Photo Shoot for Jupiter Magazine

What an exciting day! I have to admit...I feel like a star!

Jupiter Magazine sent Jason Nuttle and Sandra Benavides to Seaspray to take photographs and interview me. I've done a lot of interviews and had my picture taken before, of course, but never had a slick magazine want to come to my home and see me where I live.

Of course, I was nervous. My hands shook so badly that I painted most of my finger with the nail polish. I wanted my house to look perfect, so I raced around straightening and cleaning and generally fussing with everything. When I put on my makeup, I walked outside in the light with a mirror to make sure I hadn't made a mess of my face.

In the end, Jason took a picture of me on my upper deck and under a grove of sea grapes. So, I guess the house could have been a mess after all! Since the impetus of the article is the release of Death of a Schoolgirl, we decided that a slightly British setting--me taking tea--would be fun. Fortunately, I have a lovely blue calico tea set, and it seemed perfect for our purposes.

Stars have stylists. I have friends. After talking with a few of them, I decided that rather than wear something traditional, something that screamed "beach!", I would wear an outfit more fitting for a woman who kills people: BLACK. When Jason arrived, I asked him if he agreed with my choice and he laughed approvingly. I guess when you're a photographer working in south Florida, you do see a lot of beachy colors.

Sandra had certainly done her homework. She knew I'd been born in Florida, grew up in Indiana, lived in St. Louis and England. We talked for 2 1/2 hours. Since she's a writer, I enjoyed talking with her about the differences between writing non-fiction and fiction.

Later in the evening, I went grocery shopping. When I saw the copy of Jupiter Magazine in the newsstands, I smiled. I wonder what the finished article will be like. Should be interesting!