I was born in Germany and raised in the U.S. Even here in the U.S. I’ve moved around a lot and know what it’s like to be new to a community. I suppose that’s why I often write about outsiders. Each time I’ve moved, I felt excitement about exploring a new place, all the intriguing nooks and crannies, and yet oddly alone because no matter where I went, I knew I would not see a single familiar face.

When I wrote the first two books in my Outsiders mystery series, I consciously drew upon those feelings. Surprisingly, as I work on edits of my next two books, Liars’ Games and Cobblestone, I find that those feelings have infiltrated those books, as well, even though they aren’t part of the series. It wasn’t really a conscious plan. I’m not sure what this says about me, though I do realize I’m an introvert and find it sometimes difficult to make friends.

Something else that has surprised me is that ever since my first book In the Shadows: An Outsiders Mystery was published, I keep hearing the phrase ‘in the shadows’ on television–in TV shows and movies. I don’t know if it’s because it’s a common phrase, or if it’s because my mind zeroes in on the phrase now.