Author of Now I Know It's Not My Fault
When did you realize that
you wanted to become a writer?
I co-authored my first
article when I was in graduate school. It was really exciting to see my name in
print as an author as a 23-year-old. I published several other
academic/clinical articles and book chapters, and assumed that’s the kind of
writer I would be. After I had kids, I lost interest in academic writing, and
the research that goes along with it. I like intellectual challenges. I had
been wanting to tell a story like this for a while so I challenged myself to
learn how to be a novelist.
Is being an Author all you
dreamed of, or did it just happen?
I’m a bit shy so I love and
hate all the attention that comes along with having a book out.
What was the very first
thing you ever wrote?
The first thing I remember
writing was an essay in fifth grade that got me in some trouble. It was an
essay on what we’d like to change about ourselves but when the teacher gave us
the title, “What I’d like to change about myself,” I took her literally. I
wrote a composition on her flaws, as I saw them, and what I thought she should
change about herself.
The first thing I ever
published was an article called, “Axe Murders, Spiders and Webs: The Use of
Metaphor in Couples Therapy” which I co-coauthored with a professor.
What was the inspiration for
your book?
I started writing this story
several years ago but then put it down. I was inspired to pick it back up after
a female teacher in our town was accused of sexually abusing several male
students. There were two objectives for me in writing this book. The first was
to shed some light on the fact that women can be abusers too. There’s a lot
written in abuse and trauma literature addressing men as abusers, but very
little about women. I wanted to write a story that depicts an attractive,
charming woman in that role. The second objective was to draw attention to a
more subtle form of abuse. When most people think about child sexual abuse,
they think about an adult engaging in direct sexual contact with a child. Now
I Know It’s Not My Fault highlights a kind of abuse that occurs under
the radar, but can be just as damaging.
Who is your literary hero?
I love Sue Monk Kidd,
particularly the Secret Life Of Bees.
How much of your characters
are based on your traits or someone you know personally?
All the characters are
composites of people I know. It was fun to pull qualities or quirks of
different people and combine them to make the characters in the book. The
character that’s most like me, although not in appearance, is Erica. The things
Erica says to Alex throughout the book, and especially towards the end, are
things I would say.
Describe your main character
in six words.
Not in any particular order:
bright, articulate, vulnerable, funny, resilient, lonely.
Describe the world you’ve
created in six words.
Not in any particular order:
Dangerous, competitive, lonely, loving, confusing, real.
What scene was your favorite
to write?
My favorite scene was near
the end when Alex arrives at Sandra’s house on her bicycle and finds Sandra in
the garage. The conversation they have as they shoot baskets on the driveway
was very satisfying to write.
What scene was the hardest
for you to write?
The scene where Paula spanks
Alex in the back of her boyfriend’s van was difficult to write. I knew what I
wanted the scene to be but it’s a horrible moment for Alex. By then, I had
really grown to like her by that point. Part of the impact of what Paula does
to her isn’t visible as she retreats inside herself so it was challenging to
make that come alive in the scene.
What are you working on now?
I’m not writing anything now
but I am percolating on a story that picks up with Alex, the main character
in Now I know It’s Not My Fault, ten years down the line. I really
like the character. It would be interesting to see where she is after college
and how her experiences with Paula affect her life into adulthood.
Goals? Accomplishments?
Improvements?
One goal is to get this book
read by as many as possible. It’s such an important story, but also warm and
funny at times. My other goal is actually sit down and start writing my next
book.
Are there any authors or
books you recommend?
I love Richard Russo’s
books. I’m currently reading Nobody’s Fool. I also love The
Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd and Traveling with
Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor.
What's your favorite thing
to do when you're not writing?
I have a private practice
and three kids who keep me pretty busy. I love taking long bike rides and
running. I also love to go to the movies.
