James Ostime asked Kristan Higgins:

Hi Kristan! Huge fan here! The relationships between your characters (esp. siblings) are so textured and real; they feel so "lived in", if that makes sense. Do you write a big backstory for each character? How they'd behave as kids, for instance? What moments may have shaped their lives? Can't wait for the next book!

Kristan Higgins Oh, thank you, James! I do know each main character's backstory, because I think we're all products of our past. I think so many of us have a few moments we remember with painful clarity, and it can be really hard to shake those off. That's what's so great about fiction: you get to decide if those moments ARE shaken off, and how, and when, and it's deeply satisfying. I do a lot of "pre-writing" (a newish term for me... I used to call it "procrastinating"). But it helps get the characters feeling solid before the story opens. Hope that makes sense!

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