Q&A with Courtney Psak

  

Photo by Carrie Bradburn

 

 

Courtney Psak is the author of the new novel The Aunt. Her other novels include The Tutor. She lives in Palm Beach, Florida.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Aunt, and how did you create your characters Amy and Lexi?

 

A: The inspiration for The Aunt came from my own experience. I grew up in New Jersey and moved to Palm Beach for my husband’s job. It was a such a different world than I had ever experienced before that I wanted to write a novel about what that sort of looked like through Amy’s eyes.

 

And as for Lexi, she had been on her own since she was 18, so when she fell in love with an older man who would take care of her, she trusted him and wound up putting herself in a situation she couldn’t get out of.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between the sisters?

 

A: Amy is the older sister by seven years, so when their mother died during childbirth with Lexi, Amy took on the role as mother for her baby sister. But Lexi didn’t want a pseudo mom, she wanted a sister, so she rebelled a lot.

 

This put them in the categories of Amy as the rule follower and Lexi as the perpetual screw up. But as life would have it, it’s Lexi that winds up coming out on top with a rich husband, gorgeous mansion and beautiful baby girl.

 

Meanwhile, Amy is separated from her husband on the verge of financial ruin after countless failed IVF treatments. It’s this bitterness and jealousy that Amy has towards her sister that leads to Amy breaking ties with her completely and leading to their estrangement.

 

However, it really isn’t until Amy learns of her sister’s death that she realizes how petty their issues were and had they only communicated with one another, Amy would’ve seen that Lexi really needed her big sister.

 

Q: Did you need to do any research to write the novel, and if so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you?

 

A: Most of my research was really what I was seeing in my everyday life.

 

But when I needed to go deeper on Special Agent Sullivan with the FBI, I was fortunate enough to know a woman who had retired from the FBI. She had been located in the Palm Beach area and was very helpful in making sure that my procedural was correct.

 

At one point I worried that my story could seem too far-fetched, and I was surprised at how her reaction was; it was nothing compared to some of the crazier experiences that she had and that my story was all too common.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: I hope that they realize that material things are not as important as the relationships we have. Amy steps into this world that seemingly has everything she’s ever wanted, but she soon realizes she’d give it all up, just to have her sister back. That the real secret to happiness is surrounding ourselves with the people we love.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m in negotiations with my publisher at the moment, so unfortunately, I don’t think I can say too much, but hopefully I can talk about it soon.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: In addition to The Aunt, out in paperback on September 22, I’ve also written two other novels, The Tutor and The Hostess, that are out now if you like fast-paced psychological thrillers.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Courtney Psak.