Sometimes we give in to the temptation to create characters who are just a little too ... everything. In this story, the reader might see Maria as one of those over-the-top personas. She's rich, a gourmet cook, a champion horsewoman, a competitive body-builder, a manic cyclist and a stellar photographer. Too good to be true ... except it is. She's my neighbor and friend in real life. Not only that, her partner in both real life and in the book is Sandy, a recently retired schoolteacher, and my golf buddy. Sandy was the high bidder in an auction to raise money for breast cancer research, and the prize was to be a character in Photographs of Claudia. I'm really glad to have the chance to contribute in my own little way to important charities and causes, and I'm especially glad Maria and Sandy fit so nicely into the story.

My editor for this book was Katherine Forrest, and I owe her the world for her help. I'll write more about that in the acknowledgment inside the book, but I'll share here that I'm learning a lot from working with her. She's made me more conscious of the visual element that was missing from my work, and in trying to stay a step ahead of her I find myself describing things in more detail. Now that I've figured out how to avoid those "needs visual" notes in the margin, I have to learn how not to go overboard so much that I get a "who cares?"

Something tells me this book might represent a milestone, perhaps the last book I write at my desk. Endless hours in my chair have taken their toll on my back and I have to explore other ways to write. We'll see how that goes in Mother Load.