Alcohol abuse was a part of growing up. I’ve seen the effects firsthand: what it can do to a family and to an individual. I simply took snapshots of my own real-life experiences and applied them to this family. Actually, I was more like Sara, the one who didn’t know exactly what was going on, while my sister was more like Thomas. She’s always been my light.

Thomas has a revelation about his purpose in life: “He liked to believe that he was called for a special purpose. And that special purpose didn’t have to be twenty years in the future. It might be twenty minutes away. One never knew.”(p. 58) Did you have these notions about purpose when you were growing up? How have they affected your actions today?

Even as a child growing up poor and moving from foster home to foster home there was always something inside me that said this life was temporary, I deserved better, and no one had the authority to stand in the way of my dreams, that they were my dreams.

Kevin reflects on the nature of God: “Then he imagined God’s hand, so firm and so strong. A hand that wouldn’t let him step out in front of a moving car, a hand that wasn’t going to let him bolt ahead, a hand that held him safe and secure.” (p. 133) Do you share Kevin’s experience of God?

I believe that God has given us all the resources we need to survive, just as a good parent would do. It’s up to us how we utilize these resources.

Kevin experiences several lapses in faith throughout the novel, especially with the stresses of his twins being born and the impending dissolution of his job. Has your own faith ever faltered in times of crisis?

There’s never been a time when I didn’t have faith in God. However, there’ve been many times when I’ve been disappointed in God’s timing.

Are you working on another novel?

I’m always thinking ahead. Writing another book is certainly in my future.

You walked across America to raise awareness for teens who age out of foster care. Can you share a few stories about this experience and about the people you met along the way? How did you decide to take this walk? What was your favorite state to walk through?

Project Meet Me Halfway is an ongoing campaign to raise awareness of at-risk youth aging out of foster care and becoming homeless. I hope someday to share any and all stories of my journey in a book.

How does songwriting differ from writing a novel? Do you ever classify your songs as “fiction” or “nonfiction”? Why or why not? Where is your favorite place to write?

Writing a novel versus a song is much different. A songwriter has to consolidate an entire story in three minutes. I usually write nonfiction songs. I write what I know best. My favorite place to write is in my kitchen near my coffeepot.