Behind the Scenes: If It Kills Me

If It Kills Me is a story about a young man who falls in love with a woman who later ends up dating his roommate. As his friendship with her grows, he's tormented as to how he'll ever reveal the depth of his feelings for her. He's determined to make it happen even if he dies trying.

Inspiration / Muse:
Jason Mraz's song "If It Kills Me" is the inspiration behind this novella. After listening to his We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. album for hours, a story began to take shape. It didn't take long before a female response to the male character in the lyrics came alive as well. Sprinkle in the insecurities expressed in Rick's Springfield's "I Wish That I Had Jesse's Girl" and the plot takes off.

Theme:
Isn't it all about love? The thing most people crave and may struggle a lifetime to connect with that special someone. This story focuses on what happens when an opportunity is delayed. If only Jaeson had asked Jessica out the first time he saw her.

Journey:
I enjoy listening to songs and the stories they portray. When I start seeing a motion picture play out in my head, one of two things happen: I enjoy the daydream and let it go, or I start writing. Putting pen to paper didn't happen for months, but, once it did, I couldn't stop. I submitted the manuscript to five publishers before landing a contract. When that publisher closed, I submitted to yet a sixth publisher and signed another contract. However, after waiting about two years for an editor who never contacted me and a pending closure, I received back the printing rights and began working toward self-publishing this story, my first romantic comedy.

Meaning behind the cover:
A graphic artist hired by the second contracting publisher created the cover. Three tries later produced a cover I really liked. I'd purchased the photos of the guy and the hands holding the coffee cup to guarantee I got the look I wanted. Creating the perfect cover is nothing less than an adventure.

Impact / Tribute:

In the story, Jaeson's grandmother plays a special role in his life and reminds me of the grandmas whom I've personally known and loved. In fact, I've added a Bonus Poem after the story in the upcoming release as a tribute to my mother-in-law who passed away too soon. Look for this book on Amazon come September 21, 2020 and don't forget to leave a review.

The twelfth in the Behind the Scenes series is planned for October 3, 2020.