Author Barbara Dullaghan is the author of Secrets in the Hollow, a book that calls to the paranormal folklore of the real-life location of Sleepy Hollow. Dullaghan herself grew up in Sleepy Hollow, and she can attest to the magical energy within the town. Secrets in the Hollow follows the story of forty-year-old Carrie Peters, a woman who is consumed by her own secrets and guilt. She only has an ex-boyfriend to turn to, but that is too painful of an option and so she finds herself alone. Carrie returns to Sleepy Hollow and her life only becomes more complicated. We’re excited to have this opportunity to ask Dullaghan some questions about her book and what exactly drives her story.
Your book is set in a specific location. Could you share some insights into the setting and how it impacts the story and characters?
I often say that my book is a love letter to my hometown. I wanted this story to be as much about the town as it is the characters. Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown are rife with urban legends, starting with the Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Headless Horseman. The setting is almost romantic with the Tappan Zee Bridge at the widest expanse of the Hudson River and the train line riding along the river’s edge. There is a constant rhythm to the towns and the story reflects that flow. I wrote the characters to all have secrets, except for Nessa.
The characters in mystery novels are essential to the plot. Can you introduce us to the main characters in Secrets in the Hollow and describe their roles in the story?
Carrie, the main character, drives the story with her internal thoughts and feelings of anxiety and guilt for her poor decisions, now crippling secrets. Her best friend, Nessa, is her moral compass, loyal to Carrie despite her concerns about her behavior. Danny, Carrie’s ex-boyfriend, shares her secrets but deals with them in self-destructive ways. The final main character is Chester, a brilliant and awkward young man, who is well versed in the history of Sleepy Hollow but is always an outsider.
Secrets play a central role in your book. What is it about secrets that you find compelling as a mystery author, and how do they drive the narrative in this story?
My main character, Carrie, was so immersed in protecting her secrets that she found it too difficult to reveal her shame. Her constant inner conflict provided fodder for her secrets; each one fed on the other. I believe that secrets in this narrative created on-going tension and allowed me, as a writer, to magnify Carrie’s anxiety, which created conflict between Carrie and her friends and family. All of Carrie’s poor decisions resulted in feelings of guilt, which added a sense of morality to the story. Readers have shared that they felt anger toward Carrie because other characters suffered due to her selfishness. But her anxiety prevented her from making rational decisions; she needed to protect herself. I made the decision that the reader would know Carrie’s secrets to increase their frustration of, or empathy for, her actions. However, other characters also held secrets close and those were revealed at different points in the story.
Secrets in the Hollow
Carrie Peters is a forty-year-old riddled with guilt and secrets, struggling to understand how she and her ex-boyfriend could have gotten things so wrong. Carrie’s life is complicated when she returns to her hometown of Sleepy Hollow after her parents die. She still feels tremendous guilt for the deaths of her high school friends as a result of her indiscretions. Her best friend, a homicide detective, grows increasingly concerned about her erratic behavior.
Carrie has no one to turn to except her ex-boyfriend because he shares her secrets. But she finds it too painful to connect with him. He is a constant reminder of the life she lived and tried to leave behind. Carrie needs to deal with her guilt, but to do so she may have to confess her part in a life-changing incident and possibly risk her freedom.
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About the Author, Barbara Dullaghan
Barbara Dullaghan grew up in Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown and is enthralled with the magic and energy of the towns. She is published in gifted education with Kendall Hunt and Prufrock Press and her short stories and poetry can be found in three anthologies. She and her husband, Jack, now live in coastal North Carolina and love spending time at the beach with their three children, spouses, and six energetic grandchildren.
