I don’t know any author who doesn’t fantasize about their book becoming a movie. The more delusional among us dream of being asked to write the script – “Only you can bring it to life onscreen!” – having a director’s chair with our name on it, gossiping in our trailer with makeup and wardrobe. And of course, we’ll have final word on casting and become best friends with the star. I’ve cast every mystery I’ve written, and The Wharton Plot is no exception. John Lithgow for Henry James was obvious. For Edith Wharton, I dithered over Olivia Colman vs. Laura Linney. But there is only one actor I feel is crucial to the success of the film. Derek. Like other megastars – Cher, Prince, Diana – Derek goes by a single name. Also, he is a dog. Better known to the world as Tricki Woo, the pampered Pekingese on All Creatures Great and Small. In 1911, Edith Wharton was considering a number of changes in her life. Among them: what kind of dog she favored. For many years, she was a devout Chihuahua lover. But around this time, she made a radical shift to pekes. I have been wanting to…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE LINDBERGH NANNY 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The most famous kidnapping in American history as told by one of its key protagonists. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The crime took place in New Jersey, so the setting was decided for me. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely, although she strikes me as someone who would be a bit guarded at first. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Sharp witted. Loving. Emotionally bruised. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I knew the bare facts of the Lindbergh kidnapping, but I had no idea the staff of both the Lindbergh and Morrow houses came under intense suspicion. One committed suicide, another was institutionalized, another died young, and a fourth just disappeared. The Lindberghs, of course, were primarily affected, but this crime ruined a lot of lives. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I try to get to 100 pages and then I start writing one new page a day and revising two. With certain projects, I run…