Interview With Author Sharon Kay
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in Ohio and earned a degree in photojournalism from Bowling Green State University. My time as a college student in the 1970s—living at home, working part-time, commuting, and having a wonderful group of friends—loosely inspired The Michelle Kilpatrick Mysteries.
I started writing the series after watching way too many murder mysteries on T.V. during the Pandemic and have been at it ever since.
When I’m not plotting fictional murders (strictly on paper, of course), I enjoy organic gardening—I’m adding (fingers crossed) a French-Country flower garden this year—devouring mysteries and historical fiction (especially Regency-themed) and indulging in cheesecake—my absolute favorite.
I have written three books in the Michelle Kilpatrick Mysteries—a YA cozy mystery series, and I have at least six more planned for the series.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Icy Secrets, Scandalous Lies (Book Three in the series) is scheduled for release on April 21, 2025.
For many years, my kids were competitive figure skaters and trained with several Olympians and their coaches. All those years of shivering inside an arena while they practiced inspired me to write a mystery about a skating coach and his team. Of course, we never had any murders at our rink, but, hey, that’s the fun in writing, right?
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My first cozy mystery influencers were Joanne Fluke with her Hannah Swensen series and Lauren Elliott—Beyond the Page Bookstore Mysteries. Other mystery authors who have influenced me are Jenna Bennett, Ellery Adams, and Lillian Jackson Braun. And I can’t forget to add Daphne DuMaurier—nothing like a good gothic romance to get the creative wheels spinning.
What are you working on now?
I’m writing the next book in the Michelle Kilpatrick Mystery series, which will take place in the late summer/early fall of 1975. I have only just started it, but I can tell you it includes a prince, an evil mastermind, and, of course, a murder.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t really found a “best” method for promoting my books yet, although I have found several that I wouldn’t try again lolz. The fact is, I am still experimenting with marketing and learning how it works. It is one thing to write a book, but it is totally another to learn how to promote it. I was excited to learn about Awesome Gang. I love their philosophy of helping authors.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read. Study. Write.
Read works in your genre and outside your genre and make note of descriptions, dialogue, and pacing.
Study the craft of writing. While writing comes easily to some people, it is still a skill that needs to be developed—to be pushed to be the best it can be. Writing is not just about putting words on a piece of paper. It is about telling a story, conveying an idea, and eliciting an emotion. It is about creating something that will be enjoyed and remembered like a great pianist or a dancer or a painter.
Write…write every day if you can. Good writing requires practice.
Something new I’ve been doing as a warmup is to find a book with great writing and write one page of the book each day. It’s amazing how transcribing the text, word by word, makes you focus on the word choices and how they are used. It doesn’t take long, and, in addition to being an exercise in writing, it has significantly improved my typing skills.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up —keep writing, keep learning, keep striving to do better.
What are you reading now?
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes —what a fun book!!!!!
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m crafting a new mystery series…so, stay tuned to see in what direction that one goes.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell
Peril in Piccadilly, Book 7 of the Pippa Darling Mysteries, by Jenna Bennett (Book 7—I absolutely must read it)
Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
Desiree by Annemarie Selinko
Author Websites and Profiles
Sharon Kay’s Social Media Links
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