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

Why do you write the genre that you write?
I write detective fiction, and I’ve always loved the romantic take on the detective: a nosy, curious sort who is crusading on behalf of justice. I like my crime to feel crime-y, but I don’t like stories without hope or without characters to root for, so that’s the kind of books I write.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
Ellery Hathaway is a cop who doesn’t drink coffee, which is pretty unusual!

How did you come up with your pseudonym?
I write under my own name, which as far as I know, is unique in the world.

Tell us how you got into writing?
My third-grade teacher, Miss Hayes, gave us a weekly writing assignment where she would provide the first sentence and we had to carry on the story from there. Most kids wrote a paragraph; I wrote pages. When I wrote a mystery, I included the solution upside-down at the end in case she wanted to try to solve it herself first. Hee!

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
I was an editorial producer at ABC News for many years, which largely meant helping shows like Good Morning America and World News Tonight with their science and medical news coverage. Journalists didn’t go to school for science or medicine, so they needed help figuring out what news to cover and how to get it right. From there, I ran a scientific journal on drug development. Oh, and at one point after college I nannied for a Saudi Arabian royal family…that was interesting! These days, I am a fulltime writer.

Where do you write?
In my bedroom, either on the bed with a basset hound on top of me or at my desk.

What is your favorite deadline snack?
Sliced apple with peanut butter.

Who is an author you admire?
I admire so many authors, but I joke about locking Fredrik Backman in my basement, Misery-style.

What’s your favorite genre to read?
Mysteries!

What are you reading now?
Yellowface, by R. F. Kuang

What is your favorite beverage to end the day?
My beverage of choice is always Diet Coke.

What is next for you?
My next book is All the Way Gone, publishing in August. Newly minted private investigator Annalisa Vega has a tough first case: a college professor who has a big book coming out on the benefits of “The Good Sociopath” is suddenly concerned that her star sociopath isn’t so good after all. Is he a murderer? Or a real, true, good sociopath? Annalisa has to find out quick or she risks becoming the next to die.

Where can we find you?
My website is joannaschaffhausen.com. I’m most active on Facebook, but I’m also on Instagram and BlueSky under the same name.

Now to have some fun . . .

Chocolate or vanilla
Chocolate all the way!

Cake or ice cream
Ice cream

Fruits or vegetables
Veggies

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Dinner because it’s family time

Dining in or dining out
Out out out!

City life or country living
I am a city girl.

Beach or mountain
Mountain? I burn easy.

Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter
Summer forever.

Extrovert or introvert
I walk the exact line between them.

Early bird or night owl
My bedtime is usually midnight-1am, so it’s hoot hoot for me!

And even more fun . . .

What’s your favorite movie?
One of my many faves is The Shawshank Redemption.

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
1. A boat to get off the island. 2. If I MUST be stuck there, then a crate of books. 3. Chocolate.

My bio:
Joanna Schaffhausen is the author of the award-winning Ellery Hathaway series, and the Annalisa Vega series, both starring tough-minded female investigators. Joanna has a PhD in psychology and previously worked at ABC News, writing for programs such as World News Tonight, Good Morning America, and 20/20. Currently, she is vice president of the New England chapter of Mystery Writers of America. She lives in Canton, MA, with her husband, daughter, and an obstreperous basset hound named Winston.