I am back in NYC and on a whim decided that it's time to start working on the TBR pile of books on the window sill next to my bed. The way it looks in the picture below, you might think it's not that out of control, but that window sill is not the only place where such volumes reside. There is a whole bookshelf as and many unread unread purchases hanging out on shelves all over my apartment.
To start toward my goal, I chose a book I had bought at a conference of the Historical Novel Society in England about a decade ago. The author, until then unknown to me, was greatly revered by the participants, who spoke with great authority.
A few evenings ago, I finally cracked the book. To my amazement, I found I could not read it. It may be a prejudice as far as I am concerned.
Here's how I think about historical fiction: it must draw the reader back into the past and make it look effortless. The history must meld into the fiction. But in the book I had picked is clunky. It set me to thinking about what was wrong, and better way to do it. (I am not going to quote from the actual story. I do not want to vilify a fellow writer. I just want to share a better way to set the scene a historical novel.)
What I found in that writer's first scene was a powerful nobleman and one of his minions discussing the core challenge they faced. The problem is they are telling each each other facts that both of them undoubtedly already no. It was exposition masquerading as historical fiction.
To show you what I mean, here is an example of what this mistake might look like on the page. To make this easy on myself, I need you to pretend that, in 2096 you are reading a historical novel set in Washington in 2026. Let's say the characters the writer has chosen to introduce the reader to the history are two US Senators, both Democrats from Maryland. Here is their scene one, page one, meant to envelop a future reader into what life was like in 2026. Let's say the writer was born in 2046.
James Morgan closed the door softly behind him and spoke in a whisper. "Donald Trump is in the White House. He was re-elected, and he is overstepping his bounds. He is ignoring the rule of law. We are both senators, but our party is in the minority."
His fellow Senator from Maryland, Joanne Burns, shook her head. "There are people on the left who are getting violent. People on our side have been attacked and harmed. Some have been killed."
You get it. This style of writing does not draw the reader in. It informs him and pretty much the same way a history book would.
A good way to avoid this is to choose characters who do not agree, so they can discuss their differences. They might argue about them. Or the writer can have one of hem enter the discussion wanting to change the other person's mind. And fail. Or change his own mind and come to agree with the person whose mind she came to change. The writer can can get the facts out by weaving them into the arguments of the characters.
Joanne Burns was afraid. She wanted convince Jim Morgan to go easy. As far as she could see, because he was the senior senator, he thought he could dictate how she would vote on the up coming bill. They both knew that, with Trump in the White House and the Republicans in the majority...
You get it.
Also with crime fiction, the writer can weave in the history by choosing the right victim, so that those who are trying to solve the mystery have to consider the facts of the history in order to solve the crime. In my third South American story, Blood Tango for instance, the victim is a young woman who is fascinated with Evita, and makes herself up to look like her. When she is found murdered, the question is was the person who killed her, trying to kill Evita? The policeman trying to solve the murder has to consider why someone would want to kill Juan Peron's woman. Thinking about the politics of the time is essential to answering that question.
To my way of thinking, a historical novelist should always be a story teller who writes in a way that the reader learns the history through the story, not next to it, but melded with it,
It’s been a rough several weeks but … fingers crossed…
things seem to be back on course.
Earlier this week , “The Campus Files” published a
deep-diving interview with me exploring A Study In Secrets, the just
published debut novel in my new “The Redacted Man” series.Sam Hunter conducted the interview and I
thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Here’s hoping you will as well in the reading.
Here is the Q&A:
On the Evolution of the
Protagonist
Q.1 Michael is a fascinating departure from the typical
high-octane thriller hero. What prompted the decision to center a new series on
a man whose primary power is his intellect and his "gentil civility"
rather than physical youth?
Answer.1We live in the time of the “high-octane thriller hero.” No
matter where you look, aggressive power dominates intellect.Be it in entertainment, business or politics.
As for “gentile civility,” good luck at finding evidence of that amid modern
social media. Call me a cockeyed optimist, but I believe the world can be
different. But only if those with the capacity for bringing about real change
choose to stand up for what they know to be right and not simply live out their
days going along with the status quo.
Q.2Michael’s
past is intentionally "redacted," leaving the reader to piece
together his history through small clues—his wealth, his service, and his loss
of a foot. As a writer, how do you balance the need to satisfy a reader's
curiosity while maintaining the mystery that defines his character?
Answer.2I
agree with the principle that curiosity keeps readers turning pages, but I also
believe a writer must be wary of an unintended opposite effect.It is an intriguing dilemma; one I confront
every day––guided by this variation on an age-old proverb: “Too much requited
curiosity will kill the cat…no matter how much satisfaction tries to bring it
back.”
On the "Imagined
Life" vs. Reality
Q.3 The book opens with Michael as a passive observer,
literally watching life through a window. The theme of "imagining"
vs. "living" is central to his journey. Was this a reflection on the
role of the novelist—creating lives for others—or was it strictly a character
choice to illustrate Michael’s self-imposed isolation?
Answer.3Actually,
it was neither. Or both. As I’m sure you’ve gathered by nowthis is a
very different sort of book from any of my Kaldis novels. This one is driven
far more by the nuances of its characters and the
intensity of their individual backstories than by the sort of grandiose
settings and unique cultural ways at play in my Greece-based Kaldis stories.
In the opening scenes of A Study in Secrets, Michael
A subtly offers his perspective on modern life and why he prefers a lifestyle
reminiscent of elegant late 19th Century living. One that provides a
firm framework for moving the storyline forward at an ever increasing, more
complicated pace. As for why I chose New York City over several other
cosmopolitan international settings I’d been considering, I settled upon NYC
because of how well I know the city and its secrets.
Q.4At the end of the novel, Michael considers
"shuttering" his window. Does this signify a permanent transition
from an observer to a participant, or is he simply trading one form of
protection for another?
Answer. 4The closing lines
of the novel reveal a subtle distinction in how Michael now views his role
compared to how he’d imagined it when the story began. Specifically:
“He’d long considered his window an impenetrable barrier between
the imagined and reality. One that allowed him to see life as he wanted it to
be, not as it had become. To imagine life left him free to be fearless and
forever hopeful. Facing reality meant confrontation, sacrifice, and risk to all
he held dear.
“But his window had failed him.
“Before it did so again, he should shutter it.
“Perhaps tomorrow.”
Yes, his choice lay
between observer and participant…existing and living…the imagined and the
actual.
And he’s not yet sure of
the path to choose. Perhaps tomorrow he will.
On Dialogue and Narrative
Style
Q.5The
dialogue in A Study in Secrets is notably formal, almost
Victorian in its precision. Even characters from rougher backgrounds, like
Angel, seem to adapt to this "gentlemanly" frequency when speaking
with Michael. Was this a deliberate choice to show how Michael’s personality
reshapes the world around him?
Answer.5I’ve long admired
Conan Doyle’s brilliant Victorian prose, and so I’m not surprised that I fell
to utilizing that style in creating the ambiance for this book.I wouldn’t say that all characters adopted
Michael’s style of speech, but without question the dialogue was meant to
demonstrate that Michael is a character very much in charge of whatever
situation he confronts.
On the Nature of "The
Treasure"
Q.6The
"Fielding Treasure" serves as the classic MacGuffin, yet its true
value remains somewhat ambiguous even as the book closes. Why was it important
for the resolution of the story to focus more on the psychological safety of
the characters than the physical contents of the package?
Answer.6Once again the
mischievous role of curiosity brings its buddy imagination into play. I’m a big
believer in utilizing a reader’s natural imagination to play a significant role
in selling my story. And that’s why I resisted editorial efforts to identify the
Fielding Treasure beyond classic MacGuffin status.My reasoning is simple: If I were to tell a
room full of readers that in a box on the table before them is the most
fearsome horror imaginable, how many different opinions will that elicit as to what’s
in the box?Some people might imagine
ten possibilities, some a hundred.But
one thing is for certain: Once the box is opened, they’ll be relieved it wasn’t
any of the other nine or ninety-nine they feared. That’s why I prefer to leave
the box closed.
On Secondary Characters
and Relationships
Q.7.The relationship between Michael
and Gabriel (the diner owner) hints at a deep, generational history involving
Gabriel’s father. How much of Michael’s backstory is already mapped out in your
mind, and how much is being discovered as he interacts with these
"remnants" of his former life?
Answer 7.I am a dedicated
seat-of-the-pants writer. When I sit down at a keyboard, I rarely have more
than a tingle in my brain of what I’m about to write that day. It’s up to my
characters to tell me where we’re off to and whether or not they’ll permit me
to intercede in ways they disagree. That’s especially true in the case of
Michael and Gabriel. The two have a lot of backstory at play in their
respective lives, that I sense they’re anxious to explore and share.Hopefully soon.
Q.8.Mrs. Baker is clearly much more than a housekeeper. In many
ways, she feels like his last remaining "handler." How does their
dynamic serve to ground Michael in a reality he often tries to avoid?
Answer 8.Once again
you impress me with your insights on the nature of my characters and their
interpersonal dynamics. Though I didn’t intend for Mrs. Baker to serve as
Michael’s “handler” I must admit that their interactions reveal a long-standing
symbiotic relationship akin to handler and asset with each doing what they must
to jointly survive a needlessly merciless and complex world.
On Future Redactions
Q.9.Now
that the "Redacted Man" has stepped out of his apartment and into the
lives of others, can we expect the next installment to peel back more layers of
his history, or will he continue to keep the reader—and his new family—at arm's
length?
Answer 9.He’s promised to tell
more but on reflection, we all know how these secret agent types can be tricky.
Last weekend was the Left Coast Crime mystery conference, held in San Francisco, a city I haven't visited in nearly 21 years--and I know this because last time I was there, I was pregnant with my son who is now 21. Here I am at a San Francisco antique shop with my sisters Kristin, who was living there at the time (left), and Jen (center), and my daughter Julia. When it came to the steep hills, Jen carried Julia piggyback when my three-year-old got tired.
San Francisco is such a striking, beautiful city. Here is the mermaid sculpture near the Ferry building. Isn't she gorgeous?
LCC is probably my favorite of the mystery conferences. It's medium-sized ... not so ginormous that my inner introvert feels overwhelmed but large enough that I feel heart-full by the end of it, seeing all my friends.
Events began with a pre-LCC night at the Best Bookstore in Union Square.
My friend Rob Osler had organized a night of flash fiction; 10 writers would read short pieces -- no more than 1,000 words -- with Fog as a character. Most people wrote about fog in San Francisco, or somewhere in the US. I wrote about fog in London. (Big surprise there, I know.) One of the readers was Sara Paretsky(!). Another was Gary Phillips(!). Others were Rob Osler, Gigi Pandian, Audrey Lee, John Copenhaver, Faye Snowden, James D.F. Hannah ... these are legends of the mystery world, people who have received Edgar nominations and NYT "best books" labels, and so on. I was the least famous person there.
Six of us had gathered beforehand to have dinner at Johnny Foley's Irish House, and I pinched myself a bit. "You're sitting across from Sara Paretsky. Don't stare," I thought to myself. But she was so down-to-earth and genuinely warm and interested in all of us that within minutes she made it easy to just relax and enjoy her company.
For those who don't know (I'm not sure who those people are, likely they are much younger than I), Sara wrote the V.I. Warshawski mysteries set in Chicago. With these, Sara revolutionized the mystery novel genre, moving women out of the supporting roles of side-kick or victim (or femme fatale, once in a great while) and casting her heroine as a kick-ass woman detective solving crimes. The first novel was Indemnity Only, and she followed it with nearly two dozen more. They're international bestsellers and have been translated into 30 languages. In 1991, there was a film made starring Kathleen Turner.
Perhaps not surprisingly, given her wonderful feminist bent, Sara Paretsky is also the first president of Sisters in Crime, the international group, established in 1987, as an advocacy group for women mystery writers. (This earned her the Woman of the Year award from Ms magazine.) Back in the 1980s, women writers in the mystery genre were not getting reviewed with the same frequency that the men were (they had numbers to back this up); and they weren't getting into bookstores the way men were. So a group of women who had gathered at the 1986 Bouchercon (good things happen at conferences!) decided they would advocate for themselves and each other. Sisters in Crime now has around 5,000 members worldwide and advocates on behalf of all writers (sisters and misters, all siblings). I've belonged to the group for years and have the honor of serving on their board.
For the Wednesday evening FOG event, we had a fabulous MC -- Elsa Touche -- and the event space at the store was PACKED, as you can see here.
We all took turns reading our pieces. (Below: Rob, Faye, Gary.)
A few days later, Sara attended the panel where I was presenting at LCC, and then she came to the book sales room to buy a book. From me. Okay, so I gave her one -- I refused to let her buy it -- and the gift came from a grateful heart. I had a difficult time in high school. I was the kid who spent my lunches in the library, so I wouldn't have to sit by myself at a table. Sometimes I'd read those V.I. Warshawski books, to feel vicariously kick-ass instead of kicked out.
And here I am, forty-five years later, with Sara herself.
Have you ever met one of your literary heroes ... perhaps one from childhood?
Blazing Altocumulus: A Fiery Sky, A Soothing Evening in Oviedo*
I moved to Spain for my mental health. Associated changes began to appear later, noticed only after familiar numbers began behaving differently.
Over time, it became difficult to ignore how living in Spain affected my health in measurable ways. Not dramatically. Not magically. But consistently.
This is not a story about a cure. It’s about what happens when the body no longer has to brace itself as often.
How Living in Spain Affected My Blood Pressure
Full disclosure: I have longstanding hypertension. My father's side has all the cardiovascular disease. It became prominent in medical school and residency training when I began my low-sodium diet. Hypertension did not disappear when I changed countries from the US to Spain. What shifted was stability.
After settling into daily life here, my readings began trending lower until I was able to drop one of my two medications and became more consistent without major medication changes or dramatic lifestyle overhauls.
Blood pressure is tightly linked to sympathetic tone. When vigilance decreases, vascular resistance often follows. Living in Spain affected my health not by curing hypertension, but by reducing the subtle daily stress responses that sustain it.
Vigilance: Living in Spain and the Reduction of Ambient Threat
Spain is not perfect. But the default posture feels less suspicious.
One moment stands out clearly a few nights after I arrived in Oviedo: a young white woman was approaching me on the sidewalk. My mind switched to Black American mode. Oh, no. I know she's going to cross the street. I was in for a surprise. Not only did she not cross the street, she passed so close that she practically brushed against me as if she hadn't even noticed me.
That reaction revealed how deeply American racial conditioning had embedded itself in my nervous system. Chronic vigilance reshapes cortisol rhythms. Cortisol reshapes blood pressure, glucose, sleep, and mood.
When vigilance drops, physiology follows.
Twice, in the early days, when I entered one of Oviedo's flagship department store, El Corte Inglés, I warily glanced back at the security guard at the door to see if he was following me with his eyes. He was not. In fact, he had shown little to no interest as I had entered the store.
Security guard at El Corte Inglés
Cortisol, Diurnal Rhythms, and Chronic Vigilance
Cortisol normally peaks in the morning, declines through the day, and drops at night to allow repair. Chronic stress disrupts this rhythm.
Among many Black Americans, studies show altered diurnal patterns—blunted morning rise, elevated daytime baseline, and insufficient nocturnal decline. This pattern correlates with hypertension, insulin resistance, and mood instability.
This isn’t about dramatic trauma. It’s about chronic vigilance.
Early in Spain, I noticed the absence of something. Walking at night, I wasn’t mentally rehearsing explanations for my presence to a citizen or police officer. Entering a department store, I expected scrutiny from security and received none.
These moments might seem minor, but physiologically, they are not. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responds to anticipation as readily as to threat. When vigilance becomes unnecessary, endocrine tone likely shifts.
Living in Spain plausibly affected my health, particularly in cortisol regulation—before I consciously named it.
How Living in Spain Affected My Depression
I have lived with long-term depression for decades. Spain did not erase that.
What has changed, preliminarily, is stability. My mood feels less reactive, and more stable. Under supervision, I am cautiously evaluating whether one antidepressant can be tapered--so far, so good! This is an ongoing assessment, not a conclusion.
Depression is neurochemical, but it is also contextual. Fewer aggravating inputs make regulation less effortful.
Olive Oil and the Siesta
When I first arrived, I found it irritating that shops closed for siesta (mostly 2-4:30 PM) and that Sundays were largely shut down. My reflex was impatience.
What! The Apple Store closed at
3:00 PM? Why?
Over time, that shifted. If everything is closed, there is nowhere to go. If there is nowhere to go, there is nothing to chase. So Sundays, when so many places are shut, it's a permission slip to sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast at a café (those don't close!), or Netflix and chill.
The culture imposed a pause and I learned to embrace it as a way to slow down..
That matters. Structural limits on productivity reduce structural arousal. Taken together, the cumulative effect is not trivial.
How Living in Spain Affected My Blood Sugar
My fasting glucose has hovered near the borderline range for years. Recently, those numbers have begun to resemble values I last saw two decades ago. The trend is encouraging, although the verdict is still out, and long-term monitoring will tell the real story.
One change has been the quality of dietary fat. In Spain, fresh, high-polyphenol extra-virgin olive oil is standard. The bitterness and peppery finish signal the presence of antioxidant content rarely encountered in typical American supermarket oils.
Olive oil alone does not explain improved glucose trends. Stress hormones likely play an even larger role.
Olive Oil in Spain vs. Olive Oil in the United States
One dietary difference deserves more precision.
In Spain, especially in producing regions, fresh extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) is widely available and often locally sourced. Varieties like Picual are unapologetically robust—green, bitter, peppery, sometimes almost aggressive to an unaccustomed palate. That peppery sensation in the throat is not a flaw; it reflects high polyphenol content, particularly oleocanthal compounds associated with anti-inflammatory effects.
For many Americans, the first taste of fresh Picual EVOO can be startling. It does not resemble the neutral, soft, sometimes flat oils commonly sold in U.S. supermarkets. It can feel sharp. Almost too sharp. That reaction itself says something.
A bottle of early-harvest Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
“Primer Día de Cosecha 2025” indicates oil pressed from olives harvested on the very first day of the season. It is extra-virgin olive oil made from the Picual olive variety, produced by the renowned Castillo de Canena estate in Andalusia. As in this case, EVOO should be in a glass bottle (never plastic) or a metal can.
In the United States, olive oil quality is highly variable. While excellent oils certainly exist, much of what is sold in large supermarkets:
Is blended from multiple countries
Has been stored for long periods before purchase
May be past peak freshness by the time it reaches consumers
Often lacks harvest date transparency
Several industry investigations over the past two decades have shown that some imported oils labeled “extra virgin” fail to meet strict chemical and sensory standards. Oxidation during transport and storage is also common, reducing polyphenol levels and altering flavor. The result is that many Americans have never actually tasted high-polyphenol, freshly pressed extra-virgin olive oil. When they do, the bitterness and throat sting can come as a shock.
Why does this matter clinically?
Polyphenols in high-quality EVOO are associated with:
Improved endothelial function
Reduced oxidative stress
Better insulin sensitivity
Anti-inflammatory activity
How Living in Spain Affected My Migraines
Finally, migraines have been another long-standing health challenge. For years, nocturnal headaches were a regular feature of my nights, often followed by daytime episodes severe enough to interrupt normal activity, including, significantly, my writing: hours looking at a laptop screen is a strong migraine trigger. This wrecked my novel-writing throughout 2025.
Under the skilled guidance of a highly regarded Spanish neurologist, that pattern has changed markedly. My nighttime headaches have fallen by roughly 75 percent, and daytime events are now far more manageable. Occasionally, a severe episode still forces me to lie down for an hour or two, but those disruptions have become uncommon.
The story is still unfolding, but the direction is encouraging. Better medical management—including thoughtful medication adjustments—may be contributing to the improvement, as may reduced stress signaling.
Migraines and depression are also closely linked. Migraines can trigger depressive episodes, and depression can lower the threshold for migraines. Stabilizing one often helps stabilize the other.
Final Thoughts
Spain did not cure my hypertension. It did not eliminate borderline glucose levels. It did not erase depression. However, all of these are trending in the desired direction. What it appears to have done is remove a layer of chronic strain.
Health is not only what we ingest or prescribe. It is also what the body prepares for. Living in Spain affected my health not through intervention, but through subtraction. And sometimes subtraction changes the numbers.
*All images by the author unless otherwise stated.
★ Don't forget to follow me on Instagram for more content @kweiquarteyauthor★
In the interests of sanity in the age of AI, I am keeping it simple today (Sunday March 1). Having been delightfully ensconced here in Florence for the past 2 1/2 months, in a couple of days I will be heading back to NYC. Getting organized to do so is a complicated process.
Keeping up with blogs has been a major challenge while here. Today, I worked out a process to get photos from my phone to my laptop. There may be an easy way to do this, but I have not hit upon it. For me today it has involved four steps worked on the phone and an iPad to the laptop, one photo at a time.
I hope you will enjoy them.
I've spent five days this past week happily hosting dear friends, one of whom hasn't been to Florence in 30 years and another who had never been here. I had the great pleasure of showing them around. One of our stops was a visit to the de rigeur Uffizi Gallery.
When visiting major museums I never try to see everything. If I do, my eyes and my brain blur over and nothing sticks. For the past several years, when visiting a museum with a large collection that I know pretty well, I decide on the theme. Earlier in this stay in Florence, I posted pictures of angels from a massive exposition. This time in the Uffizi, I decided to take pictures of books, hoping the book lovers of Murder is Everywhere would be amused.
Here they are: a smattering of the many glorious works of art in one of the most revered art collections in the world.
The gorgeous image that suggested books as the target that day.
No book here, but I could not resist putting in
Caravaggio's Medusa, since it portrays exactly
how I feel when dealing with the Blogger software.
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