2. Many of your novels are deeply rooted in history. Faithful, however, is set in contemporary New York City. What research, if any, did you need to do to feel satisfied with Faithful? Do you find the process of writing contemporary fiction different from writing historical fiction?
A: Writing a historical novel is a huge undertaking in terms of research, but all novels require emotional investigation. Faithful happened to take ten years to write—I wrote between writing other novels—and so I really got to know Shelby in a deep way. I lived with her for a long time.
3. When you’ve finished writing a book, do you ever wish you could revisit a character you’ve focused on? Do you think your characters reappear in any novels? Do you think you’ll consider writing a sequel to Faithful or do you think Shelby’s story is complete for readers?
A: I always feel that when a novel ends, the future of the characters belongs to the reader. Because the reader and writer share the novel, we all experience it in our imaginations. I have written a sequel to a novel called Green Angel, and enjoyed it. But for me, Shelby’s story ends on the last page of the novel. The rest is up to the reader.
4. You were born in New York City and grew up on Long Island. Did you spend time in New York City as a twentysomething like Shelby did? Is her hometown similar to yours?
A: I grew up in Valley Stream, where Maravelle buys her house, and spent much of my twenties in Chelsea in New York City, where Shelby lives with Ben and later by herself. Many of the places Shelby loves are places I love—Strand Book Store, the Half King, Union Square, the Hudson River. I wanted her to be in real places and to give her a map that I knew well.
5. Can you tell us what you’re working on now and what readers can look for next?
A: I’m at work on a prequel to my novel Practical Magic. The Rules of Magic is set in New York City in the sixties and tells the story of the aunts, Frances and Jet, when they were young. It’s great to be writing about the Owens family again and to see another side of these characters that I loved.