I’ve spent more than 35 years working in communications and public relations for nonprofits and the United Nations—work that deepened my understanding of humanity, justice, and compassion. In 2010, I turned to fiction, drawn to explore those same themes through story. I’m the author of two historical novels, The Last Suppers and Forgiveness Road, and a young adult novel, Burn Girl—each one rooted in resilience, redemption, and the quiet strength of the human spirit.
I’d had one novel published in 2015 but was stuck in deciding what to write about next—really stuck. An out-of-town insomniac guest would often do deep dives into myriad topics on the Internet. She ran across a website that listed Texas death row inmates’ last words and last meals. She was my spark. I immediately wondered what would happen if a prison cook became obsessed with preparing meaningful last meals. We talked about this for hours. I decided to set the novel in 1950s Louisiana because the issues of poverty, race, and social injustice would be characters in their own right. I mentioned to a cousin that I’d like to include recipes from the era. She sent me two tattered cookbooks that inspired a recipe appendix in the novel. The Last Suppers was published in 2018 and is the novel I am most proud of.
~ Mandy~
