Sim Kaur asked Rebecca Donovan:

In Reason to Breathe, Carol was such an evil, malice woman. What inspired you write such a cruel, twisted character? And will we ever find out why she had so much hatred for Emma? P.s The Breathing series are my all time favourite book series! :)

Rebecca Donovan I chose to create Carol because I wanted to depict a female abuser who was not only physically abusive, but emotionally as well. She needed to be someone who would never be suspected of such abuse because of her social status and the love she shows her own children. I didn't want her to be a stereotype, and by doing so I hoped to reveal just how cruel a person can be, regardless of how they may appear to the world.

This story is told through Emma's point of view. You, as the reader, only know what Emma does. If she is not aware, or does not see what is happening, neither do you. There is so much that happens outside of her knowledge, but I cannot share that with you because you're in her head exclusively.

As is true for most survivors of abuse, she does not know why Carol hates her so much. I did not want to justify Carol's actions with an explanation because I believe there isn't a single reason why one human being should harm another, especially a child. So no, there will not be an answer to explain away the abuse. But if you listen to Carol's words, you will hear what you're looking for.

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