Now it’s time to learn more about the authors we read. . .
What drew you to the genre you write?
I have always found unanswered questions intriguing. That trait led me first into literary criticism, where I spent half a lifetime teasing out answers to the questions literary texts implicitly pose. As retirement approached, I sensed that sliding into mystery writing might keep me both sane and out of trouble—and I think it has.
How did you come up with your pseudonym?
I don’t use one, but if I did, it would be Patrick Hetty or Hetty Patrick. Do you see why? Both are anagrams of “Kay Pritchett.”
Tell us how you got into writing?
I began as an academic writer. With a job that required half teaching and half research, I had plenty of motivation to write, and I grew to love it—perhaps even more than teaching.
What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
Teaching has been my only “job.” I must confess, though, that neither teaching nor writing has ever felt like work. Those of us fortunate enough to live our lives as teachers and writers are truly blessed.
How many books do you have published?
Fifteen: seven academic books and eight mystery novels.
Where do you write?
On my couch in my study—upstairs in an old Victorian from which I can see the lovely old houses I delight in turning into crime scenes.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I take real joy in reading (really studying) the classics—both old and new. Literary fiction, as it’s now called. I also love traditional mystery authors.
What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I suspect my friends already consider me an oddity. Perhaps they’d be surprised to learn that, as an adolescent, my great ambition was to be a majorette. I kept my old baton for years until, in a burst of closet cleaning, I finally let it go.
Who is an author you admire?
Hemingway and Zora Neale Hurston. I could have named many more, but I have picked these two because I will never forget the awe I felt while reading Hemingway’s description of bullfighting in The Sun Also Rises. Reading Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God was a similarly awe-inspiring experience.
Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?
Write every day, and strive to find your authentic voice. Take advise seriously—and with a grain of salt.
What is next for you?
After writing eight Mosey Frye Mysteries, I felt ready for a change, so I began a new series: Wren Wilson Mysteries: In the Subject Field. I’m on chapter twenty of the first novel, tentatively titled On Rocky Terrain. I’m excited for several reasons. My heroine is a forensic psychologist, which allows me to use analytical skills I haven’t engaged in years. I enjoy theory, especially the off beat kind, and it’s been fun figuring out how to introduce it without scaring off readers. I’m also writing in first person for the first time, after using third-person close in my previous series. And finally, I’m creating a new world—this one mountainous rather than Delta-flat. The land seems to grow the people, and it’s fascinating to see who surfaces in this rocky terrain.
Where can we find you?
On my website at www.moseyfryemysteries.com, on Facebook, on Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Goodreads.
Now to have some fun . . .
Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Dinner
Fruits or vegetables
Fruits
Sweet or salty snacks
Salty
Ice cream or cake
Ice cream
Cooking or baking
Baking
Dining in or dining out
Out
City life or country living
City life
Beach or mountain
Beach
Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall
Summer
Extrovert or introvert
Introvert
And even more fun . . .
What is your favorite movie?
Hitchcock’s Vertigo
You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
Beyond the necessities to sustain life, I must have iced tea, a computer, and a sportscar.
My bio:
Kay Pritchett, born and raised in Greenville, Mississippi, came to fiction after years of carrying stories in her imagination. Her Mosey Frye Mystery series—now eight books strong—combines humor, atmosphere, and character driven intrigue. Amateur sleuth Mosey Frye and police chief Gus Olivera anchor her narratives, alongside her clear-sighted friends Nadia and Saffron, the incisive coroner Eads McGinnis, and a late comer to the series, the imaginative Dr. Lauren Wilson. Pritchett writes with the aim of giving readers a classic whodunit experience, touched with the Southern landscapes and textures that shaped her youth. Her first collection, Murder in High Cotton (2022), reflects her Delta roots, as do all her novels, including the forthcoming Murder at the Old Schoolhouse, to be released on June 10, 2026. She lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.