Some years ago, I volunteered at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in the beautiful canyonlands of Kanab, Utah, and I thought, What a great place to set a story. Quince Bennet, my favorite character in This Body, walked into my head and demanded an audition. I gave her the part! Quince was fifteen in This Body and now she’s twenty-eight.When I came home from Best Friends, I started volunteering at our local shelter and learned more about how to help dogs recover from being abandoned and/or neglected. My husband and I now rescue senior shelter dogs.

SomeBody is, of course, an extension of This Body.I chose the subtitle “a novel of halves” because Quince has always felt severed—obviously, because of her cleft lip, but also in how she reacts to her sister, Thisby. Quince was always divided about her sister, half of her wished Thisby home, and the other half wished Thisby would disappear and never come back.I chose the word “halves” (instead of “severed’) because of its homophonic aspect.Halves and haves, and by implication, the have-nots.

There are quite a few, actually: family relationships, especially with sisters, found family, domestic violence, dog rescue, PTSD, guilt & redemption, and duality & identity. The Jekyll-Hyde within us all.

For Quince to face her demons, she needs to get out of her comfort zone, get away from the chaos and bustle of Los Angeles and the privilege of Beverly Hills. What greater contrast can there be than the austerity and natural beauty of the canyonlands of Utah? Quince and Erik have this magical, summer romance, and then they go back to the reality of their lives.

I enjoyed writing the last scene, tying up some loose ends, but also creating space for the future, how life moves on. The story never ends. We may die or leave, but the story goes on. You never (hopefully) get to experience the end.

That these characters came to life for you. That you’ll miss them and want the best for them after the story ends.

That there’s always more to learn. About your characters, about the writing process, about how you, as a writer, deal with rejection and how to push through it.

When I realized that I liked the story and I felt it was good enough to share with others.

My favorite compliment is, “It was a good read. I couldn’t put it down.”

Again, exploring dichotomies in people’s lives.My great uncle Roy was a silent film actor who worked with Harold Lloyd in the 1920’s. Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin, and Buster Keaton were the "Big Three" of silent film comedy.Uncle Roy was gay, which my father didn’t know until I read it in a Harold Lloyd biography. Uncle Roy “acted” one way in Tacoma, WA (my father’s hometown) and lived another way in Hollywood.