Coffee with Claire Bickwell:
On Friendship, Intuition, and That Time Delia Outed My Cheating Boyfriend With a Sniff
We met Claire Bickwell at a trendy coffee shop in Chicago—her choice. She arrived perfectly put together, blonde ponytail swinging, with the kind of effortless energy that suggested she’d already conquered her morning workout and answered seventeen emails. She ordered a matcha latte and dove right in.
Hello, Claire! We’re excited to learn about you—what exactly do you do, and how do you know the protagonist of Wicked as Sin, Delia Thompson?
“Oh! I’m a pharmacist—I work at Reider’s, which is a darling full-service pharmacy in the Oak Park neighborhood of Chicago. It’s actually how I met Delia, sort of. She works at the sandwich shop up the street, and I’d go in there for lunch breaks. I’m one of those people who can’t help but notice when someone seems like they need a friend, you know?” She laughs. “Delia definitely seemed like she needed a friend.”
And you just…decided to befriend her?
“Well, when you put it like that it sounds weird! But yes, basically. She had this energy—closed off but not mean, you know? And I could tell she was smart, way smarter than she let on. I’m kind of a fixer, I suppose. I see someone struggling and I want to help. It drove my last boyfriend crazy.” She pauses. “Then again, he was a loser—as Delia helped me realize.”
Ah. Well, why don’t you tell us about Delia Thompson?
“Where do I begin?” She laughs, stirring her drink. “Okay, so I’ve known Delia for maybe six months, and she’s just…well, she’s not like anyone else I’ve ever met. In the best way. Mostly.” She pauses. “She’s a little intense.”
Intense how?
“Like, she just sees things. People things. I was dating this guy—Brad, total insurance sales guy, very cute—and Delia took one look at him in the sandwich shop where she works and just…knew. She didn’t even say anything at first, just gave me this look. But I understood pretty quick.”
Understood what?
“That he was cheating on me!” She sets down her cup emphatically. “And she was right! I mean, obviously I didn’t believe her at first. Brad seemed so sweet, you know? But then I started paying attention, and—yeah. Whereas she just knew. From one look. Or…one smell I guess”
Smell?
“Okay, it’s weird, but she said he smelled wrong. Like, not like me.” She shrugged. “I can’t really explain it, but she was definitely on target.”
That’s quite a skill.
“Right? It’s like a superpower, except kind of terrifying? Because if she could tell that Brad was cheating, what else might she be able to tell about me?” She laughs, but there’s something uncertain in it. “She’s never made me feel judged, though. That’s the thing about Delia. She sees all your messy stuff and just…accepts it.”
We heard she works with a local exorcist. What do you know about that?
Claire’s expression shifts, becoming more serious. “Rabbi Mordechai. Yeah. I mean, I heard the same thing, but I haven’t wanted to pry. Delia doesn’t exactly lead with ‘Hi, I’m an exorcist’s assistant’ when you meet her. But I heard about Mordechai from conversations I overheard at the pharmacy and you know what?” She leans in. “I bet she’s really good at it. Whatever ‘it’ is. She has this way of reading a situation, understanding what’s wrong even when people can’t explain it. That’s not normal.”
Does that worry you?
She sits back, fidgeting with her cross necklace. “Yes and no. I worry about her because she doesn’t let people in. She’s been through some stuff—I don’t know all of it yet, but I will. And she acts like she’s fine, like she doesn’t need anyone, but nobody’s fine all the time, you know? I just want her to know she doesn’t have to do everything alone.”
Speaking of alone, is Delia seeing anyone right now?
Claire laughs. “God, no. I don’t think she’s dated in…well, I don’t know if she’s ever dated, honestly. She’s so closed off, and I think she’s convinced she’d be too much for anyone. Too intense, too complicated.” She tilts her head thoughtfully. “But you know what? If she ever did let someone in? He’d have to be absolutely fearless. Like, someone who wouldn’t flinch at her darkness, who could match her intensity and not try to fix her or tame her down.” She grins. “Basically, he’d have to be as much of a force of nature as she is. Good luck finding that guy.”
What do you think people would be most surprised to learn about Delia?
“That she’s funny. Like, wickedly funny when she lets herself relax. And that under all that tough, sarcastic exterior, she actually cares deeply about people. She just doesn’t trust them.” She pauses. “Or maybe she doesn’t trust herself around them. I haven’t figured that part out yet.”
You mentioned she’s been through things. Care to elaborate?
“I don’t know if I should—Delia’s pretty private. But I will say this: she’s carrying something heavy around, and I don’t think it’s just grief.” She meets our eyes. “Sometimes I catch her talking to herself. Or not to herself, exactly. Like there’s someone else in the conversation I can’t hear.”
That’s… unsettling.
“Yeah.” She laughs nervously. “But that’s Delia. Unsettling and loyal and brilliant and possibly in way over her head with whatever she’s gotten herself into. Which is why I’m sticking around, even when she makes it clear she’d rather handle things alone. Someone has to look out for her.”
Even if she doesn’t think she needs it?
“Especially then.” She smiles, genuine and warm. “Besides, I have a feeling things are about to get really, really interesting. And I’m not missing that for anything.”
Want to meet Delia Thompson for yourself? The book releases February 24! Warning: Contains demons, possession, body horror, and friendships that refuse to quit.
Learn more about Wicked as Sin:
Delia has served as the sidekick to one of Chicago’s most sought-after exorcists for 15 years. Then her mentor abandons her with a case she can’t solve and a growing fear that she’s not quite the righteous exorcist-in-training she thought she was. Because the evil she’s sworn to destroy is inside her. And it won’t leave without a fight.
To survive it, she’ll need to confront the creature keening within her, filling her mind with temptation and her body with forbidden desire.
Meet Jennifer Chance:
Jenn Stark is an award-winning author of more than fifty novels and a half-dozen novellas, spanning genres from contemporary to historical, paranormal romance to urban fantasy. She lives and writes in Ohio… and she definitely loves to write.
She got her start in historical spy thrillers as Jennifer McGowan, and her Maids of Honor series of Young Adult Elizabethan romances are published by Simon & Schuster. These days, she spends most of her time in the modern fiction world as Jenn Stark, with her flagship “Immortal Vegas” and “Wilde Justice” urban fantasy series and “Demon Enforcers” paranormal romance series. These books center heavily on Tarot and magic and are high-stakes, fast paced tales of supernatural suspense.
She is also author Jennifer Chance, whose fantasy romance series are now published through Oliver Heber Books, and whose Rule Breakers series of New Adult contemporary romances are published by Random House/LoveSwept.
When she’s not writing, Jenn is a professional Tarot reader and an intuitive guide, so if you’re interested in those sides of her work, visit the Tarot page to learn more. Because life’s too short not to be doing what you love! You can also explore that corner of her world more completely at the website www.askactallow.
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