What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
Scruffy Little Devils began as a kind of therapy tool for me, something I had originally meant to write for myself at the age of 33. I experienced a lot of similarities before—feeling directionless, or sometimes hopeless. I wrote it primarily for people who are carrying their own version of that weight. People dealing with inherited trauma, searching for meaning, wondering whether the choices they made define them forever. The book doesn’t answer that question for the reader. It lets them sit with it, think it through, and arrive somewhere on their own terms. That felt more honest than handing them a solution.
What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
Literary fiction is where I feel most at home, both as a writer and a reader. Lately, I’ve been drawn toward Murakami, as some of the early readers of my book noted something reminiscent of his work. At the same time, I’m drawn almost equally to history, philosophy, and business books. These are the ones that teach us how societies actually work.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Without claiming to be exhaustive: Haruki Murakami – Norwegian Wood; Fyodor Dostoevsky – The Brothers Karamazov; Steven Levitsky / Daniel Ziblatt – How Democracies Die; Daron Acemoglu / James A. Robinson – Why Nations Fail.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
Definitely the Second Chapter, as it was a fast-moving, turbulent, and eventful part of the book.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
Writing on late evenings, especially during the winter season, with some soft white noise in the background.
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
I can name six principles I seek never to compromise: authenticity, justice, dignity, freedom, depth, and loyalty. Don’t let anything define you—not your past, not a system, not other people’s opinions. Think clearly, act with integrity, and build something that outlasts you.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
You are not your circumstances. You are your choices.
And choices are always made – whether by you, or for you.
So take responsibility for yours.
