Interview
What inspired you to write a story where the main character, Nicki Mayfield, is a professional organizer? Although I had the overall concept for the storyline in 2007/2008, I couldn’t figure out the main character and how she could fit with the story I wanted to tell. So, I tucked away the idea for ten years. During that time, I started my own professional organizing business, By George Organizing Solutions. Spending time with my clients, I often heard amazing stories about the items we were organizing or decluttering. One day it dawned on me that if I made my MC an organizer, she and her client could discover something unusual as they were working together (a mysterious business card). Instead of her client sharing the story behind it, however, they go on an adventure to uncover the secret it holds.
Would you tell us more about the other main character, Katherine O’Connor? Katherine O’Connor is a 67-year-old eccentric socialite who loves shoes and her cat-child, Princess. Single and the CEO of her family’s business, she is a driven woman who doesn’t like to waste time and expects everyone to do as she wishes. She also believes she is unloved and broken, particularly because of the difficult relationship she had with her father growing up. Yet, there is a soft side to her. In the end, her character inspires us to remember that people aren’t always what they seem.
Which character do you most relate to and why? Probably Nicki, as she is detail-oriented, loves to put things in order when she’s stressed or trying to make a decision, and her favorite places are The Container Store and the library, too!
What advice would they each give from their journey? For Nicki, I think she would tell Ms. O’Connor that just because love isn’t always given the way we expect it, doesn’t mean that we aren’t loved and to not take your loved ones for granted just because they don’t show express love in the same way as you do.
For Ms. O’Connor, she would advise Nicki not to rush to judgment. There’s more to people than what you see on the outside.
What part or aspect of this story do you love the most? I love so much of it, but the China part of the story is especially dear to my heart. My family and I lived there for 2.5 years (Aug 2006 – December 2008). Writing the scenes in that setting brought back so many wonderful memories for me and it helped me see how God uses our experiences in ways we never dreamed possible.
When you reach for a book to read, what genre do you grab and what are some of your favorites in that genre? I’m an avid reader who loves anything well-written, but my go-to genre is Contemporary Women’s Fiction. My favorite authors in this genre include Kristen Billerbeck, Nicole Deese, Angela Hunt, and Susan May Warren.
What was a book that made you cry, a book that made you laugh and a book that made you swoon? A book that made me cry?
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
A book that made me laugh?
Husband Auditions by Angela Ruth Strong
A book that made me swoon?
Hinds’ Feet in High Places by Hannah Hunard (it helped me understand God’s great love for us)
What’s something you enjoy doing when you’re not reading or writing? There are two things, actually: I love tennis so you can find me watching a tournament live or on TV most of the year since the tennis season lasts that long. My other passion is traveling, especially to a beach where I can scuba dive and relax by the crystal blue waters.
What are you working on next? I’m still working on the rest of Nicki’s story which makes up The Hopeful Heart Series. I just turned in the draft for book 2,
Perfectly Placed (releasing July 5, 2022), to my editor and once I’ve submitted the manuscript to my publisher, Scrivenings Press, at the end of December, I’ll take a week off and then start book 3,
Perfectly Matched (releasing April 2023).
