What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
The idea began with a question I couldn’t shake. What would happen if the animals around us suddenly turned against humanity? We share our neighborhoods, homes, and roads with them, often without thinking about how much our safety depends on their behavior.
As I developed the story, I became interested in something more unsettling than random attacks. What if there was a pattern? What if the violence stopped once the human population had been reduced enough? That possibility became the foundation for The Human Season: Forty-Eight Hours of Red.
But I needed readers to care about the people trying to survive. Brian has already lost his wife in an accident, and he’s terrified of losing his daughter, Emma. Danielle is trying to protect her son while carrying the effects of an abusive relationship. Their children bring their own grief and fears into an already desperate situation.
That’s what made me want to explore the idea further. These people have wounds that existed before the catastrophe, and those wounds affect the decisions they make during it. I wanted readers to feel the danger while also wondering who they would trust, what they would risk, and how they would keep going for the people they love.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?
I’d lean into R&B and soul for this one. The world around these characters is loud and terrifying, so their songs would reveal what’s happening inside them.
Brian — “A Song for You” by Donny Hathaway. There’s a vulnerability in that song that fits a man carrying grief while struggling to express how much the people beside him mean to him.
Emma — “Rainbow” by Kacey Musgraves. Emma needs to believe there can be something beyond the next terrible moment. This would be her quiet song after the running stops.
Danielle — “Strength, Courage & Wisdom” by India.Arie. That feels right for a woman learning to trust her judgment and make choices for herself and her son.
Micah — “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers. He’s a child who has learned to watch the adults around him too closely. I’d want his song to remind him that he deserves someone to lean on, too.
And for the whole group, “Stayin’ Alive” by The Bee Gees. They’d probably argue over every other selection, but I think they could agree on that objective!
What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
Fantasy is my favorite genre to read. I love discovering imaginative worlds, extraordinary abilities, and characters whose journeys grow into something much bigger than they expected.
That love carries into my writing, especially in my Hope and the Guardians series. Fantasy gives me room to build a world and explore family, loss, identity, and responsibility through the characters’ adventures.
I also enjoy writing horror, science fiction, and thrillers. The Human Season allowed me to explore a different kind of danger, but the characters and their relationships still matter just as much to me as the events unfolding around them.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
I don’t currently have any. I’ve been too busy building stories for followers’ TBR piles.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
The zoo scene was my favorite to write. A zoo is somewhere we go to observe animals and feel safely separated from them. I enjoyed taking that familiar setting and making every enclosure, sound, and movement feel threatening. It also gave me a chance to build suspense around different animals and the uncertainty of what might happen next. I wanted readers looking in every direction, wondering where the danger would come from. That scene captures what excited me about writing The Human Season—how quickly a place we think we understand can become somewhere we desperately need to escape.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
Just like listening to R&B.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
“Keep moving forward, even when you have to take smaller steps.” – Donell Jackson
That’s the philosophy I try to live by. Life doesn’t always follow the plan, and progress can take longer than you hoped. I believe in learning, adjusting, and giving yourself another chance.
Writing reminds me of that constantly. A book comes together one page, one revision, and one decision at a time. I can’t control how every story will be received, but I can keep growing and putting my work into the world.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
I’d want readers to remember how much we need one another when life becomes uncertain. Brian wants desperately to protect Emma, but he has to learn to accept help and trust people while he’s still afraid of losing them.
The animal attacks are what put everyone in danger. What stays with me is the choice to care for someone when you’re exhausted, frightened, and unsure you can keep them safe. I hope readers finish The Human Season thinking about the people they love—and appreciating the ordinary moments they still get to share.