The Safest Place
August 14, 2018
I’ve been saving my author’s blog entry on The Safest Place for the release day of book four in The Broken Road series. I didn’t want to give away any of the plot twists. Now that it’s been out for two months, I’m ready to talk about it. So, let’s go…
What would you like to share about The Safest Place?
The Safest Place is set mostly in Los Angeles. But there are trips to Puerto Vallarta (where the cover photo was taken), Las Vegas, and Philadelphia. It is a romance, telling the story of Michelle Carrington, who hasn’t dated in six years, and Peter Evans, who plans to move to San Francisco after he graduates. But Michelle’s roommate Reese learns she’s dying and this fact changes both of their plans.
This story is heavier on the drama than the prior story in the series. That shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, since one of the characters is dying. And I’ll admit that I cried every time I edited two specific scenes in the book. While writing and editing, I listened to a lot of Hilary Duff and The Little Mermaid in addition to my inspiration playlist. I think of this story as another twisted fairy tale, as it has a few elements from The Little Mermaid. Michelle does have her voice taken away.
This is the third book in a planned six-book series.
How does this book relate to the others in the series?
Peter is the younger brother of Mack, one of the characters in By the Bay. But it is set about two years after the end of By the Bay, so we get a chance to catch up a little with the characters from that story. Also, when Michelle buys her house, her new neighbors are Madison and Craig, from The Broken Road. So, there is also an appearance by Madison’s sister Hadley, who happens to the be the main character of book four in the series.
How does this book relate to other stories within the “Gagengirl Universe”?
I don’t have any characters from other stories within the universe appear within The Safest Place. But Michelle and Peter do spend a weekend in Solvang. Want to guess where they are likely staying? (I don’t specifically name the hotel, but you can assume they are at The Elskede.)
Fun fact: Michelle is the daughter of Samantha J. Carrington, country star. Sam was the main character in a story I wrote 18 years ago. It’s crazy to realize that I’m now writing stories about my characters’ kids. If my characters are getting older, how is it that I’m not?
