I absolute adore epic journeys that require a protagonist to fight for every victory in the hopes of finding triumph.

Honestly, I really didn't want to take on World War II France, but when I came across the story of a nineteen-year-old Belgian woman who created an escape route out of Nazi-Occupied France, I was hooked.

I know I'm not normal in this, but [ Severus ] Snape is absolutely my favorite character in the Harry Potter books. He is completely mortal - good, bad, strong, weak, motivated by hatred, motivated by love. A gorgeous, compelling, complex character who definitely earns a spot at my table.

I am one of those authors who believes (perhaps foolishly) that she is in complete control of the story.

I love the idea of ordinary women making extraordinary sacrifices.

I had read a lot of books on World War II, but I didn't know that downed airmen had hiked over the frozen peaks of the Pyrenees Mountains in shoes that didn't fit, in clothes that weren't warm enough, with German and Spanish patrols searching for them.

You learned to run from what you feel, and that's why you have nightmares. To deny is to invite madness. To accept is to control.