What happens when the image we have of our parents bumps up against the reality of who they are as people? Sarah wonders how her pie-baking, S&H green-stamp-collecting mother can be one and the same with the passionate young Elizabeth, who broke hearts and bucked the morays of the time.

ο What made you want to write this book? What was the idea that sparked your imagination?

When I was a teenager, I stumbled across a cache of semi-nude photos my dad had taken of my mom. They showed a sensuous woman who, in my mind, bore no resemblance to the bread-baking, churchgoing mom I knew. I was shocked, but it got me thinking: Who was she really? What was the relationship between my parents beyond what they revealed to their children? This gave rise to the story of Elizabeth and AJ.

What do you want readers to take away with them after reading the book?

I hope it will spark some dialogue between mothers and daughters. My message to every reader: After you've read THE DIARY, go talk to your mom. Ask about her life before she became a parent. Find out more about her girlhood hopes and dreams…and loves. It might lead to some surprising insights, or even revelations. If nothing else, it will enrich your relationship with her.