Q: Is this book autobiographical?
A: No. Rhiannon’s stepmom situation is very different from mine. That said, I have personally experienced many of the same feelings, particularly those associated with being a childless stepmother with 50/50 custody. I have also spent an abundance of glorious hours hanging with stepmoms and hearing/reading their stories, so I feel pretty informed about the whole stepmom deal and the common feelings and experiences that crop up.
Q: Is there a real-life Society of Stepmothers?
A: More or less! This book is dedicated to my stepmom friends, both in person and online, who serve the same life-saving function as the Society of Stepmothers.
Q: How long did it take you to write this book?
A: Um. Ages. I think I started in 2007. The novel is technically set in 2008-2009 (yes, I made sure the events of the story and custody schedule align with an actual calendar, just because I am weird and didn’t like the idea that the story could not be grounded in real life).
Q: Are the books based in the San Francisco Bay Area? Why?
A: The books are based here, but only loosely. Ultimately I felt that my writing had to be grounded in a particular “culture” in order to be as authentic as possible, but my overall purpose is to connect with stepmoms anywhere in the world.
Q: Who’s going to be the main character of book two?
A: Wouldn’t you like to know!