India, Sept. 21 -- You have worked with women with learning disabilities. How did your experiences as a volunteer help you develop the central character of your novel?

Gloria is not based on any person, but my voluntary work gave me more of an understanding of what life can be like for an adult woman with learning disabilities (LD). Before volunteering with adults, I spent a long time working with kids with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Getting to know many different individuals with LD, over the course of many years of my life, gave me the experience to be able to create an original character with LD.

Gloria Don't Speak provokes readers to think of the unexpected as they follow the story.

I'm not sure about this. ...