What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Have You Seen Him?
Soon after we meet the book’s main character, David, he’s sifting through his mail and sees the missing child ad with his own face. The inspiration for the book is a scenario pretty similar to that—I was sorting my mail and saw an ad for a child who went missing when he was 10. The computer-progressed image showed him at 40 years old. I thought about how this boy’s family had been searching for over three decades and had never given up trying to find him. The faces haunted me. I tore it out and carried it around in my bag for a while, then sat down to write a story about it.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Have You Seen Him, what would they be?
David: Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson.
Gayle: I’m Every Woman by Whitney Houston.
Alejandro: Beautiful Mistakes by Maroon 5 feat. Megan Thee Stallion.
Violet: Maneater by Nelly Furtado.
Stone: Believer by Imagine Dragons.
Hersh: Location by Khalid.
Margaret: Been So Long by Anita Baker.
What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
Thrillers. I love a good page-turner that immerses me in the world of the characters and keeps me guessing.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Brendan Slocumb’s Symphony of Secrets (I loved The Violin Conspiracy), Lucy Foley’s The Hunting Party.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
The last few chapters: I’d written the beginning of the story and knew how I wanted it to end but wasn’t sure how to get there. I decided to go ahead and write those final scenes. Doing that gave me a glimpse of how I’d feel when the book was complete, and it motivated me to get the characters from Point A to Point Z. I think my subconscious was also working on it because I’d wake up with ideas.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
Much of this book was written behind the wheel (while the car was parked, of course!). I’d be waiting for my kids at karate class, flute lessons, and parkour. Something about grabbing those casual moments—with a finite amount of time—helped me get into a flow and took away the pressure that sometimes blocked me when sitting at my desk for designated writing sessions.
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
Work hard, play hard. Refuse to allow negative attitudes or people to bring you down.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
Home is within you.
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