When I started writing my flagship series, Mirror Estate, I honestly didn’t know what to expect.
I created a cast of characters, hoping readers would enjoy spending time with them as much as I enjoyed creating them.
What surprised me most wasn’t that readers connected with the series. It was that they connected so strongly with certain characters.
As the author, I like them all. After all, I created them. But readers often have their favorites, and those favorites aren’t always the ones I expected. Some readers identify with Dylan. Others tell me they love Fr. Phil, Olivia, Jamie Beth, Charlie, or one of the many recurring investigators.
It’s fascinating to watch characters take on lives of their own through the eyes of readers.
From the beginning, I also knew what kind of stories I wanted to write.
I’ve read widely over the years, but I’ve always been drawn to mysteries, suspense, and thrillers. Those are the stories that keep me turning pages, so it felt natural to write in the genre I love most.
I also knew I wanted my books to be clean. Suspense doesn’t need profanity to create tension, and I wanted my novels to be stories readers could recommend with confidence to family and friends who enjoy clean fiction.
Another important decision was to create a diverse cast of characters. Mirror Estate includes people from different backgrounds and cultures because that’s the world we live in. Olivia, for example, grew up in Hong Kong when it was still a British territory. Her background shapes the way she sees the world and the experiences she brings to the story.
Finally, I wanted to portray Catholic characters authentically.
Over the years, I’ve watched countless television shows where priests, nuns, and Catholic life didn’t quite ring true. Sometimes those portrayals were simply inaccurate. Other times, they seemed to rely on familiar stereotypes.
I wanted to do something different.
Faith is part of who many of my characters are, just as it is for many people in real life. That doesn’t mean my novels are sermons. I don’t stop the story to preach or quote Scripture. Instead, I simply try to portray Catholic characters as real people with strengths, flaws, doubts, humor, courage, and compassion.
Looking back, I realize those early decisions shaped far more than one series.
They shaped the kind of author I wanted to become.
And every book I write continues to reflect those same values.