Rachel asked Kelly Rimmer:

Hi Kelly, Before I Let You Go: Do you have personal experience with addiction (with a sister, yourself, family member)? (Hope not too personal of me to ask). The relationship, dialogue, and interactions between the sisters seems very authentic to me (having been there myself as the ‘fixer’ sister). How did you research the experience of addiction from each of the sister’s perspectives? Thank you.

Kelly Rimmer Hi Rachel! Thanks for your question. I'm the 'fixer' sister in my family too, for better or worse, although very happily none of my siblings have battled with addiction. Certainly some aspects of Lexie's desperation to make things better for the sister she so loves were inspired by how I have felt when my own siblings have had other struggles. As you might have read in the author's letter at the back, I did lose an uncle to addiction some years ago, which sparked my interest in the topic. I also did many months of research into addiction and family dynamics to shape the story in a (hopefully) realistic way. I really hope you enjoyed the book and thanks again for the question! Kelly

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