Now it’s time to learn more about the authors we read. . .

What drew you to the genre you write?
I’ve always loved reading cozy mysteries, especially ones with lots of humor and quirky characters. It’s so much fun following along as the amateur sleuth puzzles out whodunit and brings the culprit to justice.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
In my North Dakota Library Mystery series, my amateur sleuth’s grandfather has a giant ball of twine in this barn that he’s hoping will set a record as the largest in the world.

Tell us how you got into writing?
When I was living on a sailboat in Florida, I wrote some Nancy Drew fan fiction on my blog. After getting a lot of positive reaction from readers, I decided to try my hand at writing my own cozy mystery featuring a reluctant sailor turned amateur sleuth which turned into the Mollie McGhie Cozy Sailing Mystery series.

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
I worked in corporate HR roles in companies in the US, Scotland, and New Zealand before returning to the States and traveling around in our sailboat and tiny camper.

How many books do you have published?
I’ve published seventeen cozy mystery and closed door romantic comedy books.

Where do you write?
I tend to do a lot of my writing in bed with a cat sleeping on my legs. He gets mad if I try to get up and write at my desk.

What is your ideal time to write?
During the middle of the day.

What is your favorite deadline snack?
Chocolate in any shape or form.

What’s your favorite genre to read?
It’s hard for me to pick one favorite genre. It’s probably a tie between cozy mysteries, science fiction, and romantic comedies.

What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
That I’m allergic to cats. It doesn’t stop me from cuddling them in between my sniffles and sneezes.

What is your favorite beverage to end the day?
I love sipping on an IPA.

Who is an author you admire?
That’s a tough question. But if you’re going to make me pick, I’ll go with Dorothy L. Sayers. She was one of the four “Queens of Crime” (along with Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh) during the Golden Age of Detective Fiction during the 1920s and 1930s.

Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?
Don’t compare yourself to other writers. There’s no right way to be a writer. Find the path that works best for you.

What are you reading now?
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. It’s my library’s October book club pick.

What is next for you?
I’m currently working on two books–A Death for the Records (the third book in my North Dakota Library Mystery series) and Smitten with Tacos (the seventh book in my Smitten with Travel romantic comedy series).

Where can we find you?
You can find me at my website (ellenjacobsonauthor.com), my store (ellenjacobsonbooks.com), on Bookbub (bookbub.com/authors/ellen-jacobson), on Facebook (facebook.com/EllenJacobsonAuthor), and on Instagram (instagram.com/ellenjacobsonwriter).

Now to have some fun . . .

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner –
all three!

Fruits or vegetables –
fruits

Chocolate, vanilla, or another flavor –
chocolate

Sweet or salty snacks –
sweet

Ice cream or cake –
cake

Cooking or baking –
baking

Dining in or dining out –
dining in

City life or country living –
country living

Beach or mountain –
mountain

Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall –
fall

Extrovert or introvert –
introvert

Early bird or night owl –
early bird

And even more fun . . .

What’s your favorite movie?
Contact starring Jodie Foster

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
a book, a cat, and chocolate

My bio:
Ellen Jacobson is a chocolate obsessed cat lover who writes cozy mysteries and romantic comedies. After working in Scotland and New Zealand for several years, she returned to the States, lived aboard a sailboat, traveled around in a tiny camper, and is now settled in a small town in northern Oregon with her husband and an imaginary cat named Simon.