Q: This is your first novel. Was it hard to write it? What were some challenges of the writing process?

A: The hardest part about writing this book was keeping Becca likable and making sure she didn’t come off as a terrible person. Deep down, she’s a good person and has good intentions, but she’s still doing bad things. It took me a while to find that balance. I loved it, though. I get annoyed reading books where the main character never does or says a mean thing. People are gray. That’s what makes characters like Becca and Huxley so fun to write. It was also difficult figuring out her break-up plans and making sure they seemed plausible. I had to keep asking myself what would make a couple break up out of the blue while keeping it realistic. That was a fun kind of difficult, like solving a puzzle.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

A: If you want to get serious about writing, don’t think of it as a fun hobby. Think of it as work. Many people want to be writers, and they expect it to be a blast whenever they sit at their computers. It’s not. You’re staring at the screen in frustration, trying to come up with the words. You’re hating what you just wrote. You’re dealing with a major plot hole that has no solution. It’s not fun. I love having written, that sense of accomplishment, but actual writing can be tough. Don’t get discouraged.

Q: Tell us a little bit about where you’re from. Was your high school like Ashland High School?

A: There are definitely aspects of Ashland High that are based on my high school Wayne Hills in New Jersey. The Student Dance Association is real and was a big deal at my school, for instance. There are a zillion pizza places, and they are all fantastic. I wrote what I knew. That made it easier to flesh out the setting and background details of the story. In the next book I write, I must include a scene with characters at a gas station. In NJ, it’s illegal to pump your own gas, which is awesome in the wintertime.