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Behind the Writing of Before the Whispers

Tell us about the background for the theme, what inspired it or why you wanted to write in this setting, or with play with these tropes?

I wanted to write about the kind of woman who gets told, somewhere around fifty, that the interesting part of her life is behind her — and quietly disagrees. Evie has already had a whole first act: a global career, a marriage, a loss. Annapolis is where she starts the next one, and the town turned out to be the perfect setting, because Annapolis is itself a place whose most important chapter is supposedly over. Before Washington, the Chesapeake was the center of early American commerce and power, and Annapolis was the capital — the bay was the highway. That history is still in the water and under the floorboards, which felt exactly right for a story about second chances and about the things that get buried and don’t stay buried. The camellias came from the same instinct: they bloom in late winter, when almost nothing else will commit to it. The right flower for Evie, and for the book.

Are any of your characters based on real people you know?

There are people in my real life who have, in pieces and in spirit, inspired the characters on these pages. The fiction is fiction, but the warmth, the wit, and the particular ways each of them move through the world have quietly found their way onto the page. The furbabies who inhabit Evie’s world come straight from my own – the ones still here, and the ones whose pawprints I carry with me. They are the only characters in these pages who kept their full names, their appearances, and their personalities exactly as they are. It felt right.

Tell us about character traits that were fun or hard for you to include in the book.

While my book characters are inspired by real-life characters, several traits sprinkled throughout them are my own. An early fan-favorite is Frederick. He’s theatrical and opinionated, and funny. He is loosely based on a few of my dearest adult male friends. But the things Frederick loves? Those are mine. The kid who asked for a dictionary for Christmas. The one who kept a running list of favorite words in a notebook. The one who joined a Young Historians Club in seventh grade. The adult who still watches Ken Burns on a Friday night and feels inspired. My kids tease me about all of this, but Frederick is unbothered. Evie’s shop dream. For most of my adult life, I’ve talked about opening a shop called Books and Coffee and Flowers and Wine. I haven’t yet. So, I gave it to Evie. Dash is loosely based on a lifelong friend. In the book, he calls Merlot “the cargo pants of wine.”
In real life, after meeting a guy I’d gone on a date with, he said, “He’s fine. But he’s like a Subaru. Do you want to date a Subaru?” I didn’t, and he knew it. I clearly have excellent taste in friends, and at that time, questionable taste in dates.

Create a playlist with 5 to 10 songs with the below in mind:

I listen to music constantly and come from a family full of musical talent. Being a Gen-Xer, it’s all about the 70s and 80s. I personally love music from all eras, including today. Also written into the book is a basement lounge/bar called The Cellar. In my Substack writings, I have shared a playlist and cocktail pairing from a night at The Cellar, along with a Spotify link to the playlist. Evie also has a Dance-it-out scene that allows me to focus on a favorite, which hopefully readers will hear as clearly as I did while I wrote it. Here’s a list of favorites (mine & characters in the book):

• “Let’s Go Crazy" – Prince
• "Landslide" – Fleetwood Mac
• "The Boys of Summer" – Don Henley
• “The Tide is High” – Blondie
• “Don’t Change” – INXS
• “In a Big Country” – Big Country
• “Everybody Wants You” – Billy Squier
• “Better Be Good to Me” – Tina Turner
• “Misunderstanding” – Genesis
• “Radio Ga-Ga” – Queen

Were there any alternate endings you considered?

I knew that I didn’t want to jump into the series with full cozy mystery standards – there is no dead body early. In the end, I went with an epilogue to tee up book one of the series a bit differently than I originally imagined the prequel’s story to end.

Which scene, character or plotline changed the most from first draft to published book?

The biggest change was the season. I had originally begun writing for a Christmas/Winter release, and as I dug in, I realized I wouldn’t make it on that timeline. So, I had to take the first five chapters and de-winter them…leaning into a Spring release. This was a happy accident, as a Spring Awakening dovetailed nicely with my main character’s rebirth into her new life, but I was challenged by stray “chill” and winter descriptions that had to be changed. It was also painful when I’d invested in the sights, scents, and feelings for five chapters and many months. In the end, it worked so much better.

Which of the side characters would you love to explore more, or turn into a main character in another series?

Frederick and Ms. Hattie’s voices are singular in my mind and fun to write. Rather than characters, the next book introduces a character who works at the Smithsonian. I love museums, art, and travel – that I could see being central to another series. My main character, Evie, was a travel executive, so I could see a focus on her or someone from her earlier life focused on international locations.

What special knowledge or research was required to write this book?

Well it was my first published book, so I read several sources about cozy mysteries, plotting, writing in general. It was a wonderful learning experience that unfolded as the story unfolded. Specific to the storyline – more background than I expected for a cozy. The 1920s thread runs on real history — Maryland was the only state in the country that never passed its own Prohibition enforcement act, and Governor Albert Ritchie opposed federal Prohibition openly across four terms. The Chesapeake’s maze of coves made it ideal rumrunning country, and speakeasies ran quietly up and down the coast. The women who built lives in that underground economy are mostly missing from the official histories, which is exactly why I wanted them in this one. The maritime side is real too — Annapolis genuinely gives old ships back to its mud; a two-hundred-year-old wreck surfaced near the Route 50 bridge not long ago. I did the reading so the invented parts would have something true to lean on. The hidden room in the Victorian, where the Victorian sits in the real geography, I’ll confess, I made up. Annapolis natives will know which is which.

What’s the strangest thing you had to do to create this story?

I wouldn’t say ‘strange,’ but everything about bringing this story to life was unique to me. The root of the story, Three Sisters as a shop with a history, came to me over thirty years ago. While pregnant with my first daughter, I had vivid dreams and decided to write them down. I’ve carried that story with me for decades, and so the voice and the visuals were in my head, and I drew from that inspiration for this story.

What do you hope readers will take away from this story?

That the most interesting chapter might be the one you haven’t written yet. Evie isn’t winding down — she’s sharpening — and I’d love readers, especially women somewhere in the middle of their own lives, to feel that as permission. I also hope they close the book wanting to belong to a place like Three Sisters: a town that takes you in, two good dogs, and a found family that shows up without being asked. And maybe a small, stubborn faith in the things that outlast what should have ended them. Camellias bloom in the cold. So do people. The multigenerational friendships are important to me, too. I’ve been fortunate to have them throughout my life and they have been, and continue to be, enriching and interesting.

Was there something major that happened in your personal life while writing this?

My eldest daughter and son-in-law had their first baby while I was writing this book. I’m the eldest daughter of an eldest daughter and a long line of eldest daughters going back generations. My eldest daughter had her first baby, also a girl! So very exciting to be a grandmother for the first time, and lean into that strong female line at the same time.

A Recipe to go with the read:

Backstory: A nod to two of the coziest bites in Before the Whispers — the lemon scones Paloma brings in for breakfast, and the strawberries-and-cream cookies Emily makes for the Twilight Garden Walk. This recipe folds them into one: lemon zest, fresh berries, a little love letter to coziness.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
• 2/3 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tsp coarse sugar

Method:

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until coarse and crumbly; stir in the cream until just mixed.
2. Knead five times on a floured surface; add strawberries and gently knead five more.
3. Shape into an 8-inch circle, brush with egg, sprinkle with coarse sugar.
4. Cut into 8 wedges, two inches apart on a parchment-lined sheet.
5. Bake at 425°F for 10–15 minutes, until golden. Serve warm.

I’ve made these scones and posted the recipe to TikTok, & they’re among my most popular when shared with friends, family, and colleagues.

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Synopsis:

Some houses keep their secrets longer than others.

When Evie Simmons trades her corporate career for a Victorian fixer-upper in Annapolis, she’s looking for a quieter life — strong coffee, opinionated dogs, and the slow art of building something that matters. What she finds is a locked cabinet that won’t open, a draft of cold air rising from beneath the floorboards, and a story her new home has been waiting to tell.

In Annapolis, the past is never quite past. Three sisters once built something quietly extraordinary here — a refuge, a community, and a love story shaped by the times they lived in. With the help of a sharp-tongued event planner, a theatrical bookseller, and a Naval Academy historian with kind eyes, Evie begins to uncover what her house has been holding back. Some stories don’t end. They simply wait for the right person to find them.

But spring in Annapolis carries more than blooming gardens and harbor light. As Evie settles into the rhythm of her new life, the present begins to whisper too — and not every story is ready to be put to rest.

Coastal mysteries. Second acts. Women who refuse to fade quietly.

Before the Whispers is the prequel novella to the Annapolis Wharfs & Whispers cozy mystery series. Book 1, Shadows on the Water, arrives Fall 2026.

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