A. Eloise is definitely a product of my imagination! While there are many things in her life -- such as her relationship with her mother and her grandmother for example -- that closely mirror my life, her personality is more of a hybrid of my own insecurities blended in with bits and pieces of things I wish I did better! But Eloise is her own girl, with her own set of feelings and emotions and her own coping skills. I borrowed only portions from my own life to set up a framework for her story, but it was my hope to create a character that is one-of-a-kind!

Q. What life experiences inspired Hurricane Season?

A. Like Eloise, I was once a flight attendant -- although I never had a set up quite like Windsong Air and I wish there was a boss out there like Wiley Bennett!! And also, like Eloise, I had a great romance with a pilot that was a little more than I was ready to handle! But it was this romance -- and perhaps a few others along the way -- that shook my world and caused me to dig in to find out who I was and where I was going. And even though I didn't always pull things off with the same grace as Eloise, I've learned many lessons from my experiences and I used many of these insights when developing the story line for the book.

Q. Do you hope to be known as the Abstinence Author?

A. In truth, I really don't want people to think of me as the "abstinence author," because for me, Hurricane Season and the story of Eloise Butts is so much more than that. It's about living life with intentionality, and making a purposeful decision to be a stand for something. The heart of the story is about making a commitment to yourself that prevents you from living a life of compromise. It's about living with conviction and passion and not settling for less. I chose virginity as an example because I knew it would be a provocative topic and also would stand out in the minds of most readers as something very counter-culture. But to me, what makes the story of Eloise Butts so compelling is the fact that at a young age, she made a commitment to herself not to negotiate away her core values in exchange for what the world around her was telling her was valuable. She managed to stay true to her own voice and shut out the opinions of the rest of the world. That to me is something very empowering and one of the main reasons I wrote this book. I wanted to give women someone to root for, and then inspire these same women to begin rooting for themselves!

That's not to say that I don't see the social impact of my content, and it would be unfair for me to dismiss how much my heart aches for my sisters in this world who think they can avoid the pain of a life lived without intention or conviction. An unwanted pregnancy can be "terminated." An STD is no worry because there are vaccines out there for that. Social stigmas -- who really cares anymore? It seems almost as if the natural consequences of sexual behavior have become inconsequential. But the truth is, the greater cost -- the emotional stuff that builds up, especially over time -- is unavoidable. Sex was not intended to be used the way it is in our society and I wanted to present that juxtaposition in a non-judgemental way. I wanted to create a new kind of heroine who has the ability to stand firm in her convictions and live her life knowing who she is and what she stands for.

Q. Is there a real Marco Maselli?

A. I get asked this question so often! Even though Marco is an Italian pilot -- and I did date one of those! -- he is really more of a mixture of all the men I dated before I started living my life with conviction. I hate to admit that I had to take the low path in my life several times before I could see that I should be on higher ground, walking with people who love me for who I am. And for me, finding better quality relationships started with respecting myself enough to weed out people that didn't produce any fruit in my life, or didn't make me a better version of myself. And while Marco is really the "villian" of the story, he also provides another example of a person living life with nonnegotiables. YES! He has them, too! And even though his convictions are in stark contrast to Elle's, he is passionately committed to his own ideals about how to live his life. But the important point is, when you start to recognize that your nonnegotiables and your convictions don't align with someone else's, you have to be brave enough to let your voice be the stronger voice that calls you into a place of integrity and grace.

Q. Are you writing a sequel to Hurricane Season?

A. I get this question a lot, too, which is a huge compliment to me! The fact that people have fallen in love with Elle is fantastic and I am so thankful that my readers understand her! I'm currently working on my second novel (It's Nothing Serious), which features a new character named Beatrix Herman, and I'm really having a great time getting to know this new friend the way I did when I wrote about Eloise. But to answer the question, YES! There will be a sequel to Hurricane Season. So stayed tuned because I think there will be many wonderful things to report in the year ahead for people who enjoy reading my work!