Maeve O’Shaughnessy has been writing novels to great critical acclaim for twenty years without ever making a public appearance. But when her publisher insists she begin promoting her own books, Maeve, a recluse with anxiety disorder, cannot face such a terrifying ordeal. Instead, she recruits her identical twin, Margaret, to be her public persona.
Despite her misgivings, Margaret—recently divorced and in need of income—agrees. Problems quickly arise, from being recognized by acquaintances to falling in love with a man who hero-worships Maeve. With every talk or book signing, the line between her own identity and her sister’s blurs a little more. When Maeve is critically injured in a car accident, Margaret faces the most harrowing decision of all: Will she continue to live as Maeve, or will she take possession of her own life and become the woman she was always meant to be?
This is a book about sisters, about twins, about love and family and loss, about finding your true identity. It’s for everyone who has ever lost herself in caring for other people. It’s for every writer who has ever wished for a clone to do publicity for her. It’s for my sister, the extrovert in the family, who has always taken care of me (though I’m not as dysfunctional as Maeve, by a long shot—I hope!).
For all my Santa Cruz County and Bay Area friends, it’s also a book about living in our little corner of the West Coast. And it’s a book about faith, in a subtle way, as personified by the character of Fr. Sergius, Margaret’s lodger who becomes her friend and unofficial spiritual adviser. He seems to be everyone’s favorite character, though he wasn’t part of my original plan for the book (that happens a lot). I hope you will love him too.
I wrote this book back in 2010 or thereabouts, before I took a pause on writing this kind of fiction (whatever this kind is) and started writing salable mysteries. Various publishers liked it but didn’t think it fit their niche. I’m grateful it’s finally found a niche with Chrism Press.
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