Can you keep a secret? Okay, I see you all leaning forward…she’s going to tell us something big, you’re thinking. A secret. And yes yes yes, we can keep it. Really? What if—all you had to do was tell, and it would change your life? Would keeping the secret as you promised be more important? Or would you be tempted… What if—all you had to do was tell the secret—and you would be a huge success? And what if—you really thought telling my secret would make someone else’s life better? Would it be more important to keep your promise to me? Or to tell for the greater good? Okay, I don’t have a secret. (Not that I’m going to tell you today, at least.) But secrets are at the heart of mystery, and certainly at the heart of romance. Right? How many times have you wondered just how much you can really share—or SHOULD really share— with that amazing guy across from you at the restaurant table? And haven’t you wondered exactly what he’s keeping from you? Or curled up, cozy, propped up on pillows with just a downy quilt over the two of you…what have you been tempted to…

Do you get along with your mothers? Do you get along with your daughters? I know you’re speaking the same language—but how well do you understand each other? I know I’m all grown up—I’m a veteran TV reporter with 26 Emmys–but there’s still part of me that turns into a little girl when I’m around Mom. And I want to please her. But it’s not always easy. When she first started reading FACE TIME, the newest Charlotte McNally Mystery? She was not pleased. At all. She called me—I’m in Boston and she’s home in the Midwest. I could tell, instantly, it was not going to be a fun conversation. You have to imagine the "Mom" tone. Perhaps, you’ve heard it. Maybe you’ve used it a time or two yourself. Turns out, Mom was unhappy with FACE TIME. Very, very unhappy. To be sure: Mom is terrific. She’s just over 80, and is absolutely beautiful. An artist, a reader, a wonderful intellect. (She doesn’t have a computer, so she’s not reading this.) I’m her oldest daughter, and any psychologist will tell you that can cause some friction. So anyway. Why was Mom mad? She thinks I’ve “used her for art.” It’s…

My mother is so mad at me. She’s in the midst of reading Face Time, the newest Charlotte McNally Mystery. It’s just been named a Book Sense Notable Book, and it’s on the Boston Globe Best Seller list. I say: Hooray. And I expected the same reaction from my mother. But Mom, who has only read the first ten pages or so, actually said: “I’m sure that’s lovely, dear.” You have to imagine the “Mom” tone. Maybe you’ve used it a time or two yourself. Or perhaps, you’ve heard it. I’m thinking all daughters have. Turns out, Mom is unhappy with Face Time. To be sure: Mom is terrific. She’s almost 80, and is absolutely beautiful. An artist, a reader, a wonderful intellect. (She doesn’t have a computer, so she’s not reading this.) I’m her oldest daughter, and any psychologist will tell you that can cause some friction. So anyway. Why is Mom mad? She thinks I’ve “used her for art.” It’s true: Charlie McNally’s mother in Face Time is a bit—persnickety. She’s opinionated. She thinks, for instance, that Charlotte might want to give up her very successful 20-year TV career to marry some tycoon and become a tycoon wife….