Tere Figueras Negrete is a an editor for the Miami Herald Neighbor's section. She asked this of Pulitzer Prize winner Liz Balmaseda, formerly of The Miami Herald and currently a columnist for The Palm Beach Post, whose new book is ``Sweet Mary'' (Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, $24.95):

Q: Your novel Sweet Mary was inspired by the real-life story of a Miami woman, Virginia Garcia-Perez, who was wrongly arrested on cocaine charges in 2003 after law enforcement officials mistook her for a drug queen with a similar name. What was it about Garcia-Perez's tale that piqued your interest -- and what challenges did you face taking on a fictional tale after years of working as a journalist and newspaper columnist?

A: I found Virginia's story compelling because it could have happened to anyone. She wasn't a criminal -- she was an upstanding citizen who worked hard, raised her son and kept out of trouble. I knew this through a good, mutual friend who was horrified when she heard about the arrest.

I couldn't shake the visual of this model citizen getting taken away in shackles in front of her young son. And the burden of proof was on her.

I kept wondering what would she have done if she hadn't been able to fully dispel the suspicions. What if it caused her to lose everything she had? From there, this fantasy took flight in my mind: Sweet girl from 'burbs chases down drug queen and gets her life back. I got in touch with Virginia after she was released from jail and posed the scenario to her over coffee at Barnes & Noble in Kendall.

She smiled at the idea -- no, she'd never do such a thing, she said. ``But I'd read that book.''

A few days later, my heroine, Sweet Mary, was born. She was on a mission, but I wasn't too sure where she wanted to go. Or where I wanted her to go. It was a daunting thing for me to realize that I would have to draw that road map. There was no thick case file or stack of scribbled-up reporter's notebooks to offer plot points and snappy dialogue. I was petrified at first. But after a few weeks, I let loose and let myself enjoy the ride.

• With Ana Menendez and Leonard Pitts Jr. at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Pavillion B.

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