonfiction until 2010, when I gave National Novel Writing Month a shot. Looking back, I’ve always had a rather cinematic imagination that allowed stories to play out in my mind.

What inspired you to first start writing fiction?

All in Good Time by Carolyn Astfalk