I mean, why be normal when you can be super weird, right? After mulling it over for a while, I came up with the idea that Caleb would be delusional and think he was an angel. Depression/suicidal tendencies is definitely one reason (for Anna), but I wanted something super weird for my other character. I knew I wanted the setting for my book to be in a psychiatric hospital just because they kind of scare me and intrigue me at the same time.Īs I was creating my characters, I needed to come up with a reason as to why they might be there. I’ve always been fascinated by psychology (I took a ton of psych classes in college). What was your inspiration for Straightjacket, and how did you work to make it stand out from other angel books? Here are her answers to my burning questions. It took a completely different turn than I thought it was going to, which is so, so refreshing in today’s world. This was the kind of book that really surprised me. And Anna has to decide if she should follow her heart, or if Caleb’s really as troubled as his doctors say…

But just when it seems they’ve created heaven on earth, Caleb’s past emerges full force, threatening to destroy their tiny, blissful world. The doctors, however, are convinced that Caleb is delusional.Īnna doesn’t want to be that girl who’s in love with the crazy guy, but when she sees his stunning portraits of her and the way he risks everything to keep her safe, she can’t help but imagine a new future for both of them, filled with hope. He swears his mission is to help Anna break free from her parents’ control and fulfill a destiny that she can only dream of. Forced into a psychiatric hospital, she can’t imagine a future that’s anything but bleak-until she meets Caleb, a gifted, 19-year-old artist who insists he’s an angel. Today I have the pleasure of hosting Meredith Towbin, author of STRAIGHTJACKET.Įighteen-year-old Anna has lived her whole life in shame, losing herself in books to cope with crippling panic attacks triggered by her abusive parents.

Straight Jacket by Meredith Towbin