Writing book one and two was quite the adventure, but if I had to pinpoint the toughest parts, I’d say it was connecting the stories of the four main characters.

Initially, I wrote them as separate tales, so weaving them together was like untangling a knot of spaghetti.

The real toughie came when I had to draw from my own experiences in book one, Raw Mistakes. I had to downplay my husband’s role in the book because delving into that would have been a real hurtful doozy.

Remembering the inspiration behind Robby was no walk in the park either. Putting that story on paper was like a wake-up call, reminding me that I should have hit the road much sooner. In the book, the relationship lasted a year or two, but in reality, it dragged on for over a decade.

The final chapter of book one was a nail-biter to write, especially since it almost happened in my own life. I did find myself in a restaurant, the manager had given me the keys so I could water the plants during the winter, and found the restaurant minutes away from the cliff hanger moment.  (I don’t want to give anything away to those who haven’t got that far yet.) Luckily emergency services came and well, I’m here to tell the tale.

Book two was a less emotional for me, with a healthy dose of imagination thrown in and less of my own experiences, although there are some thrown in just for good luck. Loneliness was a recurring theme for some of the characters, and while it was relatable, it was a challenge to capture that feeling in words.

In book two, I guess it was tough writing about the aftermath of book’s final pages, as it was like writing about what could have happened if I’d gone there a little bit later.

What were the hardest bits for you to read? I’d love to hear how the stories affect you.