It’s 1 month and 24 hours to release day!!! (Click here for the pre-order on Amazon and click here for the pre-order on iBooks)  I’m sharing a little behind-the-scenes on how I came up with the story.

In A Perfect Picture of Us, Jess Edwards is a popular lifestyle blogger in Chicago who is tired of upholding the perfect image and is ready to get back to civilian life. I was inspired watching the rise and fall and then–in some cases–the resurrection of lifestyle bloggers.

Eleven years ago, I started planning my wedding and turned to the Internet for inspiration. I stumbled on a lot of personal blogs run by women my age also organizing their own weddings. I related to their struggles to stay on budget while achieving their goal.

Many of the bloggers had DIY personalities and I liked to see how they made restrictions work in their favor. When I had my first child, a lot of the same bloggers were also new parents. Again, I related to their struggles with newborns and sorting through all the conflicting information about what is best for your child.

Slowly, however, the blogs became less personal journal and more vehicle for marketing. Many major brands and companies started to invest in blogs and sponsored posts started popping up. Bloggers gained income and their lifestyles were no longer relatable to their audience. I’ve been a fascinated spectator and this sparked the what if thought that starts the novel. What if a woman with the “perfect” life wants to be imperfect? What if she doesn’t want to document her every choice for content for an audience of strangers? And what if her chance for normalcy is threatened?

Check out A Perfect Picture of Us on December 17th!