Why I wrote Bartlett's Rule

“Every two and a half minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted” www.rainn.org

That is a terribly frightening statistic. Dispel other misconceptions, rape happens more often than just the back alley stranger with a weapon. According to statistics, 73% of rape victims know their assailant, often there is no weapon used other than fear and force, many sexual crimes are not reported, and sexual assault and rape can happen to all ethnic groups, to women AND men, all ages and all economic stations.

Whether you realize it or not, it is more than likely that you personally know at least one survivor of sexual assault.

Rape and sexual assault are traumas which leave lasting effects, it never goes away. The act will forever have an effect on the survivor’s life and on those around her/him. Living through the assault or rape and finding a way to live life afterwards is what makes a survivor; not letting the assailant steal more from your life is one of the bravest acts a survivor can accomplish.

I am a romantic at heart, but also a realist – I know that it takes work, A LOT of work, to make a relationship strong. Every couple will be faced with challenges, sometimes those obstacles seem too great to cope with. Catering to my idealistic and romantic streak, I wanted to create a couple that is able to face and ultimately conquer a more than simple obstacle. This creation led to Lon, with his image imposed expectations, and Paige, with a troubled past and determination.

Once I developed my main characters, the words to my story seemed to flow and sometimes I even surprised myself with the twists that just seemed to develop. Lon and Paige really wrote their own story, I only threw in a few extra characters and helped keep them on track. Shortly after I finished my story, a friend told me about a new publisher and I decided to take a chance and send a query letter.

Inspiration will strike at the least expected times, looking out the car window as my husband conquers city streets, newspaper articles, my own adolescent diary, and people-watching but not necessarily listening. I always play “What if?” and I always manage to come up with many, MANY possibilities.