Press KIT

AUTHOR Q&A

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1. What was your writing process like? Was the story originally going to go in a different direction?

I’ve started fiction projects in the past, but it wasn’t until I signed up for Emily Chenoweth’s ‘How to Write a Novel in Eight Weeks’ class at Portland’s Literary Arts that I gained the skills and discipline to complete the first draft of a novel while also working full time. Eight years later I had a manuscript that I was ready to share with an editor. Key lessons: just sit down and write (funny how this actually works); don’t research, you can add specifics later; write fast and then layer in more detail with each edit; and finally, writing prompts are magic. I’m also a big note taker. If I come up with a plot point or am inspired in any way, I jot it down in my phone immediately. If I don’t, it disappears!
 

As far as the story’s direction, the Lost Lake Academy, the mother-daughter conflict, and the food cart drug ring were all in my early outline. I didn’t initially intend to kill anyone off, but the nice thing about most murders is they add loads of drama and it gives everyone something to do.

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2. “Thorn City” arguably pokes fun at Portland. What do you want readers, both locals and otherwise, to take away from this interpretation of the city?

My personal experience with Portland is that it is a fun, messy, occasionally dangerous, incredibly creative city with many friendly and generous people. My goal was to make Portland a character, a place to love and hate, to empathize with and to cheer for. I included many real locations based on personal experience -- rushing a friend to Good Samaritan after an accident and sitting for hours in the waiting room as she was treated, standing in the hot sun for a table at Screen Door, attending extravagant work parties in sketchy parts of town, enjoying a martini at the University Club bar, and almost colliding with a bicyclist on a test ride at River City Bikes. Many locations are fictional, but they’re all based somewhat on reality. I hope readers enjoy what they learn about Portland, blemishes and all.

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3. “Thorn City” has a large cast of characters. Who was your favorite character to write? Why?

Sue was definitely a favorite character to write. She plays a minor role but makes a deep impression. I empathize with her rage and appreciate her sense of humor. Writing George was cathartic. Without getting into too many details, I’ve worked with a lot of George’s during my career in digital media and advertising. Many were delightful. Some less so. It was fun unpacking my experiences in a fictional character. Lisa, Jamie, and Patrick’s friendship is the heart of the story. They’ve survived so much together and I hope I convey a real love and loyalty between them.

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4. “Thorn City” is your debut novel. Do you have any plans or ideas for your next novel?

I’m currently working on three projects. I’m almost finished with a sequel to “Thorn City”. The second is a gothic tale that touches on my midwestern farm roots, my years living in San Francisco, and spans about eight decades, so it’s quite a departure from the fast pace of “Thorn City”. I’m also collaborating on a murder mystery series with my sister that takes place in a fictional town on the Puget Sound. It’s been really fun and motivating writing with her as we check in weekly and set goals.

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5. What advice would you give to aspiring thriller writers?

Take a class, or join a writing group, and don’t be afraid to share your writing early and often with friends, family, and writing buddies. It’s scary and occasionally disheartening but I consider it a form of quality assurance. Am I hitting the right notes? Giving away too much too early? Are readers surprised when the big secret is revealed? If not, go back and edit, edit, edit. I have many generous friends and family who read “Thorn City” multiple times and their feedback was invaluable. I was also fortunate to work with great editors, one that I hired to review my first draft, and the talented editors at Ooligan Press. The first read of their editorial letters was so painful, but so true. I took their advice, made the changes, and am really proud of where the book is today.

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6. There are so many different personalities from such different backgrounds in “Thorn City”; how did you carry out your character research?

When I first moved to Portland, I was sitting at a bar with a friend. We were swapping stories about our backgrounds, and she shared that her parents had her kidnapped and sent to a boarding school for troubled teens. She was there for over two years. I was stunned and horrified by what she told me about her time at the school. That conversation is what really triggered the book. Lisa, Patrick and Jamie are fictional characters but their experiences at the Lost Lake Academy are grounded in truth. I started with their bios: what were their parents like, their rooms at home, their friends and siblings, how did they end up at the Academy, how they would deal with reentering the ‘real world’ after the trauma they experienced – and the story just grew from there. The fun part was creating a cast of villains that would wreak havoc on my young heroes' lives. I was inspired by vivid personalities I encountered while employed at Lucasfilm, WIRED, Wieden+Kennedy, and Nike, in addition to friends and frenemies.

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7. Who did you write “Thorn City” for, and what do you hope they take away from your story?

I wrote it because it’s the kind of novel that I enjoy reading: a thriller with characters you love and love to hate, and a bit of humor. I hope readers take away that there are multiple sides to every story, the power of choosing your own family, and I hope that it sheds a tiny light on the therapeutic boarding school industry. I also hope that readers look at Portland with a new and more positive perspective rarely shown in the media over the last several years.

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8. Are you planning to write any more stories in the “Thorn City” universe?

I’m almost finished with a sequel to “Thorn City”. It picks up about eight months after the first book ends and brings back all the heroes and villains from book one, as well as a few new characters who bring chaos and destruction to Lisa, Jamie and Patrick’s lives. Don’t worry, Sue saves them all.

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9. How long was “Thorn City” percolating in your mind before you wrote it, and what motifs in the book were you grappling with for the longest? How did they eventually make it onto the page?

I started writing the book about ten years ago. I had a cast of characters in mind, a few set pieces and spent a lot of time (years!) figuring out how it would all fit together. As far as motifs I struggled with, there were two main ones. I wanted the book to be humorous but also very respectful to Lisa, Jamie and Patrick’s experience at the Lost Lake Academy. The Academy is fictional but much of what I depict is based on first hand accounts from individuals who generously shared their experiences attending therapeutic boarding schools. Another detail I struggled with was how far should Lisa and George’s initial encounter go. Lisa has been accused repeatedly by her teachers, peers, friends and family of being socially deviant. If you’re told something enough times, eventually you may come to believe it too. Lisa is my hero, and though I did want to place her in a very compromising situation, I also wanted her to be able to mend her relationships.

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10. Would you hint to us why the book is titled “ThornCity”?

Portland’s official nickname is the City of Roses. In the book, people with power and prestige are morally corrupt, and those with no power who are living on the edge are morally sound. Ellen is a model citizen, but she’s a terrible mother who puts her only child through a traumatic ordeal. George is a respected and successful advertising exec, but he’s also a philanderer and a coke fiend. Lisa, Jamie and Patrick have had problems with drug and alcohol abuse, petty theft and shoplifting, but they are the moral center of the story who are just struggling to rebuild their lives after the abuse they suffered at the Academy. The book is about contradictions and I think the title expresses that nicely.