The Characters in 'The Cadence of Gypsies' - Guest Post by Barbara Casey

THE CHARACTERS IN THE CADENCE OF GYPSIES

By Barbara Casey

Once in a while when you are writing a story, you will create a character that, from that moment on, just won’t leave you alone. I can honestly say that the three FIGs—Dara, Mackenzie, and Jennifer in my book, The Cadence of Gypsies—are like that. Getting to know them has been a journey in itself. Each girl is so unusual, being a genius, an orphan, and with special talents. That in itself is interesting, but it goes much deeper. Each of these girls, in spite of her abilities, feels flawed. Together, they give each other the support and permission they need to be different. That frequently gets them into trouble as they constantly look for ways in which to express themselves creatively. When a new, bright, young teacher gets assigned to “look after” them, there is nothing that is impossible for them to achieve.

Like her three charges, teacher/mentor Carolina Lovel is also an orphan, although she didn’t find out until her 18th birthday. Also like Dara, Mackenzie, and Jennifer, she holds a secret deep within her soul. It is how she is able to cope with not knowing who her biological parents are and why they gave her away. When she decides to share her secret with the FIGs, it builds the trust and love they already have for one another to a level that can never be destroyed, and takes them on a journey to Italy where they discover gypsies and the most mysterious manuscript in the world—the Voynich Manuscript.

When I finished writing The Cadence of Gypsies, I knew I wasn’t finished—or, rather, Dara, Mackenzie, and Jennifer weren’t finished with me. The sequel, The Wish Rider, will be released on May 5, and a third book in this series (T HE F.I.G. MYSTERIES) is under contract for publication next year.