And our Sue's Clues Mystery Author is:

Our Mystery Author this time is Sandy Hingston...or Mallory Burgess... or Catherine FitzGerald - depending on which book you may be reading. Her real name is Sandy Hingston and that's the name she uses now when she is writing.

Sandy was born and raised in Pennsylvania, where she lives today near Philadelphia. She lives there with her husband, kids, and HUGE dog. *G* Sandy published her first book in 1985, changed her pen name, and wrote more books under that name until 1998. As Mallory Burgess, she wrote a dozen books. In 1998, she became herself *G*, and has written 5 books. When you read any of her books, you'll discover that her characters are diverse - not your run of the mill characters. They may be slaves, Quakers, mullato mistresses, or even a madam who runs a school for girls. All of them very realistic and often have a sense of humor. Here are the questions Sandy was kind enough to answer. I think you'll find she's got a great sense of humor herself, but then again I expect that from a fellow Pennsylvanian! *BG*!

1. You've published books under 3 different names. Is there any particular reason?

Uh ... not a flattering one! Each time I've changed my name, it's because I've been told my books don't sell well and bookstores won't order any more books by "that author." My siblings and I came up with my first pseudonym, Mallory Burgess, while we were sitting around at the seashore, drinking beer and eating crabs. "Burgess" was my maternal grandmother's maiden name, and "Mallory" was a nod to Sir Thomas Malory, who wrote the Morte d'Arthur. I've always been intrigued by Arthurian legend. My second pseudonym, Catherine FitzGerald -- used for only one book, with the WORST cover ever, a true collector's item -- was chosen by my agent at the time from a list of possibilities I sent her. "Sandy Hingston" is my real, actual name. I don't know what I'll do if my publisher tells me the bookstores won't buy any more books by her!

2. When it comes to writing, what do you think the hardest part is? The easiest?

The hardest part, definitely, after 18 books, is the love scenes. They're supposed to be (you should pardon the term) climactic; this is what we've been leading up to! But, well, ya know, there's only so much you can say! I try to find some metaphor to use throughout the scene to give it some lift and poetry, and I try to work in as much dialogue, hopefully playful, as I can, so it's not just the raw mechanics. But I do find those scenes a struggle. I know there are authors who just type in "love scene" and then go back and fill them in at the end, after the rest of the book is done. But I force myself to write them in sequence, so I can then "treat" myself to getting back to the plot! The easiest part is the beginning. For the first hundred pages or so, I just soar into all that wide-open space; I can't write fast enough. Then I realize I've written myself into a corner, and the wind comes out of my sails, alas.

3. Do you have a preference for time periods to write in? Is there a time period you haven't written in that you would like to in the future?

I've never told this to anyone before, but I'd love to try the American Civil War. I love all periods of history. As Mallory Burgess, I did a Tudor sequence that led from Henry VII up through Elizabeth. I LOVE Elizabeth I; I have a big portrait of her in my bedroom, and when my kids were little, they thought that must be a picture of my mom, who died before they were born. I also did a Scottish sequence as Mallory Burgess, leading from Robert Bruce up through Bonnie Prince Charlie, and I loved doing that, too. My husband and I spent a summer biking through Scotland, pre-children; it's one of my favorite memories. I think you just have to love a country that kept trying to sock it to the English against all the odds. Plus, the Burgess side of my family is from the Isles. The one thing I haven't got any editor to let me do yet is a book starring my Viking ancestors, Hengist and Horsa. Yah!

* I'd love to see a good Viking story! Maybe it's the names, Sandy. Change Hengist to Erik and Horsa to Gwendolyn. *G*

4. In your book, THE LOVER'S CHARM, you had several black characters and a main character, Camille, who was mullato. I read some of the feedback on this book and found that quite a bit of positive feedback about your portrayals came from black readers. Were you apprehensive writing this book and worried about how it would be received?


It never occurred to me that there might be a downside, frankly. We have black cousins in my family, and we live in a thoroughly integrated town. My husband is a jazz musician; his heroes are black. I look at my kids, who study and play beside black and Latino kids as I never had the chance to when I was growing up, and I'm jealous. They're being exposed to so many different visions and ideas and cultures. There's a couple on our block, pillars of the community, four great kids, who have been married for 40 years; she's white, he's black. To hear about what they went through, to ponder their bravery ... well, that's part of what made me want to explore the topic in THE LOVER'S CHARM.

5. THE AFFAIR: I always find it interesting to see Quakers written about in books, especially in England. What kind of research went into this? Were most Quakers really as unflappable as David seemed to be?


I'm from Pennsylvania, which was founded by the great William Penn, a Quaker, so I've always been interested in the Society of Friends. I went to school with kids whose parents were Quakers and still used "thee" and "thy." In Philadelphia, where my day job is, I'm surrounded by great institutions founded by Quakers. I always thought it was, again, so brave of the Friends to refuse to go to war, and to dare to be different. I think my portrayal of David Wrede was influenced by what my daughter, who's in middle school now, is going through. She is so worried about what others think of her, so constrained by the opinions of others. I think I wanted to write a strong, good man who didn't care what others thought as an example to her. There is a groundedness to the Quakers I've known that I tried to capture in David, a sense that they are truly serving a higher cause -- a practical unearthliness, you might say. It's a religion full of contradictions -- it is all in favor of worldly success, for example -- and that made it interesting for me to study.

6. When you're not writing, what do you like to do? Any hobbies?

I walk my dog, twice a day. He's a BIG dog, and he needs his exercise. I sew! I used to sew dresses for my daughter when she was little; then she hit her blue jeans phase, and I stopped. But just this month, she asked me -- asked me! -- if I could sew her a dress for the eighth-grade "semi-formal" dance. I did. It's gorgeous (she said modestly). So maybe I'll be doing more sewing in the future! I also love to garden, concentrating on historic varieties of bulbs, roses and annuals. And I'm wild about basketball -- I went to Duke, so March is always busy for me (Go, Coach K.!) and follow our local Sixers.

7. Are you a native of Pennsylvania?

You betcha. Born in Abington Hospital, moved to Doylestown in junior high, lived in Philadelphia for many years, now live in beautiful Pottstown. I spent four years in North Carolina when I went to Duke, but other than that, I've always lived here. I love this state! It has everything -- mountains, great rivers, farmland, access to the Shore in New Jersey, four glorious seasons. When my husband and I visited rural France, we were shocked that it looked so much like our own Montgomery County.

8. Here's a question I've always wanted to ask romance writers: What kind of reactions do you get from other parents when you tell them you write romance books - or do you?


I don't tell very many people. I've been scared off ever since my first book came out almost 20 years ago. I was in a bookstore, admiring how it looked on the shelf, when a woman came along and plucked it out and started reading the cover copy. I sidled over to her and said, "That's a really good one. I know -- I wrote it." She glanced at me, stuck the book back on the shelf, and hightailed it out of that store, clearly convinced I was a nutcake. My good friends know, of course. And I've always got lots of eager volunteers for free books. But it's not something I mention at the PTA meetings, ya know? Not because I'm ashamed of it at all -- I'm not!!! -- but because people seem a little intimidated by it. Hah! Little do they know. When The Suitor came out last year, I gave it to my daughter to read. She was 13; I figured she was old enough at last to really find out what Mommy does. I wasn't sure she'd plow through it all, but she did, and said she enjoyed it, and it certainly jump-started a lot of interesting conversations for us about men and women and the differences between them, and aspirations, and family approval, and that sort of thing. I didn't ask her what she thought about the love scenes. But considering what society throws at young people, I figured it couldn't do any harm.

Thanks Sandy!