In my dream, they were in the base exchange, the equivalent of a general store at U.S. military outposts. I knew it was night, and I knew the place was closed.

I am a nurse who has spent much of my career in the ER and, as with so many ER nurses, our roles include a significant bit of detective work and skills.

The inspiration for The Next Widow came from what is any ER doctor’s worst nightmare: having absolutely no control over the fate of a loved one.

Twenty-five years ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to Tuscany, Italy, for three weeks. My then parents-in-law had taken a beautiful rustic villa just twenty minutes outside San Gimignano for the summer and had generously invited their son and I to join them.

The idea for The Wife’s House came to me in a dream. I was on a walk near my house, wandering by the coast—somewhere in the world, my dream didn’t tell me where—and triplets approached me, telling me that I was living in their home.