Girl Three by Tracy March

By Tracy March

I’m excited to chat with readers of THE BIG THRILL about my romantic thriller, GIRL THREE. I’ve received lots of interesting questions in interviews for my blog tour, so I picked some of my favorites to share with you!

Describe GIRL THREE in two sentences.

When bioethicist Jessica Croft finds out her lobbyist sister’s suspicious death has been classified as natural, she resolves to expose a murderer. Pursuing elite suspects on both sides of the stem-cell-research debate reveals a fertility scandal surrounding the enigmatic Girl Three, and Jessica risks her life to expose the truth.

What was your inspiration for GIRL THREE?

I was inspired by the book THE BABY BUSINESS by Harvard professor Debora L. Spar. The book examines how money, science, and politics drive the commerce of conception. I was fascinated and disturbed when I learned about the fertility industry and its controversial elements of stem cell research, surrogacy, egg swapping, human cloning, and designer babies. After reading THE BABY BUSINESS, so many “what-if” questions began to flood my mind and gel into the story that ultimately became GIRL THREE.

Why did you choose to make your heroine a bioethicist?

Since the story I had in mind included elements of politics, science and medicine, I chose to make Dr. Jessica Croft a bioethicist—a PhD who is educated in those areas and focused on the typically controversial ethical questions brought about by advances in biology and medicine. She was the perfect amateur sleuth to solve the mystery of GIRL THREE.

Why did you set the book in Washington, DC? Why a Romantic Thriller?

Recently, my husband and I had the incredible opportunity to live in DC for two years on a temporary assignment for his job with NASA. We simply fell in love with the city (after living most of our adult lives around Yorktown, Virginia). There are so many diverse neighborhoods in DC, incredible history and architecture, and the hum of the power of politics. We discovered so many places that were not on tourist maps—like Congressional Cemetery and the Capital Yacht Club—that I ended up featuring as settings in GIRL THREE. Needless to say, the city stole my heart, and I was eager to bring it to life for readers.

DC is a perfect setting for a romantic thriller with all its power, players and passions. I wanted to create an exciting puzzle for readers to solve, and I always like a shot of romance in my reads, so making GIRL THREE a romantic thriller was a natural choice.

You describe some of the suspects in GIRL THREE as ‘elite.’ What do you mean by that?

Jessica Croft finds herself suspecting some of the most powerful players in Washington DC, including two senators, a federal judge, the head of a prestigious lobbying firm, a high-level diplomat, and a cutting-edge fertility specialist. It’s an intriguing cast of characters!

What challenge, if any, did you face turning your story into fiction?

Believe it or not, the biggest challenge I faced was making sure my facts were right for my fiction! Readers can be very particular about the details of a city they know, or they’ve visited, so I wanted to be sure to do right by them.

Thanks for visiting with me. You can also find me online at TracyMarch.com. I hope you’ll enjoy reading GIRL THREE!

*****

“GIRL THREE is a twisty, page-turning thriller that has it all: suspense, duplicity, romance, and a compelling heroine you’ll root for. Exhilarating!” — Allison Brennan, NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling Author

“GIRL THREE sparkles with thrills and romance, glamour and grit. I fell in love with Jessie Croft from the first chapter and couldn’t put the book down. Tracy March delivers a gripping story, as well as a whip-smart exploration of some of the most important scientific and ethical issues of our day.”– Allison Leotta, author of LAW OF ATTRACTION and DISCRETION

*****

Award-winning author Tracy March writes romantic thrillers influenced by her career in the pharmaceutical field, and her interest in science and politics. She also writes lighthearted romances inspired by her real-life happily ever after.

Always up for travel and adventure, Tracy has flown in a stunt plane, snowmobiled on the Continental Divide, ziplined in the Swiss Alps, and been chased by a bull in the mountains of St. Lucia. She loves Nationals baseball, Saturday date nights, and Dairy Queen Blizzards—and rarely goes a day without Diet Coke and Cheez-Its.

Tracy lives in Yorktown, Virginia, with her superhero husband who works for NASA. They recently spent two years living in Washington D.C., and enjoy visiting often—especially when the Nats are in town.

To learn more about Tracy, please visit her website.