Note: Keep reading to the end for an extended excerpt from Savior Complex.
Every October, I find myself reaching for the comforts of fall: cozy sweaters, a cup of tea, fragrant candles, and—of course—a rewatch of Practical Magic. There’s something magic about this movie that keeps me obsessed. Maybe it’s the sisterhood. Maybe it’s midnight margaritas. Maybe it’s the belief that there’s a little magic in everything
But there’s one scene in particular that has lived rent-free in my mind for decades: the moment a young Sally Owens writes a list of impossible traits for the perfect man—so impossible she’s sure he could never exist. Because if he doesn’t exist, he won’t fall victim to the curse…and she won’t suffer a broken heart.
That moment planted a seed. And years later, it bloomed inside the pages of my romance novel, Savior Complex.
When Life Imitates Movie Magic
In Savior Complex, Nina Chance survives a traumatic experience as a teen—one that leaves her wary of ever opening her heart again. During a weekend at her grandmother’s house (complete with homemade pancakes, magic syrup, and a family viewing of Practical Magic), Nina and her cousin Jordy decide to “manifest” their dream men, just like Sally and Gillian Owens.
Only Nina has zero intention of actually falling in love.
So she writes her list with the same logic Sally used: If she makes the qualities too specific, too detailed, and completely unrealistic, she’ll never risk giving her heart away.
Her list looks a little something like this:
- He’ll make me feel safe.
- He’ll care for animals.
- He’ll listen with his eyes and ears.
- He’ll like country music.
- He’ll have deep dimples.
- He’ll have curly hair.
- He’ll have blue eyes with flecks of gold.
- He’ll have ties to San Francisco.
- He’ll love Tony Bennett.
- And he’ll call me Sugar.
Not too weird, but definitely specific enough that she was sure it would prevent her from ever falling in love.
Or so she thinks.
The Spell She Didn’t Realize She Cast
Fast-forward ten years. Nina has a chance encounter with a man—Brayden Winters—who saves her from a dangerous situation. And then he walks her home to keep her safe. During the walk, she can’t help noticing his dimples, the way his hair curls, his love for Tony Bennett, the way he makes her feel safe…and how he calls her sugar.
Once home, Nina opens her old journal and finds that list tucked inside. And suddenly, her breath catches in her throat. Because she did meet him. Brayden is the man she describes in her list.
The only problem? He has a girlfriend.
Scratch that. At a family dinner, she finds out that Brayden actually has a fiancé, and it’s none other than her cousin Jordy.
Why the “Impossible List” Still Hits a Chord
There’s something timeless and delicious about the “impossible list” love story. It taps into:
- The secret hope that the universe is listening
- The belief that fated love won’t miss us
- The magic of being seen in the most specific ways
Just like Sally Owens, Nina never expected her list to work. In fact, Nina wasn’t trying to conjure love at all—she was trying to protect herself from it.
And that’s what makes her story so heartbreakingly human and beautifully magical.
If You Love Practical Magic, You’ll Feel Right at Home in Savior Complex
My book isn’t about witches, spells, or neighborhood covens—but it is about:
- Women reclaiming their voices and learning their worth
- Found family and grandmotherly wisdom
- The unbreakable bonds of sisterhood (or cousinhood, in Nina’s case)
- Healing old wounds
- A love so fated, it almost feels supernatural
There’s no curse to break in Savior Complex, but there is a girl who must learn that she deserves safety, softness, and love—and that sometimes, the universe hands us exactly what we need, even when it’s complicated.
Read the Magical Excerpt
There’s a reason why this book is still one of my top faves that I’ve ever written. The story tells about messy relationships, imperfect circumstances, and dives into the heart of self-worth and healing. If you haven’t read it yet, this fall might be a good time to check it out.
To entice you, here’s the scene in Savior Complex where Nina realizes the truth:
Savior Complex Excerpt:
I race to the bookcase in the living room and kneel to reach the bottom shelf. There, in chronological order, is every single diary I’ve kept since I was ten years old. Seventeen years of them, to be exact. There were so many times I’d been tempted to throw them away, especially the one from ten years ago. Burn them, even, just so I could forget. But something always stopped me. Maybe it was because these were the true witnesses of my life. The only place I’d ever told the complete truth. The only place where the sins committed against my body were detailed in ways I couldn’t even tell my mother. Never even got to tell the police.
I find that journal now and flip it open. It immediately lands on the piece of paper I’d slipped between the pages. My handwriting is rushed, almost like I couldn’t get the words down fast enough—as if I was angry and determined.
Because I was.
It had been a weekend at my grandma’s house with my cousin, Jordy. She lived out of town, so these rare moments when we could hang out together were very special. It was also full of rituals. The homemade pancakes Nanna Dot placed before us, complete with “magic” syrup. The singing performances for an audience of one, even at seventeen. The late nights talking about fashion, trading gossip about our friends, and swapping stories about boys. So many boys. And snuggling with Nanna on the couch while watching our favorite movie of all time—Practical Magic.
But this weekend was different. It was weeks after the incident. Weeks after my mom advised me to keep things to myself.
“You don’t want to embarrass yourself, honey,” she’d said. I knew what that meant. She didn’t want me to embarrass her. But some part of that still stuck to me.
So I remained silent at Nanna’s house, even when she and Jordy both noticed.
“Sing with me,” Jordy begged, handing the karaoke mic to me. I watched the words on the TV roll on by, but my voice wouldn’t work.
So there was no singing that weekend. No makeup tutorials or clothing swaps. And definitely no talk about boys.
But there were pancakes, and there was Practical Magic. And as we watched the Owens sisters change their cursed witchy fate, I took comfort in the fluffy goodness smothered in spells and syrup.
“I’m manifesting my perfect man,” Jordy exclaimed after the movie, leaping up to grab some paper and pens from the kitchen. She gave one to Nanna Dot, who laughed and said she’d settle for someone to rub her feet every night, and that’s all.
“Nanna, I’ll rub your feet,” I said. “You don’t need a man.”
“Stay right there,” Jordy ordered, thrusting a piece of paper at me. “She needs a man, and so do you.”
“What about the curse? Won’t any man who ends up with us die?” I looked expectantly at Jordy, who only rolled her eyes.
“That’s just in the movie, Nina.” She pointed at my paper, then got busy on her own, not even giving me an opening to remind her that the lists were make-believe too.
Still, it didn’t stop me from playing along, but only to list qualities that were impossible to find in a man, just like Sally Owens.
I was never going to fall in love.
I included a few things that actually mattered to me, just in case something this stupid actually worked. He would make me feel safe. He’d care for animals. He’d listen with his eyes and ears.
But then came the specifics. He’d like country music and have a good singing voice. He’d have deep dimples and hair with curls I could wind my fingers through. He’d have blue eyes with flecks of gold.
I paused, my pen between my lips as I tried to think of a few more things. My grandma was now at the kitchen sink, humming as she washed the syrup from the plates.
“I left my heart, in San Francisco…” she warbled out, singing the same Tony Bennett song she always sang when she was happy. “Sugar, can you pass me that plate,” she said, pointing at my dish on the table. I handed it to her, then went back to my list.
He’d have ties to San Francisco where Nanna Dot met Grandpa, he’d like Tony Bennett, and he’d call me Sugar.
Holding the list in my hands now, my mouth drops open. It’s Brayden. From the way he saved me to the way he called me Sugar, this list is all about him. I go over each item one by one, just to make sure. Then I go over it again.
It’s him. Ten years ago, I made a list about Brayden, and I didn’t even know it. I’d even been to his ranch! And tonight, he walked me home to make sure I was safe—and I let him get away. Even though he was the man I’d conjured up all those years ago. Even though I thought he was an impossibility.
And to just prove how impossible he is…this perfect man I conjured up has a girlfriend.
F*** my life.
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