Below is a sneak peak of an interview with Sara Kersting, author of Duty to Warn, a multi-perspective novel about mysterious inner lives and the incorrect assumptions we can make about even those closest to us.
I never meant to write a novel. I was quite happy puttering around with short stories, which had always seemed manageable, given the time constraints of those earlier years, work, family, etc. But once I retired, I suddenly had the time, and when I started writing again, I discovered fragments of this story, most of which I had been carrying around in my head for years. The germ, however, may be found in the concept and practice of Duty to Warn, which is a very important part of the American Psychological Association Ethics Code. Regardless of the laws passed in various states, those in the helping professions have a responsibility to safeguard not only the health of their patients but those involved in the lives of their patients.
Recently retired from a career in mental health, Sara Kersting lives in upstate New York. Her stories have been published in journals such as American Literary Review, Avalon Literary Review, and Pennsylvania English. This is her first novel.