1--What is the title of your latest release?
MARGUERITE BY THE LAKE
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
An atmospheric, tense novel about the death of a glamorous garden designer, a widower trying to keep his secrets buried, and the beautiful young gardener who finds herself entangled in their lives.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I had a conversation with a friend that stuck in my mind. She told me about an argument with a family member; she described being so upset one night that she left her house at midnight and walked by herself in the dark around the lake near her house. That stayed with me—the image of a woman walking on a dark, deserted lakeside road in the middle of the night. And that was the very first scene I wrote.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
I would hang out with her because I was intrigued by her, but I wouldn’t become friends with her.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
resourceful, disciplined and desperate
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I took a gardening class early in the writing process, and then later I asked the person who taught the class to read my manuscript and check all the gardening references, which he kindly did. Even so, I may have made mistakes!
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I try not to do too much editing as I draft because it slows down my momentum. I like to get the arc of the story on the page, like a sketch, and then go back and fill it in.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I love dark chocolate!
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I usually write in a room that’s a converted attic with slanted ceilings and pretty windows. The room is empty except for stacks of books surrounding a desk.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Kazuo Ishiguro
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle made a huge impression on me when I was nine years old.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I was in the Bahamas on vacation. My husband and I were at a dinner. I glanced at my phone and saw an email from my agent in which she told me that there was interest in my book. I’ll never forget thinking, could this possibly be true?
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I jump around from one genre to another, and I love genre bending books.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Casablanca, Life is Beautiful and Parasite are just a few favorites.
15--What is your favorite season?
Fall. I love walking outside when it’s a little cool, but not too cold.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Dinner with my husband and my children is the best.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Slow Horses is a terrific British spy thriller tv series.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Italian food
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I go for a long walk or read.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I think a newborn baby may play a role in my next book.
From Mary Dixie Carter comes an atmospheric, tense novel about the death of a glamorous garden designer, a widower trying to keep his secrets buried, and the beautiful young gardener who finds herself entangled in their lives.
Marguerite Gray is a lifestyle icon known for her garden parties, high-end business ventures, and being the muse behind the famous Serge Kuhnert painting, Marguerite by the Lake. Her presence is overpowering, her taste, legendary. For the last few years, Phoenix has been the gardener on the famed Rosecliff grounds, home of the Gray family: Marguerite and her husband Geoffrey. Phoenix came from humble beginnings, and now she works hard to craft the landscape that underpins Marguerite’s brand.
When a storm threatens the launch party for Marguerite’s latest book, it’s Phoenix who spots the danger to the guests and rushes to Geoffrey’s side to save him from a falling tree. Geoffrey is grateful—perhaps too grateful. Marguerite is . . . jealous. Phoenix senses the danger of being drawn deeper into their lives but can’t resist the attention, becoming embroiled in an affair that could destroy her career.
But soon after the affair begins Marguerite falls to her death, from the same high point at Rosecliff where she posed for Marguerite by the Lake. Now Phoenix has another secret, one that haunts her even as Geoffrey invites her to move into the manor with him. A secret that Detective Hanna and Marguerite’s daughter—her spitting image—are circling closer and closer to. Phoenix tries to put it all behind her and find her rightful place at Rosecliff. But as every gardener knows, nothing stays buried forever.
Thriller Domestic | Thriller Psychological [Minotaur Books, On Sale: May 20, 2025, Hardcover / e-Book , ISBN: 9781250790385 / eISBN: 9781250790392]
Mary Dixie Carter is an actress, known for Funny Valentine (2005), Designing Women (1986) and Crosswalk (1999). She has been married to Stephen Robert Kempf since June 21, 2003. They have two children.
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