Why do you write the genre that you write?
I have loved the mystery genre since I discovered Nancy Drew Mysteries at the age of ten. I would finish my schoolwork early so I could pull my book out of my desk and escape to “Nancy Land.” I used to write short mysteries starring Nancy and her friends and vowed that someday, I would write mysteries for kids.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
Like me, one of my four Botanic Hill detective characters Rani Kumar has lexical-gustatory synesthesia. Synesthesia is a congenital condition where there are extra connections in the brain between usually unrelated senses. In Rani’s and my cases, between hearing/reading and tasting. We taste and sometimes even smell words! Another Botanic Hill detective Moki Kalani is convinced that Rani’s extrasensory ability can help the kids solve their cases.

Tell us how you got into writing?
My entire life has been literacy centered. I devoured books as a child, especially Nancy Drew mysteries, loved to write as a young student, and excelled at language arts, including grammar. In college, I earned a B.A. in English with a 4.0 GPA, and became a literacy teacher.

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
I was a curriculum editor for my public school district, San Diego Unified, while awaiting a teaching assignment back in the 1970s. I taught every grade K-12 during my thirty-five-year career with a focus on literacy. What fun it was making money working with kids and teaching them how to read and write! In addition to writing my standalone mystery series, which I started once I retired from teaching in 2013, I am also an independent publisher.

Where do you write?
I write mainly at my writing desk in my bedroom. But my writing ideas often pop into my head as I walk or dream. My fantasy writing nook is a dusty garret in an old three- or four-story house with a tiny window looking down onto a walled, secret garden.

What is your favorite deadline snack?
My favorite snack anytime is dark chocolate, closely followed by popcorn.

Who is an author you admire?
There are too many to list just one: all the authors who wrote the Nancy Drew Mysteries series; Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of Secret Garden; Edgar Allan Poe; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; and, Wilkie Collins to name a few.

What’s your favorite genre to read?
My favorite genres to read are mystery and L.A. noir drama. My favorite genre to write is Middle Grade (ages 9-12) mystery with a twist of history.

What are you reading now?
Iniquity, Book 4 in Laurie Buchanan’s Sean McPherson series (to be released in 2024)

What is your favorite beverage to end the day?
Hot apple-cinnamon tea

What is next for you?
Ideas for my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries, Book 6–Upas Street: Shocking Specter, are already swirling in my head. I am reading a related biography for the twist-of-history aspect the book will incorporate.

Where can we find you?
You can please find me at my website @sherrilljoseph.com; on Twitter/X @MysteryAuthor7; on Instagram @sherrilljosephauthor; and on Facebook at @BHDMysteriesAuthor. You can also find me on GoodReads and BookBub. My books are available for you to order at all your favorite online and indie bookstores @sherrilljoseph.com/books. If you would like to stay current with what my detectives and I are doing, please consider subscribing to my once-monthly author newsletter @sherrilljoseph.com/newsletter. I promise to treat with respect the privilege of having you as a subscriber!

Now to have some fun . . .

Chocolate or vanilla
Chocolate

Cake or ice cream
Cake

Fruits or vegetables
Vegetables

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Breakfast

Dining in or dining out
Dining in

City life or country living
City life

Beach or mountain
Beach

Summer or winter
Summer

Short story or full-length novel
Full-length novel

Extrovert or introvert
Introvert

Early bird or night owl
Early bird

And even more fun . . .

What’s your favorite movie?
Sunset Boulevard (1950 L.A. Noir drama)

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
My three must-haves for the deserted island are a satellite cell phone, GPS coordinates, and my Nancy Drew mysteries to read while I await rescue.

My bio:
Sherrill Joseph was a shy kid whose BFF was Nancy Drew. From her, the author learned to seek adventures, be kind and fair, and help others everywhere. Convinced early on that she was an architect in a former life, Sherrill was receptive to the magic of her San Diego neighborhood’s historic houses. To this day, she dramatizes those old “castles,” filling them with mysteries, glorious staircases, and exaggerated occurrences. Once retired in 2013 from teaching kids for thirty-five years, the child in Sherrill created the award-winning series the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries with a twist of history so her grandkids and all kids can forever gallop with her and her four sleuths in their standalone cases after clues to nab the bad guys.