Thanks so much for having me back! I’m sure there’s something new with me, but it feels like life hasn’t changed a whole lot since this time last year. My kids are a bit older and I feel like I’ve finally gotten used to have two of them. I’ve written another book, so that’s exciting! Otherwise, I’m just living this author/mom life and loving it.

Brought together by a charming bookstore in England, three women fight to defy expectations, dream new dreams, and welcome love into their lives. At its core, The Secrets of Paper and Ink is a story about healing, forgiveness, and finding the courage to write your own story.

Ooo, good question. Paper and ink are such simple, everyday things—and yet, with them, entire worlds can be created. The power of story is so strong that every reader recognizes its pull. It’s strong enough to transport us to new places and it does more than simply entertain us—it changes us. When combined, paper and ink are some of the most powerful items in the world.

I still remember visiting The Strand in New York City, where there are “18 Miles of Books.” It was such a dream to wander and discover all of the wonderful books waiting at this independent bookstore. Another bookstore that I haven’t visited but want to someday is The Open Book in Wigtown, Scotland. It has an apartment overhead that anyone can rent on AirBnB, and then you run the bookstore during your stay. This is actually the bookstore that inspired a major part of The Secrets of Paper and Ink, since Sophia rents the room over Ginny’s bookstore in Cornwall, England, and helps out in the bookstore during the week. It gave me a great way for strangers to meet and become friends.

It’s cozy and charming, and of course, smells gloriously of old books. There are lots of wooden bookshelves, as well as nooks and crannies for customers to explore. A set of stairs lead to a loft area where patrons can snuggle up in a corner and read, play games, or work if they need to.

When I first brainstormed this book, Emily—a nineteenth-century governess who longed to be an author—wasn’t even on my radar. I got about a quarter way through the book before deciding that it wasn’t the story I wanted to tell. I’d been reading some books set in 1800s England and became captivated by the time period. But of course, I write contemporary, so there was no way I could write the story that started brewing in my brain. However, Emily’s story just flowed out of me, and her strength and bravery captured me. I knew they would capture Sophia too, and decided that I would attempt to weave it all together into a split-time story. I really liked the idea of writing a story about strangers who are brought together to become friends and have an extreme impact on each other—a story about God bringing just the right people at just the right time into each other’s lives. 

In the book, Sophia is in Cornwall hoping to get inspired to write her own story, which is a lot more difficult than she initially thinks it will be. When she discovers this notebook written by (or about?? Is it real?) Emily, she has to know more. For a time, she follows the trail and stops trying so hard to write her own story. The notebook and the discoveries she makes along the way have an impact on her she didn’t expect.

I’m currently writing my next book, which will release in 2020. It’s about widowed sisters-in-law who undertake a seven-day ultra-marathon in New Zealand to honor the lives of their thrill-seeking husbands—and the lessons about grief and healing they learn along the way.