Tracey Garvis Graves

Tracey Garvis Graves lives in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa, with her husband, two children, and hyper dog Chloe.

In On the Island, her first novel, two people stranded on an island struggle to survive—and slowly fall in love.

From the author's Q & A at The Daily Quirk:

TDQ: On The Island deals with some rather unique subject matter. What was your inspiration for telling this story?

TGG: I remember watching the movie Castaway and wishing there had been another person on that island with Tom Hanks. If they could sell the idea that a man could have a meaningful relationship with a volleyball, why couldn’t I convince readers that true love conquers all and age is just a number?

TDQ: Did you know you wanted there to be a significant age difference between the characters from the start?

TGG: Yes, definitely. The premise rested on the challenge of taking two characters who really shouldn’t be together and creating a relationship that the reader would not only understand, but come to root for.

TDQ: It seems like it would be difficult to write from the perspective of a teenage boy – did you do any specific preparation to help you get inside T.J.’s head?

TGG: Well, I hope it’s not indicative of my maturity level, but...[read on]

Learn more about the book and author at Tracey Garvis Graves's blog and Facebook page.

My Book, The Movie: On the Island.

--Marshal Zeringue