Behind the Curtain…
I don’t know about you, but I always love it when authors
give us a little sneak peek into the making of their books. To that end, I
thought I’d share a little bit on how I came up with the idea for the Perfect
Little Pieces series, and some fun facts about both Hollow (Book #1) and
Shattered (Book #2).
1) I came up with the idea for the Newton Heights series
after reading a lot of New Adult books that took place on college campuses. I
wanted a different setting, with different characters who aren’t necessarily
college-focused.
2) The character of Lucy (Hollow) came about because of a
television special I saw focusing on teenage over-achievers. The show talked
about how freshmen had mental breakdowns at Ivy League colleges around the
country because they were no longer the top in their class. The pressure to be
perfect was just too much. Some committed suicide, many ended up spending time
in mental institutions.
3) My oldest daughter was taking judo during the writing of
Hollow. She became very frustrated keeping up with the (much larger) boys in
class. These frustrations inspired the Tai Chi scenes in the story.
4) Flynn (Shattered) was inspired by Dutch model Harm Verwegen.
5) The diner in both Hollow and Shattered was inspired by a
local diner in town. I loved the fifties feel of the place and tried to go
there often. The place has since closed.
6) In preparation for the Perfect Little Pieces series, I
re-watched the movie “The Breakfast Club” and studied the quirky cast of characters.
I wanted to recreate some of that detention room atmosphere at Newton Heights.
So what do you think. . . Do you like it when authors give
you a peek behind the story, or do you prefer to just let the magic happen? Do
you like to connect with authors online, or are you a more passive reader? Tell
me about it in the comments section below. I’d love to hear from you!
I agree, it's very interesting to read about the thought process.
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