1

When it came to the characters, I'll be honest, it was a late night spur of inspiration. I remember rolling over in my bed, pulling up notes, and furiously typing out descriptions for all of them, then falling back asleep. As for the themes, over the past few years I've become very passionate about mental health awareness, and that made me want to write a story to really expose what it's like to live with anxiety, depression, ect.

2

Plot holes, for sure! There were so many times I'd get excited about a way the story *could* go, but it'd never fit right and I'd be left with awkward moments only mentioned once.

3

I enjoyed breaking the rules of creative writing. To write Caliah's(my MC) anxiety and her brain, I had to do a lot of rants and internal dialogue, which I know most professionals frown on. But it definitely got the effect across to my readers.

Overall, people love it! That's still so weird to say... but they found comfort in my characters and the subjects I brought up within the mental health umbrella. I loved sitting back and watching people bond through the comments. It was actually really beautiful to see.

5

Back to You is a stand-alone, although I'd love to do a bunch of bonus chapter some day. I love expanding the universes of my stories.

If anything, I want my readers to be more educated about mental illnesses, and, if they experience any degree, I want them to feel comforted, validated, and listened to. If I could make one person feel less alone, that is success to me.

7

Write it for you, first and foremost. I drilled this concept into my brain when first starting BTY, which meant so much passion and effort went into it and ultimately, readers are going to notice that. Plus, if you write for you, you'll enjoy it more. Isn't that what writing should be? You should love doing it!

Oh heck yes! Probably a little too much, actually. Her reactions, attitudes, and the way her anxiety works pretty much 100% reflects my own. That's the only way I could make it as genuine as I imagined it to be.

It's extremely raw. I personally haven't seen as many stories that do that, (to my extent at least) but I think new readers will be drawn to how I don't hold back to get my message across. Also, since there's such a huge mental health awareness movement going on in the world right now, I think new readers will appreciate how my book fits into everything else being talked about.

I am currently working on a new story called The Last Shot, but that's more of a fun side-job as I actually edit Back to You. I'd love to write a murder mystery one day, though. It's on my bucket list.