Ask the Author: Mara Jane
Answered Questions (21)
Mara Jane
New York wasn't chosen by accident. I lived and worked there for several years, so many of the places in the book are inspired by real locations and experiences. The story itself is fiction, but I wanted New York to feel alive because, in many ways, it becomes another character in the story.
It's a city full of money, power, ambition and temptation, and all of that shapes the decisions people make. I honestly don't think this story could have happened anywhere else. New York gave Nick and Isabelle the perfect world for their story to unfold.
It's a city full of money, power, ambition and temptation, and all of that shapes the decisions people make. I honestly don't think this story could have happened anywhere else. New York gave Nick and Isabelle the perfect world for their story to unfold.
Mara Jane
Nick and ISABELLE were in love. Frank was Isabelle’s friend. These are two completely different situations. I can’t even compare the feelings these two men had for Isabelle.
Mara Jane
Isabelle is one of the people I admire most because she never realized how strong she really was. She had no idea, but she showed all of us that she was stronger than most people we will ever meet. She refused to let life break her. She never stepped back from any situation. She always found a solution to every problem, and most importantly, she never gave up on herself. She never settled. To me, Isabelle was Achilles in a woman's body. And Achilles is my idol.
Mara Jane
Thank you, Valens. Without a doubt, it was the chapter "To Hell and Back" in Life As It Is. It wasn't the easiest chapter for me to write, because the emotions behind it were very real. That chapter probably reflects me more than any other because, after trying to pretend and run away from the truth, I realized that the truth always catches up with you. There is no point in running from it.
Mara Jane
Thank you, Warrick. Yes, that was exactly the message I hoped people would take with them. None of us is perfect, and life will knock us down more than once. The important thing is not to stop moving. Every ending is the beginning of another chapter. As long as you're moving forward, you're still living. Life is beautiful, but it's short, so never stop moving.
Honestly, I am really happy you got the message.
Honestly, I am really happy you got the message.
Mara Jane
I think they genuinely loved each other, but the timing was wrong. They met in New York in the 90s, and love wasn't easy in that world. They were also both strong personalities, and both wanted to be the alpha in the relationship. Sometimes love is enough to bring two people together, but it isn't always enough to make them stay together.
Mara Jane
Yes, she surprised me many times. April was never meant to be just Isabelle's best friend. The more I wrote, the more she became her own person. She made me laugh, she annoyed me, and sometimes she even said the things I didn't expect. The funny part is that April isn't an invented character. She was a real person, and she was exactly like that. That's probably why she feels so real to so many people. I'm happy readers love her, because I do too.
Mara Jane
I hope people realise that love alone isn't always enough. Trust, honesty and timing matter just as much. Nick and Isabel genuinely loved each other, but every decision they made carried consequences, and once trust starts to disappear, love has a very difficult job to do. If there is one thing I hope people take away from their journey, it's that every choice matters, and who we become is shaped by the choices we make.
Mara Jane
The final conversation between Isabel and April. April refuses to let Isabelle see herself as a victim and forces her to face the truth. That scene carries the biggest piece of my own heart because sometimes the hardest conversations are the ones that finally set us free.
Mara Jane
Definitely Nick. I thought I understood him when I started writing, but he kept making decisions that surprised me. By the end of the trilogy, he had become far more manipulative and emotionally complex than I had ever planned.
Mara Jane
I hope they're still thinking about Isabelle. More than anything, I hope that whenever life puts them in a difficult or frightening situation, they'll remember her and think, "If Isabelle could get through that, so can I." If this story gives even one person the courage to take one more step instead of giving up, then I've achieved exactly what I wanted as a writer.
Mara Jane
For Isabelle, my first question would be: "After everything you've been through, did you finally find what you were looking for? And are you truly happy now?"
For Nick, I'd have only one question: "How do you sleep at night?" We all make mistakes because we're human, but by the end of the story, some of his choices crossed a line. I'd genuinely want to know whether he ever found peace with what he did.
For Nick, I'd have only one question: "How do you sleep at night?" We all make mistakes because we're human, but by the end of the story, some of his choices crossed a line. I'd genuinely want to know whether he ever found peace with what he did.
Mara Jane
Yes. Looking back now, the conversation that means the most to me is the one between Isabelle and April near the end of the trilogy. April finally tells Isabelle to stop seeing herself as the victim. She reminds her that she knew exactly what kind of game she was stepping into from the beginning. Nick didn't destroy her—he could only play the game because she chose to play it too. For me, that's the turning point of the whole trilogy. It's the moment Isabelle has to stop blaming the world, take responsibility for her own choices, and finally move forward.
Mara Jane
Yes, it was. One thing life has taught me is that it never waits until we're ready. Love doesn't, heartbreak doesn't, loss doesn't, and neither do the opportunities that can completely change our lives. Isabelle spends much of the trilogy trying to catch up with everything life throws at her, and I think many of us have felt that at some point.
Mara Jane
Yes, I do miss them. Very much. After spending so much time with Isabelle, Nick, and the rest of the characters, they became part of me in a way. But I also think that is the beauty of writing a trilogy — even when the story ends, the characters don’t really leave. They stay with you, and hopefully with the people who read them too.
Mara Jane
Thank you so much for your kind words. Of course you can follow me, and I'm happy to have you here. Readers like you are the reason I keep writing. ❤️
Mara Jane
They were never meant to be normal average people living normal lives 😅 Isabelle, Nick and Joe are young, successful, rich, living in Manhattan surrounded by money, obsession, temptation and everything they want. Of course they stand out. That’s exactly why they became the characters of my story.
The interesting part though is that being pretty is not enough. They all carry their own baggage of shit and can be emotionally completely unstable sometimes ❤️
The interesting part though is that being pretty is not enough. They all carry their own baggage of shit and can be emotionally completely unstable sometimes ❤️
Mara Jane
I think people often confuse toxic love with fake love, but toxic love is still love. Sometimes it’s actually the strongest kind because it comes without logic, balance, or control.
In the beginning, Isabelle and Nick were genuinely in love, almost like two teenagers discovering emotions for the first time. The problem was not the love itself. The problem was everything that came after... fear, jealousy, pride, power, mistakes, timing. But yes, they were very much in love.
Some relationships are destroyed not because the feelings weren’t real, but because they were too intense.
In the beginning, Isabelle and Nick were genuinely in love, almost like two teenagers discovering emotions for the first time. The problem was not the love itself. The problem was everything that came after... fear, jealousy, pride, power, mistakes, timing. But yes, they were very much in love.
Some relationships are destroyed not because the feelings weren’t real, but because they were too intense.
Mara Jane
It gave me my 'unfiltered' voice. In that environment, you learn to see people for who they truly are, without the masks. When I moved into the 'High Life' of London and New York, I realized people there wear masks too—they’re just more expensive. My time in Atlanta taught me that love and survival are the same thing, and I brought that intensity to Nicholas and Isabelle’s relationship.
Mara Jane
More than I’d like to admit! While the plot is fiction, the 'vibe' is 100% real. I’ve spent years navigating the social circles of Manhattan and the villas of Mallorca. I wanted to capture the specific energy of those places—the glamour, the hidden agendas, and the feeling that you’re always playing a game. Isabelle’s wit and the way she handles pressure are definitely reflections of things I’ve seen and experienced firsthand.
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