L.S. Case is the author of the new novel A Hundred Days Till Tomorrow. She lives in Huntington, New York.
Q: What inspired you to write A Hundred Days Till Tomorrow, and how did you create your character Miranda?
A: When my 12-year career empowering women came to a screeching halt, I needed to find another outlet to impact others. A Hundred Days Till Tomorrow became the literary platform to continue my work, encouraging and inspiring change.
To this end, I needed a strong but flawed lead character who my readers would find endearing yet relatable. Miranda Blair may be the typical girl next door on the outside, but inside, she struggles with doubt and insecurity. Unfinished business from her past threatens a bright future and shortchanges her dreams.
At some time or another, haven’t we all needed to release our grip on the old to grasp something more promising? I wanted Miranda Blair’s character to confront the changes we wish to make in ourselves.
Q: The story mostly takes place in a small New England community--how important is setting to you in your writing?
A: The setting is everything! It isn’t just a place but a living, breathing character that deserves proper development in the storyline. A novel’s setting establishes its mood and timeline, foreshadows, creates obstacles, and resolves issues.
In A Hundred Days Till Tomorrow, I take the reader on a magical adventure in the quaint town of Cobblers Hill. Flowers perfume the warm New England air, the changing tides bring treasure, and a gingerbread-trimmed gazebo greets those needing rest in the town square. It’s a place where anything seems possible. For my lead character, it represents the road not taken in life.
Q: How would you describe Miranda’s relationship with her mother?
A: That’s an interesting question. I would describe the mother-daughter relationship between Clara and Miranda Blair as bittersweet and somewhat complicated.
Their dependency on one another appears as loyalty on the surface—a devoted grown daughter still residing in her childhood home to accompany her single mother and a mother desperate to spare her only child from hardships. While offering a false sense of security, they each become a crutch—an excuse to accept unknowns and live with limitations.
It is an enabling relationship that yields complacency rather than growth.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the novel?
A: As an author, I offer readers a pleasant distraction from life’s strife. But I also strive to be a beacon of hope and inspiration through my writing—an honor and privilege I take to heart. Each sentence is conveyed with my readers’ best interests in mind so they breathe lighter and feel freer when reaching the final page.
If my novel positively influences them—providing encouragement and instilling faith—I have accomplished my goal. No matter how subtle, change can impact tomorrow.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am writing my second women’s fiction novel, Bringing Back Yesterday, which again offers renewed perspectives and second chances. Everything I sign my name to must somehow empower and inspire. While pursuing creative outlets and ways to connect with others, I recently became a Long Island Romance Writers member.
I plan to continue volunteering as a wish granter for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York to bring hope and joy to others.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Writing my debut novel wasn’t about crossing an item off a bucket list. On the contrary, it represented a new beginning in my life that I hoped would encourage MORE items to be added to that list.
You see, becoming an author tossed me way beyond my comfort zone to an unfamiliar place I had never visited. I had to learn to navigate through adversity and self-doubt as the characters did in my storyline. I had to overcome familiar obstacles and persevere during challenging times.
As I have grown from these experiences, I hope my readers, too, find A Hundred Days Till Tomorrow cathartic. I want them to believe anything is possible.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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