What inspired this specific retelling of Emma?

My kids have both been on robotics teams for years, and I’ve spent a lot of time watching their competitions and being in awe of how brilliant and innovative these middle and high school students are in STEM. I got the idea to write about a girl who is an amazing coder but not so great with people and then I realized it could be a really fun Emma retelling if I had her create a matchmaking app!

What’s your favorite Jane Austen book and adaptation?

Emma has always been my favorite Jane Austen book and I love the movie Clueless. But I think my favorite Jane Austen adaptation in novel form is Bridget Jones’ Diary as a (loose) retelling of Pride and Prejudice.

What was the most challenging part to write in this book?

Well, I honestly didn’t know much about coding going in and unlike Emma, math was not my best subject in high school. Luckily my husband is a software engineer and he helped me with all the coding details in the book.

The other challenge was – and this was the first time I ever wrote a retelling – figuring out how to stay true to the original but also make the story and plot fresh in its own updated way.

What was your most favorite part and why?

I’m trying not to give spoilers, so I’ll just describe it vaguely, but my favorite scene is the one near the end of the book when George animates something just for Emma!

What's a typical writing day for you?

This answer has changed a bit in the last six months. Usually I’d drop my kids off at school around 8 AM and write or do something writing related until it was time to pick them up around 3, with a break for lunch and to exercise during the day. But now that my kids are home doing online school and I don’t have to physically go anywhere most days, my schedule is a little more fluid. Recently I’ve been writing more in the afternoons and evenings. I’ve been finding my most creative times are in those hours when I would normally be driving around for school pickups and activities.

Where do you like writing and why? Favorite snacks and/or beverages?

My favorite place to write is at my kitchen table with a cup (or 3!) of coffee. I also have an office in my home with a very, very messy desk that I like to write at, especially if it’s a time of day when I need to close the door or get away from other things (or people) in the house. Aside from coffee, popcorn is always a favorite snack. I’ve recently gotten obsessed with dried mango, too.

What was your last 5-star read and why?

I just finished Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein and loved it! It’s a rom com (about gymnasts) with well-developed characters – my favorite kind of book.

How would your main character fare with a stay-at-home order?

I actually think Emma would handle it much better than I have. She’s super savvy with technology and would be great with Facetiming George and Jane and communicating for coding club with Discord and Zoom, and she’d be really good at navigating the tech challenges of online school. Plus she’s an introvert, so I think she’d be okay with staying at home.

Is there anything you can tell us about the book that is not a spoiler and not on the blurb? Something you'd like to share with us?

Even though Emma and I don’t have much in common in terms of interests (I stopped math in high school before calculus!), I was, like Emma a musician in high school. I played the clarinet (not piano) but was really involved in a lot of musical activities, and weekly lessons, and I even participated in the same competition Emma does in the book.