A Goodreads user asked Katie McGarry:

Hi Katie, I am a huge fan of all of your books and whilst I read them I always wondered: what made you want to write about dysfunctional families and difficult life situations that people don't really want to discuss? I absolutely love your books, especially Pushing The Limits! Thank you for creating such amazing stories and characters.

Katie McGarry Hi Caitlin,

Thank you for reading my books!

I write about situations that I faced or other people faced as I was growing up. My stories are fiction. None of them are me or anyone I knew, but I draw upon my emotions and past experiences.

For instance, in Red at Night, Stella hangs out at a cemetery. I drew upon a conversation I had with a friend when I was younger who told me that they had slept at a cemetery when things went nuclear in their home because a cemetery was safe. The person told me that they feared dead people less than they feared people who were alive.

This was also an inspiration for Take Me On as West and Haley face homelessness.

Books were and still are a lifeline for me. It reminds me that I'm not alone and that there is always hope.

Thank you,

Katie

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