When I sat down to write my debut mystery novel, The Secrets of Ohnita Harbor, my protagonist—Gabriela Domenici—sprang to life on the page: 40-year-old single mom, recently moved back to her hometown, and longing to return to her dream job at the New York Public Library. Instead, she’s helping to run an understaffed, financially troubled library—and stuck with managing a Friends of the Library rummage sale! What a perfect recipe for resentment—and a setup for discovering the extraordinary that is about to unfold all around her, from murder to small-town mayhem.

In that mix, another character emerged: Gabriela’s mother, Agnese Domenici. Their intergenerational tensions and ties enriched the character development—and the story. Here’s how:

Agnese faces a cancer recurrence as the book opens. She and Gabriela are scared, but never really talk about their feelings. Gabriela clings to knowledge, while Agnese takes out her rosary beads, as in this exchange on the way home from the doctor’s office. “Gabriela gripped the steering wheel as she guided the car down the parking garage ramp. ‘No miracles here, Mama—only medicine. Tell me you know that.’ ‘No.’ Agnese clutched her purse and stared through the windshield. ‘There’s both.’”

Agnese, who was born and raised in Italy, retains her old-world personality and sensibility. When a medieval artifact turns up in the library rummage sale, everyone is surprised—except Agnese. “‘I told you!’ Agnese rapped her knuckle against Gabriela’s forearm. … ‘Right again, Mama.’ Gabriela took another sip of wine…”

The intergenerational, mother-daughter conflict shows both women as more alike than they are different—stubborn, strong-willed. It’s very relatable! But there is something far stronger between them: a fierce love that’s grounded in each woman’s innate protectiveness and loyalty.

In this scene, when Gabriela finally tells her mother everything that’s been going on (no spoilers here—it’s a lot, trust me!) her mother’s reaction is not what she expected: “Agnese sat back in her chair, tapping her fingertips against the tabletop. Gabriela braced for a lecture about not being careful and putting herself in danger. ‘You keep fighting, Gabriela,’ her mother said. ‘And you don’t worry…’”

Where does Gabriela get her spunk and her spine? Well, the apple (or, in this case, the olive—given that Agnese was born in Tuscany) clearly doesn’t fall far from the tree!

The Secrets of Ohnita Harbor—like each of the books in the Ohnita Harbor Mystery Series—is told from the perspective of Gabriela (a close, third-person point of view). Yet every time she interacts with her mother, more facets of both women’s personalities shine forth. Or, as I hear from readers: everybody likes Gabriela and cheers for her …but they love Agnese!

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