That’s what it’s like when I write.

My process is to impulsively hyperfocus on the things in life that scare me.

Then I plant them in a fictitious universe I control and work them out.

And the things that scare me are what my readers can relate to:

• Life, death, grief
• Crime, deception, trauma
• Hatred, prejudice, insanity
• Relationships, sex, heartache
• Longing, loneliness, obsession

But there’s also humor, joy, and love…

I write about the upper Midwest Because it’s what I know.

There’s a certain casual understanding here that life is hard, but you make the best of it.

And yet, readers from all over the world see familiarity in my characters.

Because, in the end, the human condition is universal.