My ebooks are exclusive to Amazon. My audiobooks are available on Audible, Spotify, and many libraries. My paperbacks can be found on Amazon but are also widely available in bookstores and libraries. (If you don’t see them there, just ask! My books will be in their database for wholesale ordering.)

Many libraries do carry my paperbacks and audiobooks. If not, the request process for most libraries is simple and easy (they usually have an online form!) Starting in October 2025, many libraries will start carrying my ebooks, too!

First of all, I’m so honored you chose one of my books to read in your group! That’s one of the best compliments an author can get. That said, I receive a lot of requests like this, and I’m a MAJOR introvert. Book club appearances generally aren’t in the cards for me.

I applaud your work and courage in writing a book. That isn’t easy. However, for so many reasons this just isn’t a service/favor I can offer to my fellow aspiring authors. Please know that I wish you all the success and would encourage you to join the Facebook group 20booksto50k (that’s where I learned so many helpful things about writing and publishing). 

I spend a lot of time gathering stories. From snippets of conversation, news reports, podcasts. I’m always tucking away plot threads. Every once in a while, something I’ve tucked away connects with something else and starts to form a story. I’ll spend a while plotting it out. And then I follow the BIC method—butt in chair (I don’t think that’s a real method). Writing and storytelling still make me a little nervous (what if it’s not as good as it is in my head? What if my words don’t come out right?) So, I’ve found that if I just put my butt in the chair and give myself permission to write whatever comes up, knowing I’ll edit everything later, I get those first tricky words out. Then it’s many iterations of editing, and finally a book! 

I think a lot of women are fascinated by true crime. I’ve yet to meet a woman who doesn’t have at least a handful of near-misses with violence—or sometimes outright tragedies. Writing about true crime is my way of taking the steering wheel and telling the frightening stories we brush paths with, while centering the victims and the survivors. Something that unfortunately doesn’t happen very often in real life. I’ve never been afraid of ghosts or monsters. People, on the other hand, are terrifying. 

I like to use the analogy of a quilt. Many different pieces of true and fictional things, shaped into something new. For example, my 2022 release, ASK FOR ANDREA, was loosely inspired by three of Ted Bundy's v*ctims, but also my own experiences living in Herriman, Utah. April's character was loosely inspired by Mark Hofman's wife.

Likewise, some elements of my recent release FORGET YOU SAW HER were loosely inspired by real events surrounding Aundria Bowman's (Alexis Badger's) adoption and her mother's love and bravery. Other elements were loosely inspired by my own experiences (like the scene in the bishop's office with the Hershey's Kiss 😬) or friends' experiences (Isabel's story arc). Dennis's character was shaped by a distant relative of mine who went to prison for some pretty horrific things. Other elements in the book came from creative license and my imagination. This is why I always include that disclaimer you've seen in many other novels inspired by true events: That the fictional characters and events in my book are not representative of real people or events.

In all of my books that are inspired in ANY way by true elements, I leave an author's note at the end, pointing readers to the real people and stories that captured my heart with their tenacity and bravery in the face of extremely difficult circumstances. It's always my hope to bring light to such stories.

I watched the documentary Falling for a Killer (it’s fantastic, give it a watch). It focused on the lives of Ted Bundy’s victims. And I couldn’t stop thinking about how tragic it was that we’d never hear the story of what happened to them, in their words. That Ted was the center of almost every documentary or story, with their names as a side note. I wanted to write a book that relegated a charismatic serial killer like him to a side note and put his victims in center stage. 

Butt in chair :) then closing all distractions and trying to lure my siamese cat Dolly into the bed I made for her on my desk. I write better when I can reach over and pet a cat. 

Really allowing myself to go deep with the emotional experiences of my characters. That’s not easy to do, when writing about people in some of the scariest situations I can imagine. But for me, anything else feels voyeuristic. I want to make my characters as real and three-dimensional as I can, so that readers feel like they’re fighting to survive right alongside them, instead of viewing from a distance. 

I have a degree in editing, but that degree tells me that self-editing is a cardinal sin. It’s impossible to be objective about your own words, so I turn to trusted beta readers, editors, and proofreaders to help me ensure that my storylines and prose are in the best shape possible for publication. 

The books on the “scary” shelf of my elementary school’s library that covered topics like rabies and spontaneous human combustion. I read every book on that shelf and gave myself nightmares for years. Also Barbara Kingsolver, she’s a beautiful writer. 

Butt in chair, and write in a genre you love. Then set yourself really small, manageable daily writing goals and stick to them. 

The TV/film industry is complex, but I’d be delighted if one of my books made it through that maze someday! 

Some of the writers I read and admire the most in the thriller genre include Freida McFadden, Kiersten Modglin, Faith Gardner, Steph Nelson, and Lisa Jewell. They write with a realness and a fierceness that never gets old for me. As for films, I love The Strangers, Hush, Barbarians, Long Legs, and Wait Until Dark. 

Yes, my brain constantly insists that it’s a tired little baby who can’t write any more good words. I’ve learned to tell it, “We’ll write some bad words then!” And, lo and behold, some good words usually appear. 

Empathy for real victims and survivors, and a reminder that ordinary people can (and do) rise to the occasion, even in the most harrowing circumstances.