Where did you get the idea for More Today Than Yesterday?

When I was a teenager, I used to take our dog for walks in the woods. I hardly ever saw another person, and so I started telling myself a story that I was the last person on earth.

What are some of your favorite books?

Some of my favorite books I’ve read lately are the Fairyland series by Catherine M. Valente, the Murderbot series by Martha Wells, and The Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers. Her book The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is absolute perfection.

Are the characters in your book based on real people?

The short answer is yes. The longer answer is, all characters are based on real people, but grow into themselves as they are written.

How long did it take you to write MTTY?

I started writing what would become More Today Than Yesterday in 2013. That kernel of the story, the things I imagined when I was walking the dog, started itching in the back of my head to be more. Eventually, I gave in and wrote it, but I got stuck before they really got going. I didn’t know where to go from there, so I put it up.

Fast forward to 2020, in the middle of lockdown. I had never really forgotten about Ruthie and Josh and their journey. I decided to see what I could do with them. That was May 26. I started writing and channeled my feelings from the pandemic into their circumstances. It proved the exact thing to propel the story. I finished on September 30.

So…the first draft was either finished in seven years or 4 months, depending on your perspective. Revisions took another two years.

How can I become a writer?

Read as much as you can, as often as you can, and write like your life depends on it.