Why do you write the genre that you write?
I write what I love to read! My first published novels were a traditional mystery series, and then I wrote two paranormal mystery series, and most recently I’ve branched out into “women’s fiction” (I really don’t like that term, but that’s fodder for another essay). These genres allow me to focus on character, character development, and how strong women protagonists address life’s challenges in this world – and sometimes in the realm beyond.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
My very first protagonist, Annie Kincaid from the Art Lovers Mystery series, was an ex-art forger with a true talent for recognizing art fakes – I wish I had that knack!

How did you come up with your pseudonym?
I used to write with my sister under the name Hailey Lind, which was a family name. When I branched out to write on my own, I wanted to use my real first name (so I would remember to respond in public!) but a nom de plume for a last name. In the Witchcraft series, the main character knows a lot about traditional “folk” healing, so I chose my last name in homage to Elizabeth Blackwell, the first women in the US to graduate medical school and become an official doctor of medicine. Elizabeth Blackwell later went on, along with the famous Florence Nightingale, to establish a medical school designed specifically for women.

Tell us how you got into writing?
I didn’t consider pursuing writing as an actual career until fairly late in life – I wasn’t published until I was in my forties. But I always *adored* reading, and often I would be working or walking the dog or showering and thinking up story lines. Late one night I was working as a faux finisher on an otherwise vacant remodel in Pacific Heights and thought to myself: this would be a good place and time for a murder! As a lark, I wrote a first chapter featuring an art forger-turned-faux finisher, and sent it to my sister. She “rewrote” it – she tore it apart – and thus our writing partnership was born! I really caught the bug, so even after my sister went back to her real job as a history professor, I continued to write. She still helps me with ideas, brainstorming, and rewrites, though, and is an incalculable resource for me – writing can be lonely work.

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
I was in graduate school for several years, studying cultural anthropology and teaching the anthropology of health and health care, during which time I waitressed at a tavern to pay the bills. Later I got a degree in Social Work, and worked as a school social worker. After that I became a mom, and then worked as a muralist/faux-finisher while I wrote my first mystery series. Several books in, I was able to start writing full time.

Where do you write?
Usually at the kitchen table, or in my nook that looks out into the branches of a big old oak tree. I like to watch the squirrels chase each other while I think.

What is your favorite deadline snack?
Peanut butter pretzels. Or ice cream. Or chocolate. Or all of the above.

What is next for you?
I’m working on two very different projects: one is another woman’s fiction, a mother/daughter story set in France; the other is a paranormal novel (can’t decide whether it’s a standalone or the start of a new series!)

What are you reading now?
An ARC of Gigi Pandian’s Under Lock and Skeleton Key! I love Gigi’s work.

Where can we find you?
On my website at julietblackwell.net, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram.

Now to have some fun . . .

Vanilla or chocolate
Chocolate!

Ice cream or cake
Ice cream!

Broccoli or squash
I actually love both – I’m into veggies of all kinds.
But if I have to decide. . .I’ll say broccoli

Pizza or burgers
Pizza

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Dinner

Mountain or beach
That’s another tough one; I love going back and forth!
But given the fires in California I guess
I’ll have to choose beach

City or country
See above (did I mention I’m a Libra? Decisions are hard
for me, LOL) I suppose at this point in my life I’m more drawn to
country than city, but when I was younger I adored city life –
museums, concerts, festivals, restaurants. . .

Introvert or Extrovert
Introvert

And even more fun . . .

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
Books, water, food — in that order, lol. (If water and food are already
givens, I would say pens and paper so I could keep writing!)

My bio:
Juliet Blackwell is the New York Times bestselling author of The Witchcraft Mystery series and the Haunted Home Renovation series. She has also written several novels based in France, including Off the Wild Coast of Brittany and her latest, The Paris Showroom. As Hailey Lind, she wrote the Agatha-nominated Art Lovers Mystery series with her sister, Carolyn. Blackwell shares her happily haunted house in Northern California with her fiancé, her father, a very big garden, and an ever bigger dog.