fuonlyknew

MY REVIEW

Character driven stories are among my favorite to read. Getting inside their heads. Being shown their past and the actions that brought them to the present. And being shown why they did what they did. Being compelled to like or not like them. To care about them. All of that makes for a story I can immerse myself in. Walk in their shoes for a few hours. And hope for a happy ending. Or at least some answers to my questions.

The author did all of that. And she made me feel so many feels. Sadness. Joy. Anger. Despair and disappointment. And hope. She made me care about someone it was hard to care about. She even managed to make me care about someone that was no longer alive. Made me see her as an active character in the story.  That’s some good storytelling.

4 STARS

Question #1—Why do you choose to title your novel The Heaven Spot?

Answer—I opted to go with The Heaven Spot because the murder victim/ protagonist’s daughter is a graffiti artist, and “the heaven spot” is a graffiti term referring to the most dangerous place to paint a piece. Also, the protagonist, Maggie, travels to Palm Beach, Florida, to solve her daughter’s murder, and Palm Beach is a beautiful island. It’s like heaven.

Question #2—What inspired you to write this novel?

Answer—Just prior to writing The Heaven Spot, someone very dear to me passed away. I believe that experience led me to write a story centered on grief. My own experience with grief was very complicated. I wanted my protagonist’s feelings following the death of her estranged daughter to be even more conflicted. This is why I made my protagonist a soccer mom/ opioid addict. Writing coaches always say you should put your characters in horrific situations. I can’t imagine anything more horrific than losing your son or daughter when you are not in a good place with them because of the choices you’ve made.

Question #3—Your novel is set in the Palm Beach/West Palm Beach area. Have you been there?

Answer—Yes. I owned a vacation home in Palm Beach and spent five hot, glorious summers there swimming and walking on the beach. (We rented our place out during the busy winter tourist season.) I love Palm Beach Island and the surrounding areas. The wealth, mix of people, and glitzy, tropical environment lend themselves perfectly to a secret-filled mystery with lots of intrigue and drama. This is why I selected PBI for the setting of my novel.

Question #4—How long have you been writing?

Answer—I began writing when I stopped working as a therapist so I could be at home and raise my children. My children are adults now, so that was almost thirty years ago. I wanted to write what my children were reading, so I started with writing picture books. I progressed to middle-grade and YA novels. Finally, I graduated to mystery novels. I love writing mysteries, especially psychological mysteries. I suppose I’m still a therapist at heart.

Question #5—What is your next project?

Answer—I’m writing another psychological murder mystery with a female protagonist. This one is set in a church preschool in central New Jersey, and the protagonist is the preschool’s director. The story is based on an experience my mother had when she ran a preschool near Princeton in the 1980s. In my novel, one of the moms discovers that one of the preschool dads is the son of a mafia boss and that he’s changed his name and lifestyle in an attempt to distance himself from his famous Italian family. When a body is found in the local lake, rumors and accusations fly. Of course, everyone suspects the dad.

Question #6—Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you overcome it?

Answer—I don’t get writer’s block in the sense that I can’t think of something to write about. I’m a pantser, meaning I write and don’t outline my first draft. So, I guess you could say that I write through my blocks. However, I sometimes get stuck during rewriting when I realize something is amiss with my plot. When this happens, I talk out the issue with my wonderful critique group friends. They’ve taught me that most plot problems have easy fixes. Getting out into the world, living my life, and taking a break from my keyboard generates tons of ideas and solutions for me, too.

Question #7—One of the main characters in your novel, The Heaven Spot, is a graffiti artist, and another owns an art gallery. Your previous novel, The Worm Man, was about an aspiring artist. Are you a professional artist?

Answer—No. I’m not even an amateur artist, but I love visiting art museums. Also, when I was growing up, my father worked as a music professor in the fine arts department at a university. We regularly had his artist coworkers over for dinner. I spent hours listening to them talk about their projects and lives. I loved their passion. In fiction, you need passionate characters to propel your story forward. That’s likely why I’ve leaned toward writing about artists.