The Cassandra Curse follows a portrait painter as she uses her ability to peer into the soul through her art in a desperate search for her missing twin brother in the underbelly of New York City. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

My mother was a portrait painter, and painted her subjects in our home (often on Saturday mornings, when I wanted to watch cartoons on TV). I had no aspirations to follow in her footsteps, but I absorbed a lot about portrait technique, color, brush work, etc. Years later, I was writing one of my Mary Crow mysteries when the notion just popped into my head—what if someone painting your portrait could read your mind? Could see what you were thinking? It was a true bolt from the blue—I have never gotten the idea for a book that easily.

The psychological depth you bring to your characters is noteworthy. How do you delve into the minds of your characters, and what challenges do you encounter in the process?

I was in a writing class when the late, great Robert Stone said, “All plot springs from character.” At first, I didn’t believe him, but the more I wrote and read, I realized he was right. People are motivated to do all sorts of crazy things, often for reasons they don’t even understand. So as a writer, you’ve got to dig deep, figure out what hurt or pain or fear in your character’s past is affecting them now. For example, in The Cassandra Curse, Augusta is obsessed with finding her twin brother. Why? The easy answer is closure.  But really, it’s because she’s scared of being alone. Her parents are dead, her grandmother and uncle are very old, and she has just broken up with her fiancé. Conversely, her grandmother discourages Gus’s search for her brother for the same motivation. She has suffered the loss of a husband, a son and now a grandson. Now she wants to keep Augusta safe and close, at home with her. Two sides of the same coin, both totally understandable. Nobody wants to feel alone.

New York City is portrayed with such vividness in your book. How did your personal experiences or research influence your depiction of the city?

Two of my children moved to New York after college. Naturally, I visited often and grew to love the city with all its wild diversity. But the real hero of my research is my dear friend Steve Henry. He’s a Pratt graduate, and a popular writer and illustrator of children’s books. We traipsed through Brooklyn and Manhattan in the heat, in the snow, through rain and crazy weather. Steve was gracious, patient, and believed in this book back when at times, I was wondering what in the world had I gotten into. I truly cannot thank him enough.

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

I would like to finish Augusta’s story, and in fact, have booked a trip to Scotland to do some research. It usually takes me about a year to write a book, so I’m guessing 2025. But don’t hold me to that—books can be contrary. They can get a mind of their own, taking their writers on unexpected twists and turns. For me, that’s part of the fun of writing.

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