The strange world of Santeria is no place for a respectable scientist, or so Gabrielle Segovia thought. As a lapsed Catholic, Gabrielle's feelings about religion are fraught with confusion, and her marriage to an atheist has stifled her religious leanings even further. Thus, when Gabrielle follows a friend into one of the mysterious botánicas of New Orleans, she is shocked to feel the seductive tug of Santeria taking hold of her. In THE ACCIDENTAL SANTERA, Gabrielle Segovia is in the midst of great personal crisis; she has had three miscarriages and she and her husband are drifting further and further apart every day. Desperate for answers, she begins to a feel a powerful need to learn everything she can about this strange new world she has stumbled upon.

What was the inspiration behind Accidental Santera?

This novel is based on my own experiences. Many details are true to things I actually experienced on my own spiritual journey over about a 12 year period. Gabrielle's journey takes just over a year. I also fictionalized other parts of my story. Gabrielle, for example, is a professor. I never went that far with my career as a scientist, choosing to train as a science writer as soon as I finished my Ph.D. in Biology. Writing for newspapers, magazines and universities allowed me to earn a living as a writer while also developing my skills as a novelist. It was this training in journalism that made me realize that the story of a scientist who becomes a santera was one full of irony that would make for a great premise for a novel.

Did you base the characters in the book on people you know or knew?
Yes, many characters are based on real people and fictionalized to varying degrees. Gabrielle's godparents Mayte, Angie & Jose, for example, are fairly accurate representations of my godparents. Some are combinations of people. Gabrielle's cousin Sofi is a combination of two cousins. Other characters are loosely based on real people. I had to make the character of Benito much less supportive than my husband to make the story more interesting. I also had to tone down Gabrielle's parents because my real parents are larger than life and would have taken over the story. Some characters, like the 5-year-old santera Bella, are made up but based on the stories of real people that I've heard over the years. One of my favorite characters is Patricia. She is loosely based on a real biologist I knew, but I gave her the traits I love most in my best girlfriends.

 

If you were casting the movie version of Accidental Santera, who would be your picks for the main characters?
I would choose America Ferrera to play Gabrielle, Adam Rodriguez or Mario Lopez to play husband Benito, Elizabeth Pena to play cousin Angie, Stephen Bauer to play padrino Jose, Rosario Dawson as cousin Sofi, Alice Braga as best friend Patricia and Liz Torres as Gabrielle's aunt, Mayte.

What books are on your nightstand now?
I am re-reading a non-fiction book on Santeria, SANTERIA: Correcting the Myths and Uncovering the Realities of a Growing Religion by Mary Ann Clark, in preparation for my tour and a murder myster by a friend, Clyde Ford, called Precious Cargo.