Summary of My Secret to Keep: When Maggie Bryan works up the nerve to tell her parents she’s pregnant, they immediately disown her. Later that night, her boyfriend is killed. In desperation, she turns to her brother, Sam. Against his wife’s wishes, Sam brings Maggie to his home in rural Pennsylvania.

While Maggie awaits the birth of her child and navigates the tension in her new home, she decides to finish high school. There, she meets Anne Phillips, a volunteer educator and full-time architect. Over time, Maggie becomes drawn to Anne in ways she doesn’t understand, but she knows enough to keep her feelings hidden.

After a devastating loss, Maggie tries to move on, but secrets and betrayals keep her from living her fullest life. Beginning in the late 1940s and spanning decades, My Secret to Keep portrays a woman at war with society, her family, and herself.

Mary Helen Sheriff, interviewer: The main character in My Secret to Keep is a secondary character in Nowhere Near Goodbye. What made you decide to focus your second book on Maggie?

Barbara Conrey, author: When Nowhere Near Goodbye went through the editorial process, I had to remove Kate, the child who died of GBM, as a second POV. I re-used much of her content with Maggie, who became much more fully developed but still a secondary character. And I fell in love with her – you’ll see why when you read the book.

Sheriff: Describe your favorite scene in My Secret to Keep (no spoilers, please) and explain why it’s your favorite.

Conrey: Too funny because it’s the only scene removed from the book. I wrote an entire chapter on how Maggie learned to drive. And once she learned, she decided she didn’t like driving and would only do so when the weather conditions were perfect, it was daylight, she knew where she was going, and there were no more than three turns involved, the first one being the right or left she took when exiting her garage. But not to worry, I plan to use the chapter in an essay about deleted editorial content.

Sheriff:  I love the title. How did you come up with it?

Conrey: I love the title also. Book titles are extremely important, and for some reason, I could not come up with one for this book. Renee created the title.

Sheriff: What was the biggest challenge you faced in writing My Secret to Keep?

Conrey: I found it challenging to reflect on the connection between Anne and Maggie at a time when such relationships were, I want to say, frowned upon, but it was so much more than that. I guess I would say when such connections were illegal.

Also, since I hadn’t planned on writing a prequel to Nowhere Near Goodbye, I was locked into certain things happening at a particular time to connect the two books. I will say, though, that both books are also entirely standalone. A reader doesn’t need to read Nowhere Near Goodbye first to appreciate My Secret to Keep, although it does lead to a richer reading experience.

Sheriff: Why did you choose to set your novels in Pennsylvania? In what ways, does their location influence the stories? 

Conrey: You know, it started as a joke. Both books are set in Intercourse, Pennsylvania. I live about thirty miles from there, and tourists come specifically to see the village and joke about the name. And the locals can’t seem to get enough of it too. Plus, it set the stage perfectly for a small town with strong religious vibes.

Barbara Conrey is the USA Today Bestselling author of Nowhere Near Goodbye, her debut, published on August 4, 2020, by Red Adept Publishing. Liza Fleissig represents her at the Liza Royce Agency. Her sophomore novel, My Secret to Keep, released on August 23, 2022. Barbara is an active member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Women’s National Book Association, and Author Talk Network. She also moderates the online book club for the Facebook Group Bookish Road Trip. Travel is her passion, along with reading, writing, hiking, and exploring antique shops. Her greatest love is Miss Molly, her rescue beagle. Barbara lives in Pennsylvania, close to family and friends.

Find details about Barbara Conrey’s books, subscribe to her newsletter, and more at: barbaraconrey.com

If you enjoyed this author interview, check out this one with C. D’Angelo.