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

Why do you write the genre that you write?
Writing cozy mysteries is a natural fit for my writing style and interests. I like the puzzle and warm aspect of cozies, along with mysteries that are solved by understanding the community around the main character.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
The lead character of my Ground Rules Series, Sage Caplin, excels at cold-reading people. She does it sometimes for fun and never for money.

How did you come up with your pseudonym?
I borrowed mine from my family tree. Emmeline Duncan was my third great-grandmother.

Tell us how you got into writing?
I’ve always been a writer. Before I knew how to read, I’d draw images with elaborate backstories. As a K12 student, I was known as an aspiring writer and even won my first contest in the third grade. I participated in the Oregon Writing Festival several times, a long-running program that brings students from all over Oregon to Portland State University each spring to participate in workshops with authors. Despite studying Creative Writing and Political Science as an undergrad, it took me a while to get serious about writing for publication. My debut was a YA thriller, but then I switched to cozy mysteries and haven’t looked back.

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
I’ve worked in various jobs, from marketing communication to being a soccer referee, working as a lifeguard, working in a brewpub, and general office admin. And as an undergrad, I worked in a coffee shop.

Where do you write?
Everywhere! My favorite place to write is in coffee shops, but I’ll also write at the desk in my kitchen or in the hammock in my backyard during the summer. I have a home office but move around my house often with my laptop.

What is your favorite deadline snack?
Probably apple slices with nut butter (frequently peanut butter).

Who is an author you admire?
Jane Casey is one of the authors on my auto-buy list, meaning I always pre-order her work. I also like revisiting some of the golden age of mystery authors. Recently, I’ve been reading a lot of historical mysteries. So, I should give a shout-out to one of my favorite authors in that niche: Carola Dunn. Her Daisy Dalrymple series is a delight.

What’s your favorite genre to read?
Mysteries. I’m a massive fan of all types of mysteries. I also love books at the intersection of fantasy and mystery. But I read widely, including books I wouldn’t necessarily pick up on my own. I also love offbeat nonfiction.

What are you reading now?
I’ve just gotten into Charlotte MacLeod’s Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn Mysteries, which are set in Boston in the 1970s and 1980s. I’m also reading Beijing Payback by Daniel Nieh in preparation for interviewing him as part of the Friends of Mystery’s “Bloody Thursday” lecture series.

What is your favorite beverage to end the day?
I tend to drink a lot of mint tea in the evening. Smith Teamakers has a fantastic version with Oregon-grown mint. I occasionally make hot carob, which is naturally caffeine-free and, therefore, a good evening beverage.

What is next for you?
I have two books coming out in 2024: the fourth novel in the Ground Rules Mystery Series, Death Unfiltered, and the first book in my new Halloween Bookshop Series, Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop.

Where can we find you?
You can find me online at emmelineduncan.com. I’m on Instagram and Facebook as @writeremmelineduncan, and I’m on Twitter and TikTok as @DuncanEmmeline.

Now to have some fun . . .

Chocolate or vanilla
I get annoyed when people act like chocolate or vanilla is an either-or question when they’re fantastic together. Hot fudge sundae? Best of both worlds. Neopolitan ice cream? Would be better without the strawberry interlude. If forced to choose one for a scoop of ice cream, I’d lean toward chocolate, especially if peanut butter or mint is involved.

Cake or ice cream
Brownies! Which are more cookies than cake.

Fruits or vegetables
Vegetables, especially roasted vegetables like Brussels sprouts or asparagus. But I can’t resist nectarines, strawberries, and melons when they’re in season.

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Breakfast, lunch, or dinner

Dining in or dining out
Dining out as long as it’s an experience and something that I can’t make at home.

City life or country living
I grew up in a small town and enjoy living in the middle of a city now. But in an ideal world, I’d split my time between a city pied-à-terre and a beach cabin. Or maybe just a house in Central Oregon, as the Bend area is beautiful.

Beach or mountain
I grew up on the Oregon coast and would love to live at the beach again. Maybe in a house in the Oregon coast range with an ocean view.

Summer or winter
Winter. I love cold weather.

Short story or full-length novel
Full length-novel. While there’s magic to short stories, I love fully immersing myself in a world for a few hundred pages.

Extrovert or introvert
Introvert. I’m not shy, but I’m 100% an introvert.

Early bird or night owl
Night owl since I don’t like early mornings.

And even more fun . . .

What’s your favorite movie?
This is always a tricky question for me to answer. I’ll have to say any of the Indiana Jones movies, especially Raiders of the Lost Ark since I’ll always watch it if it’s on.

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
An e-reader-slash satellite phone full of books, a solar charger, and my dog. Because if I’m stranded on a desert island, I’d need something to read and a Great Pyrenees for company.

My bio:
Like her Ground Rules Mystery series, Emmeline Duncan is based in Portland, Oregon. Her series includes 2021’s Fresh Brewed Murder, Double Shot Death, and Flat White Fatality, plus more to come. Emmeline also writes for teens as Kelly Garrett. Her debut YA novel, The Last To Die, was an Oregon Book Awards finalist. She was also a 2020 Oregon Literary Fellow. When not writing, she spends her time seeking out new coffee shops and hiking trails to explore, frequently accompanied by her Great Pyrenees sidekick. You can track her online at emmelineduncan.com.