Before I Go follows a teenage girl dealing with the death of her brother who struggles to heal from this loss and seeks solace at the lake where they used to find joy and laughter. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The inspiration for Before I Go came to me during the pandemic, a time when so many people were grappling with the loss of loved ones. In my city, we not only faced the pandemic but also endured a devastating typhoon that brought even more hardship to families. Grief and struggle were everywhere, yet people had to keep moving forward, often without the chance to truly process their feelings.

This got me thinking—what if someone couldn’t move on as quickly as those around them? What if they were still stuck in their grief while the world had already moved forward? That’s where the seed for the story was planted. From there, I leaned into the idea of exploring this through a teen fiction romance, which felt like the right fit to tell this kind of emotional journey.

I wanted to show that there are different ways of coping with loss. Some people have to move on quickly because life demands it, while others need more time. And that’s okay. We all handle grief in our own way, and there’s no right or wrong pace for healing.

In a lot of contemporary coming-of-age fiction novels, authors often add their own life experiences to the story. Are there any bits of you in this story?

There’s a big piece of me in Before I Go. Rory’s likes and dreams mirror my own in many ways. Like her, I’m a huge Harry Potter fan, and I adore Taylor Swift and Harry Styles—both of whom get a nod in the book. I’ve always dreamed of becoming a librarian or at least working in a library, just like Rory. And the little things, like cheap cupcakes from the grocery store, are straight from my life—I even once celebrated a birthday with one as my cake!

On a deeper level, Rory’s emotions are very much a reflection of my own. Harper, in particular, is inspired by my father. He’s the person who makes me laugh so easily and has become a safety net in my life. When he fell into critical condition during the pandemic, I was terribly afraid. I was juggling everything—family responsibilities, work, all while battling COVID myself. It was an incredibly tough time, and looking back, I’m not sure how I managed to keep it all together. Even after everything settled down, I carried this weight in my chest—a fear of what could have happened if I hadn’t stayed strong.

It took me a long time to process those feelings because I had to keep them in, and it wasn’t easy. In writing this story, I created Walker because, in a way, I wanted someone like Walker in my life—a strong, supportive character who could have lifted me out of the darkness I was feeling. So yes, this story holds a big part of my heart.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

The main theme I wanted to express in Before I Go is hope. It’s a simple, common word, but I feel like not everyone gets to truly experience its depth. We often overlook hope, take it for granted, or even forget it entirely. Life can sometimes drown us in fear, pain, anger, and grief, making hope feel distant or unreachable. And that’s not anyone’s fault—we all go through different things and handle them in our own ways.

But even in the midst of all that, I wanted this book to send a clear message: there’s always hope, especially for those who seek it. I pray that those who are struggling can find that thread of hope somewhere, and if they do, I hope they grab onto it and hold tight. Because no matter how tough things get, hope is there, waiting to be found.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?

I actually just released a new book called Heart of the Moon Goddess. It’s a retelling of Philippine mythology about the Moon Goddess and the Bakunawa, a sea serpent that wants to devour the moons in the sky. It’s now available on Amazon, and it will be available for printing and distribution soon!

This book is a bit different from my first, but I’ve always been a huge fan of romance and fantasy, so I’m really excited to see what people think of it.

I’m also currently working on another fantasy romance, but I’m keeping the details under wraps for now. Here’s a little clue: there are dragons involved! Who doesn’t love them? Stay tuned!

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/08/24/theres-always-hope/