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Excerpt:
Maggie and Andrew approached the bar and were relieved they had arrived twenty minutes early. That is, until an attendant approached Maggie and said, “Good evening, Miss McCullough. If you would follow me, I will lead you to your private cabana. Your guest has already arrived and is waiting for you.” Maggie held up her finger and said, “I’ll be right with you.” “Certainly, take all the time you need.” The man moved to the end of the bar and waited discreetly. Maggie grabbed Andrew’s elbow and dragged him to the opposite corner of the bar. She was a little frazzled. “I am not going into a closed tent without you being able to watch me, especially since I have no idea who I’m supposed to be interviewing.” “Tell the waiter you are claustrophobic, and you need one of the side flaps on the cabana removed. That way I can keep an eye on you during the interview.” “Perfect.” Maggie summoned the waiter and explained what she needed. He seemed irritated but, without a word, walked to the cabana and unzipped the side flap, revealing an attractive man of medium build with a head of thick auburn hair lit with natural highlights of red and blond. Hair color to die for, Maggie thought. She squeezed Andrew’s elbow and whispered, “Here goes nothing.”
Andrew didn’t want her interviewee to be alerted to his presence, so keeping a respectable but short distance from Maggie, he nonchalantly whispered, “You’ll do great.” Maggie followed the attendant to the cabana where the man was sitting. He stood as she approached and held her chair out for her. She thanked him and sat. Turning toward the waiter, the stranger authoritatively commanded, “Bring the 1869 Chateau Lafite.” “Very good, sir. Will there be anything else?” “No,” he said dismissively. The waiter left. The man sitting across from Maggie said, “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lucifer, but you can call me Luc.”
“Pleased to meet you.” Maggie extended her hand. The man sitting across from her looked at it with disgust. She slowly withdrew her hand and placed it in her lap. A palpable energy radiated from him and made her skin crawl. Maggie quickly drew a protection spell in her notebook and was relieved when the unsettling sensation abated. Luc addressed Maggie. “There are a few ground rules that will need to be established before we commence.” Maggie said, “Absolutely. Please, continue.” “First, don’t speak unless spoken to. Secondly, there is a lot of information to cover and I will tell you what is important and what isn’t. Lastly, don’t be irritating. Keep your questions relevant and we will get along swimmingly.” What a dick, Maggie thought, but bit her tongue since she was positive such a comment would undoubtedly irritate him. “Duly noted.” “You may proceed and ask your first question.” Maggie jumped right in and asked, “What story do you want to set straight?” Luc chuckled. “I am not the figure humans have made me out to be and I would like to tell my side of the story.”
Interview
1. What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
Florence, without question. I went deliberately, not as a tourist, but on a
Dante pilgrimage and to trace the path Dan Brown laid out in Inferno. I
walked with The Divine Comedy in mind, aware of how history, myth,
politics, and art stack on top of one another in that city. It changed how I
think about a location as narrative. Some cities are not just settings. They
are statements.
2. What is the first book that made you cry?
Charlotte’s Web. I was too young to have language for grief, but that
book gave it to me anyway. It taught me early that love does not always save
you, but it does mean something.
3. Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Both. Writing energizes me when I am telling the truth. It exhausts me when I
am fighting it. The work itself is rarely the problem. Resistance is.
4. What is your writing Kryptonite?
Interruption. Not a distraction. Interruption. The kind that snaps the thread mid-sentence
and takes hours to reweave.
5. Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
I write under the pseudonym Selene
Greenleaf, not to hide anything, but to maintain clarity between my author
personas, as I work across distinctly different genres that, perhaps
unexpectedly, share common underlying themes.
6. What other authors are you friends with, and how do
they help you become a better writer?
My closest relationships with other writers are built around craft
conversations, not validation. The best ones ask uncomfortable questions. They
do not tell me a scene works. They ask why it has to exist.
7. Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you
trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
Both. Each book should be able to walk into the world alone. But taken
together, I want them to speak to one another. Themes repeat because the
questions repeat. Power. Truth. Who pays the price when systems protect
themselves?
8. What authors did you dislike at first but grew into?
When I first read Hemingway, I found his style very dry and couldn’t understand
why the character of Nick Adams was considered significant in literary
discussions. However, after visiting haunted sites in Key West, including
Ernest Hemingway’s historic home, where he lived from 1931 to 1939 and wrote
some of his most notable works. I gained a new perspective. This experience led
me to revisit Hemingway’s writing, and I reread The Old Man and the Sea,
his Pulitzer Prize-winning novella published in 1952, which is set in Cuba and
follows the story of Santiago, an aging fisherman’s struggle with a giant
marlin. My renewed appreciation for Hemingway’s work came from understanding
the historical and personal context behind his stories.
9. What’s your favorite underappreciated novel?
The books that stay with me tend to be the quieter ones. From Stephen King,
novels like 11/22/63 and The Green Mile showed me how deeply
emotional and human his storytelling can be beneath the suspense. From Dan
Brown, Inferno stood out not just for its momentum, but for how it wove
history, ethics, and place together in a way that lingered with me long after
the final page. Brad Meltzer’s The Book of Fate and The Inner Circle
impressed me with their focus on moral consequence and the personal cost of
political power. Even James Patterson, who is known for pace, has books where
the emotional through line carries more weight than the twists, especially Suzanne’s
Diary for Nicholas, which surprised me with its intimacy.
Those are the kinds of underappreciated novels I return to. The ones that entertain you first, then quietly stay with you.
10. As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot
avatar spirit animal?
A raven. Observant, unbothered by darkness, intelligent, and often misunderstood.
It watches before it speaks.
11. How many unpublished and half-finished books do you
have?
I've reviewed my records and found
that I have six unfinished manuscripts, but I'm making progress on them even as
unexpected challenges come up.
12. What did you edit out of this book?
Explanations. Backstory that wanted to justify itself. Anything that assumes
the reader would not keep up.
13. If you did not write, what would you do for work?
I would still be telling stories, just in another form. Maybe food writing.
Writing always finds a way.
14. Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few
people will find?
I hide historical references, moral questions, and quiet signals for readers
who are paying close attention.
15. What is your favorite childhood book?
Watership Down was the book that captivated me as a child, not just for its adventure, but for the way it gave life and voice to creatures I’d never considered heroic. The journey of Hazel and his companions taught me about loyalty, perseverance, and courage in the face of overwhelming odds. Their world felt real and urgent, and I remember being completely absorbed in their struggles and triumphs. What stayed with me most was the sense of community and hope, even when everything seemed lost, a theme that still resonates with me today.
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