Murder at the Aphrodisia follows a former soap-opera star whose grand reopening of her restored beach mansion turns deadly. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

This book is a sequel to my first book, Death by Chaos.  It picks up 10 years after Tasha and her friends help solve a cold case and thankfully, put all the chaos behind them.  I originally planned to make that book a one-off but over time, I found myself missing these vibrant characters.  Plus, readers kept asking me if there would be any more stories.  The characters are now 10 years older and wiser, so I wanted to place them in a more grandeur environment and have them rely more on their individual skills to solve a mystery.  Plus, they are goddesses, so I wanted to create a scenario where they would be dressed in their appropriate togas.

What made you want to tell a mystery through such a strongly character-driven lens?

I tend to write stories that I would want to read.  I am attracted to fun, colorful, witty characters who somehow always seem to get into a mess and then needs to use their wits to get out.  I also enjoy dialogue.  Just the way characters speak to each tells volume about their dynamics, and their reactions to discovering a crime scene or new evidence helps move the plot along.  

How did you balance the mansion’s glamour with the darker secrets hidden within it?

From the beginning I wanted the mansion to be a main character.  I spent hours researching famous Hollywood mansions and home remodeling articles.  Tasha spent years and a fortune renovating a dilapidated mansion on the beach, restoring it to its glory.  But all the fresh paint in the world cannot hide the dark history, nor the tendency for history to repeat itself.  

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

I have just started my fourth book and much to my surprise, I am creating new characters in a new environment.  It may be because I have recently attended school reunions, have reconnected with childhood friends, and have had some wonderful visits with cousins, that I have decided to embrace my Polish heritage and create a mystery that forces my main characters to revisit and reexamine her childhood, the good, the bad, and the ugly.