The Eagle Speaks follows a couple who sift through the chaos of a splintering small town to find out who is behind the plot to destroy it. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

It’s America’s story. It’s what we grapple with every day—the systems in this country that favor some and disfavor others and our inability to talk about inequality objectively and make progress and change. It’s the current news stories. It’s my own experiences as a woman and the white half of an interracial couple for five decades and what I’ve learned in those roles.

Lester and Marian Greene are intriguing and well-developed characters. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

Marian is an optimist. No matter how bad it gets, and she’s seen and experienced a lot, she clings to the hope that the pendulum will swing toward good, justice, unity, and equality. She also loves Lester and witnesses his trauma and pain as a Black man, and she wants to make life better for him and everyone around her. She has a curious, intuitive mind and uses it.

Lester is driven by service to others. Even in the face of hatred and discrimination, he wants to serve people and his community, and he takes that role seriously. Even at risk of losing his life. Emergency workers have that kind of drive. He also grapples with depression, traumatic memories, and the darkness that many emergency workers carry within them and as a Black man in America who is well-acquainted with hatred, discrimination, and systemic racism. His love for Marian and his service to others may well be what keeps Lester going.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

Race and gender equality. What equality looks like. The aftermath of violence. The imperfections of humans. How deeply rooted racism is in our history and how it survives and thrives today. Writing diverse characters who are not stereotypical and one-dimensional nor props in the story, but are real people with real emotions, thoughts, and actions.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

The third book of A Cadence Mystery series is almost ready to be handed to my editor. It’s titled Stony Place and will be available in July 2023.

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