A Reader's Questions and Concerns...

So...this morning, my good friend and loyal reader "B" sent me an email voicing some questions and concerns about the characters that she suggested needed clarification.  "B" likes to keep me on my toes as an author, so if she is confused,  I worry that others may also be in the same boat.    Therefore,  I'm posting her questions, and my explanations, before we head into the whole wedding storyline on Saturday...

       Question #1.  "Anyway, I do have questions. Quite frankly, I am a little confused over Cassie. In the beginning wasn't she an agoraphobic? Or was that just a ruse? I dont remember addressing that it was just a cover on her part. Maybe you did. Just wondering about her behavior change."

         You are quite right, B.  In the beginning of the story, (last June)  Cassie "McKreedy" Donaghue suffered from serious issues with agoraphobia, and confined herself mainly to her rented home.  She was seeing a local psychatrist, who was treating her with intensive psycho-therapy, as well as a cocktail of drugs, mainly anti-depressants.  She was showing some improvement, but it was the doctor's diagnosis that her illness was caused by lingering effects of a traumatic experience. 

      We later find out that this "experience" was the whole Marzano incident back in New Orleans,18 months before the story opens.  She and her cousin, Lizzie, stole a half million dollars from their employer, who was an important member of the local syndicate. To save their own lives, they set it up to look as if another employee had betrayed Marzano, and the women witness the man's slow and torturous execution.  Shortly after, they flee New Orleans, and settle in Dollyville, under false identities.  In the meantime, Marzano learns the truth, and vows to hunt the two of them down.    

       When Lizzie is brutally murdered near Beckett's cabin, Cassie has no other option than to run, and increases her drug intake to make this possible.  She settles in Florida...first Tampa, and later Daytona...and continues therapy, which appears to be helping her cope.  In addition, it had been implied that she has also begun abusing some illegal drugs; cocaine and Ecstasy when she can get it, and Oxycontin when she can't.  Spending most of her day high, she is often erratic and appears to suffer from several psychoses, as well as hallucinations.   

         So was this information about Cassie obvious to readers?  Maybe not well enough.  It was inferred in several episodes dealing with Kevin's own troubles with Marzano, and the suitcase of money.  But it appears that I may not have been clear enough.  I do apologize, and hope Cassie's behavior seems a bit more believable from here on.       

       Question #2 
" Also, no pre cana? LOL... I know, its a blog. but that did cross my mind while reading!"     

  For those of you who aren't aware, "Pre-Cana" is a marriage preparation program, required by many dioceses, before a couple can marry in the Church.  Years ago, it required  a meeting with your Pastor, and several structured "classes" on topics relating to marriage.      
        Pre-Cana is not part of Canon Law, and is dictated by the local Bishops and Cardinals.  Today, most dioceses require the couple at least take the FOCCUS, a compatibility test that's discussed afterwards in detail, or some type of weekend retreat.     

        I considered adding this to the storyline for Ted and Maureen, and even went so far as to outline that chapter.  But the sub-plots were growing longer and more complex, and I could tell that many readers were getting impatient to get to the actual wedding day. In the end, I decided to skip it.     

            But for complete clarifcation, this is what I believed happened with Beckett and Maureen:

            Fr. Kevin offered to mediate the couple's FOCCUS test, and spend some time discussing the rules of the Catholic Church regarding the Sacrament of Matrimony.  When Maureen explained all this to Ted, who is not a Catholic, and is in no way religious, his answer was..."Never gonna happen, Maureen.  Our marriage is none of Kevin's business!"   

    Fr. Kevin became stubborn about the whole thing, until his brother Patrick phoned him from Boston, and told him to "knock off the nonsense, and get those two married ASAP"  Patrick then procured a "dispensation"from a Bishop friend of his at the Archdiocese of Boston, that allowed the Bride and Groom to forgo the whole preparation rule.    

      So...there you have it!  Hope this clears things up for "B", and the rest of you.  If you have any questions or concerns about the storyline, or see where I've made a glaring "Faux Pas", please feel free to contact me via email.  As this is a learning journey for me, I do appreciate your thoughts and ideas!    Best Wishes Until Saturday,            Vicki