Where did you get the idea for this novel?

Q: Where did you get the idea for Blue Mountain Rose?

A: I’ve been an active supporter of the Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival since it began in 2015. It’s northern Arizona’s only professional theater company, and they do inspiring work.

When they began performing in 2015, I helped out behind the scenes at a few performances. The first season was successful enough that founder Dawn Tucker and her company decided to establish a nonprofit so they could continue growing and performing. For that...