Christine was a unique character in my latest novel for me to explore. A single mom who struggles with addiction issues and caring for her eleven-year-old son, Chase. She thrives running a service station in a remote village in Michigan’s Thumb. Her radiant personality, infectious smile, and deft organizational skills are the reason she has been entrusted to run the business. Fifteen years after the Second American Civil War, the country has splintered, and people continue to search for hope. Although the starvation years have passed and life is slowly returning to routines, the losses remain palpable.

Coping comes in many forms, and Christine does everything she can to hide hers until she can’t. The results tangle her life in many ways, as survival for her and her son hangs in the balance. Then the dreams begin, and she can’t turn them off. Going back to the way her life was before is impossible, and moving forward is steeped in an eerie darkness. The unknown is calling, and deep down inside, she knows that she must fight her natural tendency to numb all the pain away to have any chance at hope. How is change possible when avoidance whispers from behind every shadow? Then she discovers the journals of a neighbor’s dead wife and wonders if they are filled with hope or wishful thinking.

Her character’s arc in this story is truly remarkable.

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