1. The protagonist is male. In the early stages of beta reading, people were occasionally confused, thinking it was a girl. Maybe because I wrote it and I’m a girl?When I corrected them, they would say, well, it could be a girl. Maybe…but it’s not. (And really, it couldn’t be.) I hope it’s clear in the final, published version.
2. The protagonist is never named. I chose to write it from his point of view and his name never comes up. It proved to be an interesting challenge for him to observe and participate in the entire day and never be officially identified.
3. It takes place in 1992. I needed a simpler time, with a different social and cultural feel. No cell phones, no selfies, no five hundred versions of CSI to distract, influence or complicate their crimes.
4. It’s fiction. Storytellers can’t help but borrow from their own personal experiences, but the beauty of fiction is that you get to make stuff up. There may be a root of fact inspiring aspects of the book, but trust me, they’ve been embellished for the sake of entertainment. That said, I do hope readers find things in this story that they can identify with. I hope you connect with something, that it hits home.
5. Pocket Money was the very first idea I had for a novel. I hand wrote the first draft all the way through at the Aurora Public Library, in 2006. It was only twenty thousand words, but the backbone was there. I knew my characters, the beginning, the middle, and the end. Dave read it (the typed, transcribed version) and was so impressed he bought me my first laptop.

For me, the publication of Pocket Money is much more than just a debut novel, it’s proof that it can be done. That I can do it. Sure, I’m nervous that someone won’t like it, or that there are still a handful of typos (grrr, typos), but really, do those things even matter? I got it out there and that’s quite a hurdle cleared. I am free to pursue the next story to completion. And worry about its haters and typos. And then the next after that. Because, I am an author. I publish books. Available now on Amazon and Kindle.

(that is so cool!)

Thank you Debbie, you rock!