Author Spotlight: Welcome Back Mystery Writer J.C. Kenney!

Nothing makes this author happier than welcoming great writers who also happen to be good friends to the spotlight. Today it’s my real pleasure to welcome mystery writer and fellow Tule author J.C. Kenney to join me here on the blog! (Confession? I’m in love with Elmo Simpson!)

J.C. Kenney is the Agatha award winning and bestselling author of The Allie Cobb Mysteries, The Darcy Gaughan Mysteries, and The Elmo Simpson Mysteries. He’s also the co-host of The Bookish Hour and Bookish Moment webcasts. When he’s not writing, you can find him following IndyCar racing or listening to music. He has two grown children and lives in Indianapolis with his wife.

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What Next?

Hi, folks! It’s wonderful to be back in the spotlight with the fabulous Nan Reinhardt. One of the reasons is because I have a new book I’m celebrating. Buried in the Sand, book 4 in my Elmo Simpson Mysteries, landed January 26. I’m still riding that wave of post-release good vibes.

How about that cover? Colorful and fun with just a hint of murder. Such is the life of a mystery writer. There’s usually a touch of something foreboding on the cover.

Which brings me to a macabre confession. In the 13 whodunnits I’ve published, I’ve bumped off 14 people. I’m almost finished with my next Elmo book, so that will be 15 people who’s lives have been cut short by various nefarious villains.

That’s a lot of people I’ve killed. Figuratively, that is. Which brings up an important question. After having one character buried under a pile of mulch, another stabbed with his own letter opener, yet another eaten by an alligator, etc. how do I keep coming up with unique ways to do away with the murder victims?

I do two things. First, I try to make sure the crime fits within the world I’m writing in. For example, burying a victim in the sand makes sense in the beachside town of Paradise Springs, Florida, but wouldn’t make sense in the small college town Marysburg, Indiana, where my Darcy Gaughan Mysteries are set.

Second, I try to come up with something unique to catch the reader’s attention. While my stories focus not on the murder, but on figuring out who committed it, I owe it to the reader to come up with something different every book.

To be fair, I’ve done poisoning more than once. In my defense, the methods of the poisonings are vastly different. Gotta keep mixing it up, right?

So, what’s next in my ever-lengthening list of macabre mayhem? I’m not sure. But that’s part of the fun of being a mystery writer. At some point, I’ll figure it out. And then y’all will get to read about it.

And then, of course, the murderer will be brought to justice. Because in my books, the bad guy never gets away with it. We need that, now more than ever, don’t you think?

So, tell me, what’s the most unexpected plot twist you’ve ever read? It doesn’t have to be from a whodunnit.

I’m giving away an eBook copy of Buried in the Sand to a random commenter. Good luck!

And if you haven’t purchased your copy of Buried in the Sand yet, you can take care of that by clicking here. Thanks for visiting and until next time, bubbles up!

J.C.