Forgotten Secrets of the Tuscarora Eye follows an eleven-year-old girl and her best friends as clues inside an old North Carolina house lead them into generations of family history and the mystery surrounding the Tuscarora Eye. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Forgotten Secrets of the Tuscarora Eye, like the other books in the Hannah Hallie Hawkins History Mystery series, was born out of a desire to inspire young people to research their family history earlier rather than later. The hope is that these stories, while entertaining, will plant seeds that spark curiosity and lead to discoveries that serve them throughout their lives. What better place to make genealogy discoveries than in an old Victorian mansion that has been in the family for generations?

Why did you want Hannah’s search for answers about her ancestors to unfold alongside her questions about who she is becoming?

At age eleven, Hannah is exploring her sense of self and trying to understand her place in the world. Her ancestors’ stories add a new layer to her own identity. At one point, after learning of a brave ancestor in her bloodline, Hannah”channels her inner ancestor” to boost her own bravery in a scary moment. 

How did you approach incorporating Tuscarora history and heritage into a fictional mystery for young readers, and what do you hope young readers learn about approaching another culture’s history with curiosity and respect?

After researching Tuscarora history, I connected my protagonist to that history through a shared eye color that once marked soneone as an outcast. I hope young readers will learn, like Hannah did, that “It takes a thousand voices to tell a single story,” and that all of those voices and different perspectives should be considered when trying to understand another culture.

What will the next book in that series be about, and when will it be published?

The third, and last, book in the series will explore yet another gift of genealogy. The first book (Buried Secrets of the Copper Locket) focuses on strengthening family and historical connections, the second (Forgotten Secrets of the Tuscarora Eye), on how stories shape self-esteem. The last book will explore how knowledge from the past can cultivate new understandings—understandings that have the power to heal. This book, involving hidden secrets, should be out in thine for 2027 summer readi