What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
When I was twenty-seven, the boy I had been dating for four years abruptly announced during a hockey game that he was breaking up with me. He blurted out he couldn't marry me because we weren't of the same background, and he was getting older and needed to get serious about finding a wife. Stunned and heartbroken, I sat down and started to write a book. I created this entire fictional world with Seth and Margaret to just work through the pain of it all. And when I finished it, my hard drive crashed, and it was gone forever. Fast forward several decades later, my son was rifling through my desk, bored one summer, and retrieved all the contents of my hard drive and gave it to me on a USB key. So, there it was, the manuscript I lost. I was confronted with twenty-seven-year-old me, and I rewrote it and rewrote it, and it became a duet. "What We Left Behind" and "Seth and Margaret." In What We Left Behind, we meet our characters years after Seth Abrams walked out of Margaret Taylor's life. She's built a family, a home, and a quiet kind of happiness. Then Seth returns, carrying both fame and regret—and the knowledge that his time is running out—which forces Margaret to confront the love she never truly left behind. Old wounds reopen, and unspoken words find their voice; the two must decide if forgiveness can come too late—or if love, even after all this time, still has the power to heal. Then Seth and Margaret takes you back to the beginning of how they met when they were in their twenties—that book will be out in November.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?
I have an entire mixtape that Seth made for Margaret back in the 90's that you're welcome to listen to! You can find it here.
For Seth, I'd have to say: The 1975, "About You", or The Cure, "Lovesong." For Margaret, I would have to pick: Vancouver Sleep Clinic, "Someone to Stay." Because we all need someone to love us and stand beside us no matter what life throws at us.
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
I don't know what categories they would fall into now, since everything has changed so much, but I have favorite authors like: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Daphne du Maurier, Charles Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald, the Brontë sisters. I tend to reread their work a lot.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
I'm rereading Wuthering Heights, looking for inspiration. I mean, that line, "Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." Isn't that what we all want? We want someone to understand our soul and feel completely connected in a way that is otherworldly.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
There's one that I re-read, and I do laugh. It's when Margaret's oldest son is negotiating the terms under which Seth is allowed to take his mom out on dates. I'll give you a small excerpt: "He sat back in his late father’s chair, tapping a wooden pencil on his mahogany desk. 'You sure about that, kid?' Seth asked, smirking. 'No offense, Mr. Abrams, and I know you think you’re Mr. GQ, but my mom has standards, and to her, you’re a walking STD ad. That means something to you Gen Xers, right, GQ?' There was a long pause. 'I’m going to take that as a yes.' Dylan continued, 'So, I think the best you’re going to shoot for here is her forgiving you, so you can go do whatever penance you need to do...' Interrupting him, Seth asked, 'What’s in it for you?' 'Honestly?' Dylan’s voice softened just enough to be noticeable. 'My mom has been so sad since my dad died. She stopped seeing her friends. She stopped doing her charity work. She locked herself in a room and wrote that book for three years. Did you read it?' 'No.' Seth lied. 'Typical. My Aunt Lynn said there was no way you read it, so now I owe her fifty bucks...' He scribbled that on a notepad on his father’s desk. He tore the sheet and set it aside. 'Anyway, as much as she hates you, you’ll get her out of the house, and I’m assuming treat her well. She hasn’t been taken out and treated well since my dad died.' Seth said nothing. 'And I’m assuming you’re processing that.' Dylan took a deep breath, 'My mom is a good person, as you know, and I love her, as you know, and I just want a non-threatening man to take her out, show her the sights she won’t go to anymore, and get her out of her pajamas. Give her a reason to brush her hair again.'”
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
No. I just squeeze in writing when I can between work, home, and kids. I don't force it at all. I just wait for inspiration to find me, and off I go. To be fair, I do tend to rework scenes in my head when I'm doing other things like dishes or laundry or other boring household chores.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
Life is beautiful. People make it ugly. So, try to be amongst the people who make it beautiful.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
If there’s one thing I hope readers remember after reading What We Left Behind, it’s that life rarely unfolds the way we imagine it will—and sometimes, what we think is our greatest loss can lead us somewhere we never could have found otherwise. I hope readers come away believing in second chances, but also understanding that not every second chance is about going back. Sometimes it’s about seeing the past differently, forgiving what we couldn’t change, and being open to what life still has in store for us. Most of all, I want readers to remember that it’s never too late for love, forgiveness, or hope—and that sometimes the best thing that ever happens to us is not getting our wish.
