Every story begins as a whisper—an idea tugging at the edge of your thoughts until it’s no longer content to be quiet. That was certainly the case with Hey, Roomie!—though “whisper” might be too soft a word for the way this book barged into my brain. The idea came early. The timing? Complicated. Hey, Roomie! was actually intended to be my second published novel, following Duality. I was already deep into the writing process when…