There are many reasons why I wrote this book. One is very personal. Another is that I had to find out more about Maggie. I really had no choice.
Recently I was asked this question for an author interview at New in Books, and it didn't take me long to respond.
Question: What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
My Response: The Me I Left Behind was inspired by the book Beach Therapy, the first book in my Tuckaway Bay series. Maggie Oliver came to me in that story, and I knew there was more to her than what we saw in Beach Therapy. (In fact, that was the case with all the women in that book.) Maggie is a flawed, perfectly imperfect character with lots of room for growth. I was inspired to explore her story deeper and tell it in her words.
In Maggie, I believe I found a bit of all women—things we all tell ourselves, games with play with our own heads and hearts—and I hope by telling her story, we all can benefit and grow.
You can read the full author interview at New In Books.
***
Before I started writing Maggie's story, I knew I had to dig deeper into understanding why she had accepted her life the way she had, why she let Max control her, and what things might have happened to her in the past that shaped her future.
I spent a lot of time simply thinking about Maggie, who she was today, and trying to dig into her past. I researched many things--domestic violence, trauma, adults responses to childhood emotional abuse, mother-dauther relationships, and more. I knew Maggie was complicated.
But as much as I researched what could have been, I didn't really know Maggie until I started writing her story. Of course, Maggie tripped through scenes/chapters in Beach Therapy and The Space in Between--but as I wrote, her story drew me in completely, and I discovered so much more.
Sometimes I look back over the writing of this book and feel like I was caught up in a whirlwind...and perhaps, I was.
"A gripping story of resilience and renewal, The Me I Left Behind follows one woman’s courageous fight to reclaim her life and identity after years of emotional abuse." —NewInBooks.com