The Live Without You Blog Tour

What inspired Live Without You?

My main inspiration behind writing Live Without You was a simple phrase: “Write what you want to read.” I’m a sucker for a sweet romance. But I was sick of all the trashy, fluffy, nonsensical romances out there that saturate the genre. Even romances as subplots still drove me crazy! So I decided to write the kind of book I was wanting to read: a sweet, clean romance with depth, some humor, and of course, a few tear-jerking moments. 😉

Nice!  What is your favorite place and time to write?  Where and when do you usually end up writing?

Pretty much anywhere! I found myself gravitating towards the dining room table a lot; I’d stick some ear buds in, crank up the music, and the words started flowing. My bedroom floor was also (strangely) a favorite place. I did find myself with time to write while sitting in a coffee shop, and I see why that’s a favorite for writers! The ambiance is just so inspiring! Favorite time would be afternoon. Once I finished all of my to-dos for the day, the sun was starting to set, and the household was quiet.

Writing in a coffee shop is still on my to-do list!  So what was your favorite moment / scene to write in Live Without You?

Hmm, that’s a hard one, because there are so many! The first one that comes to mind is a very emotional moment towards the middle-end of the book. Something tragic happens, and the main character finds her world turned upside down, and she’s starting to doubt all she knows. I can’t say what it was for spoiler’s sake, but a certain something happens in that scene that made me bawl like a baby. I didn’t plan that scene, and the words most certainly didn’t come from me. It was one of those magical moments where God took my pen and wrote something infinitely more beautiful than anything I would have written there.

What kind of research did you do for this book?

All kinds of research about the state the story is set it: Washington. I wanted to as accurately as possible portray the beautiful landscape there! Also lots of research on gunshot wounds, head injuries, and Chicago EMS. One of the highlights of researching was being able to talk with Jordyn Redwood, an author and ER nurse, about injuries; she had some very knowledgeable insight that was incredibly helpful!

That was very cool that Jordyn Redwood helped you with your research.  Do you think there will be a sequel to Live Without You?

Best guess? I don’t know. I do have some ideas for a spin-off\sequel, but I’m just not sure yet. 🙂

Most of us writers have no idea what we’re doing next, I think!  Now tell me, what is your favorite and least favorite part of the writing process?  Editing, plotting, outlining, publishing?

My favorite is probably the writing itself! It’s hard work, but so rewarding! Least favorite would be all the rereading! My goodness! I’ve read Live Without You probably more than 8 times throughout the writing, editing, and publishing process, and let’s just say I’m not ready to read it again for a couple years yet. 😉

I know exactly what you mean about having your own book memorized!  What authors did you dislike at first but later grew to like?

Wow, that’s a really interesting question. One I’m not sure I have an answer to! I’ve read books where I didn’t expect to like the author’s writing\style, but I didn’t necessarily dislike the authors themselves. In that category, two authors come to mind: Katherine Reay and Gene Stratton Porter. I was very skeptical about both, but ended up loving what I read!

Did you have any special music you listened to while writing Live Without You?

Ohhh, soundtracks! Hidden Citizens’ Revivals EP was a fav, as well as 2WEI’s music. The Hacksaw Ridge soundtrack was another favorite for some reason. Plus I have a whole Spotify playlist of songs that made me think of Live Without You, including some Imagine Dragons, NEEDTOBREATHE, Tenth Avenue North, and for King & Country.

Okay, I was not expecting Hacksaw Ridge.  😉  I’ll have to check out some of those artists.  Do you have any future writing plans?