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Behind the Writing of Chasing the Edge

Tell us about the background for the theme, what inspired it or why you wanted to write in this setting, or with play with these tropes?

I created the town of Brenington, NY, in order to make the writing process easier for me. My fictional town can have a zoo or a hospital or whatever I’d like for it to have. Several years ago, I visited a town in Vermont that had some fun personality and have slightly modeled Brenington after this town.

Are any of your characters based on real people you know?

Several of my characters are based on people I know. I named three of them after some of my good friends’ children (Cari, Genevieve, and Alex) and one after my grandfather (Bob). Parts of Cari and Genevieve’s personalities are like my own while Alex’s sense of humor is similar to my husband’s. Cari’s relationship with her grandmother models the relationship I had with both of my grandmothers.

Tell us about character traits that were fun or hard for you to include in the book.

It was hard for me to have Cari make some unethical moves, but no one is perfect and everyone needs space to grow. I really enjoy writing the banter between the detectives. I hope it makes people laugh.

Create a playlist with 5 to 10 songs with the below in mind:

I cannot listen to music while I write or the lyrics to the songs would be included verbatim in my books.

Were there any alternate endings you considered?

No.

Which scene, character or plotline changed the most from first draft to published book?

None.

Which of the side characters would you love to explore more, or turn into a main character in another series?

Genevieve. I plan to give her a series as an FBI agent one day.

What special knowledge or research was required to write this book?

I used some of my knowledge of scientific research to write this book.

What do you hope readers will take away from this story?

I hope people realize they can learn from their mistakes. Additionally, I know a lot of people place a lot of value on their athletic endeavors. I hope everyone recognizes they are worth more than what they can do or achieve.

Was there something major that happened in your personal life while writing this?

My dear Gram passed away two months before this book released. She had a mild heart attack about a month before that and wasn’t able to recover. I miss her dearly.

Share a Recipe to go with the read:

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Synopsis:

When a college track star collapses dead as he tries to clear the last hurdle, sports writer Cari Turnlyle suspects foul play.

As she tries to dig deeper, she continually encounters obstacles. Another member of the school’s athletic community turns up dead leading Cari to turn to her childhood friend, Detective Genevieve Viacorte. But even Detective Viacorte refuses to acknowledge Cari’s theory.

Can she find the answers before someone else pays the price?

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