Q: The epilogue to The Fate of Mercy Alban suggests that the Alban family is not entirely safe and/or finally at peace. Do you intend to write a sequel to this book that focuses on Amity and her discovery of her great-great-grandmother’s book of spells? As this is your second novel, have you considered publishing novels within a series? What do you like (or not like) about the idea of writing a sequence of related or interconnected mystery novels?
A: So far, I’ve written standalone novels, but they all follow the same basic themes. Family secrets and mysteries, a touch of the paranormal—ghosts floating around every corner or witches perched on the family tree; a big, spooky house where lots of skeletons lurk; a strong heroine who is plunged into a life-altering mystery; and a great guy who supports her as she navigates it all. So whether I write a sequel or a standalone, it will follow those themes.
Q: Before you began publishing novels you spent many years as a journalist in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis–Saint Paul. What did the profession of journalism teach you about writing and research that has been useful to you as an author of fiction?
A: Mainly, the discipline of the craft. I’m still a journalist when I’m not writing novels, and that means I write every day of my life. I’ve heard some authors say how difficult the writing process is, but for me, I’ve been writing every day for twenty-plus years, so it comes as naturally to me as breathing. That’s the upside. The downside is that writing a magazine article is very different from writing novel. As a journalist, you tell a story. This happened, then this, then that, and, ultimately, this. As a novelist, you must show it. You can’t simply say Grace is angry; you must show the reader she’s angry. It took a long time for me to learn how to do that because I’d been a journalist for so long.
Q: Who are your own favorite authors, writers of mystery and otherwise? What have you learned about writing from reading other novels? Who do you read for inspiration?
A: I have lots of favorite authors. I love M. J. Rose, Stephanie Pintoff, Katherine Howe, Sarah Waters, S. J. Bolton, Steve Berry, Dan Brown. My favorite mystery series is by Louise Penny, who writes the Armand Gamache novels set in a small town in Quebec.
Q: Do you see yourself continuing to write mystery novels, or do you think you’ll attempt a different genre? What do you find appealing about the act of writing a mystery novel? In what ways is it rewarding, and in what ways is it frustrating?
A: A very wise woman—my agent—once told me to think long and hard about the type of books I wanted to write, because if the first one was a success, I could be writing in the same genre for my whole career. I did think about it quite a lot, because I read and love all types of novels—whodunits, police crime stories, thrillers, women’s fiction, historicals, young adult fantasy—but I settled on gothic suspense because that’s where my real passion lies. And now that I have two successful novels under my belt, I feel I owe it to my readers to give them what they expect when they purchase one of my books. As a reader, I’d be very disappointed to pick up a new book by Jodi Picoult and find that it’s a bodice-ripping romance, or dive into a new Fanny Flagg and find that it’s horror. I never want to disappoint a reader. Not that novelists have to remain forever shackled to the genre of their first book, but personally, I just don’t want to stray too terribly far away. That said, I’d love to write a series mystery someday about a small town and the strange and eerie things that go on there, so we’ll see what the future brings.
Q: Are you working on a new novel? What is it about? When should we expect to see it in bookstores?
A: I am indeed! It’s the story of a woman who takes a job as a companion for a mysterious and rather eccentric novelist whom the entire world thinks is dead, set at Havenwood, an enormous, ancient mansion in the middle of the wilderness. As our heroine delves into the mystery of why this novelist dropped out of sight and stopped writing, she finds strange and unsettling connections to her own family tree and wonders why she was really brought to Havenwood. It should come out next year. Stay tuned!