Why do you write the genre that you write?
I write traditional mysteries for one simple reason: because I love them. I’ve been a fan my whole life of stories that make me think, graduating from Nancy Drew to Miss Marple pretty quickly. I love being able to solve the mystery along with the characters. I love speculating while I read as to whether the clue that was just revealed is really a clue or a red herring planted to keep us guessing. They’re my favorite books to read, and I couldn’t be happier writing anything else.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
I’ll have to go with Brooklyn Wainwright’s mom, Becky, who in addition to being a loving mother of six and grandmother of three, is into new age practices. Consider this snippet from The Paper Caper, my next Bibliophile Mystery.

“We heard about the murder,” Mom said.

I cringed. I was afraid of that. “It was. . .unfortunate,” I managed.

“I should think so,” Mom said. “I know how these things affect you. How are your chakras?”

I felt my eyes widen in alarm. “Just fine, thanks.”

Her eyes narrowed in on me. “Oh sweetie. I can tell you’re troubled. You could use a Panchakarma cleanse.”

Oh, my God. A Panchakarma cleanse was all about bringing one’s system back into balance by collecting the toxins in one’s body. The process could go on for weeks. Different clinics recommended different procedures, but Mom always liked to start it off by sipping ghee—clarified butter—mixed with various medicinal herbs. After three days, one’s system could no longer absorb the ghee and she moved on to therapeutic vomiting.

How did you come up with your pseudonym?
I chose Carlisle in honor of my Scottish heritage, and because it was my father’s middle name.

Tell us how you got into writing?
I spent a good chunk of my career in television production, mostly music and variety shows with a few game shows thrown in. Then I tried a lot of other things—working in a vineyard, on a cruise ship, taking acting lessons. . . Through it all, I wrote. But I was in law school, plotting a story in my head in which my law school professor was murdered, when I realized that what I really wanted to be when I grew up was a writer.

Where do you write?
It varies. I try to write for as long as I can on the computer in my home office, but when I’m struggling, I find that it helps to write long-hand. It frees something up in my brain. So I grab a pen and a notebook and move to a comfortable chair or the sofa. The writing for me comes in fits and starts. My first draft is always a mess. I clean it up during multiple rounds of revisions. My biggest challenge is the timeline during the revision stage, because I’ll move around scenes and then have to make sure that I haven’t mangled the timeline beyond recognition.

What is your favorite deadline snack?
Hershey’s caramel Kisses.

What is next for you?
My next release is in July, The Paper Caper, a Bibliophile Mystery. In it, bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright and her husband Derek Stone will protect a media mogul who’s been targeted for murder. The rare book at the center of this mystery is The Prince and the Pauper, and the book is set against the backdrop of a Mark Twain Book Festival in San Francisco, where Twain worked as a newspaperman.

I’m currently working on the next Fixer-Upper Mystery. Dressed to Drill will be out in December. Shannon Hammer will be renovating a beautiful old church in Lighthouse Cove. . . and discover something sinister within its walls.

What are you reading now?
I just finished Murder at Mallawan Hall by Colleen Cambridge (aka Gleason), and now I’m reading Dark Night by Paige Shelton. So good!

Where can we find you?
The best place to find out all about me is on my website, katecarlisle.com. Join the mailing list to access all of the free bonus content in the Secret Room of my website: maps of Dharma, San Francisco and Lighthouse Cove; bookmarks, book cover puzzles, word games, recipes, giveaways and more.

You can also connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Now to have some fun . . .

Vanilla or chocolate
Chocolate!

Ice cream or cake
Ice cream

Broccoli or squash
Broccoli

Pizza or burgers
Pizza—my husband just got an outdoor pizza oven that heats up to
900 degrees, so our homemade gluten-free pizzas cook in
just a couple of minutes and taste authentically Italian.

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Breakfast any time of day. (I included a bunch
of breakfast recipes in The Grim Reader.)

Mountain or beach
Beach, unless the mountain is in Scotland.

City or country
Country

Introvert or extrovert
Introvert

And even more fun . . .

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
An e-reader, satellite Wi-Fi and a credit card with no limit!
(I’ll probably regret not asking for water.)

My bio:
Kate Carlisle is the New York Times bestselling author of two ongoing series: the Bibliophile Mysteries featuring San Francisco bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright, whose rare book restoration skills uncover old secrets, treachery and murder; and the Fixer-Upper Mysteries (as seen on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries), featuring Shannon Hammer, a home contractor who discovers not only skeletons in her neighbors’ closets, but murder victims, too.