Why do you write the genre that you write?
I write cozy mysteries now, and I write them because they are fun. They’re fun for me and fun (I hope) for my readers. I started my career writing psychological suspense and police procedurals, then I turned to the light side, which these days suits me better. None of that tragedy and angst.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
Gemma Doyle in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series (From Crooked Lane Books) is the ‘Sherlock’ character. She has the mind of Sherlock Holmes, and some of the attitude too. Essentially, she’s my recreation of The Great Detective as a modern young woman.

How did you come up with your pseudonym?
I write the Lighthouse Library series as Eva Gates. That series was originally a work-for-hire from Penguin Random House and such requires a pseudonym. I now own the copyright myself, but it was easier to keep the original name.

Tell us how you got into writing?
I was working as a computer programmer and systems analyst at a major bank, and getting bored with it. So I thought I’d try my hand at writing. I took a course at a community college in creative writing and enjoyed it so much I wanted to take more courses, so I started a book.

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
As I mentioned above I was a computer programmer and then a systems analyst. I was a programmer way back in the days of COBOL and punch cards. That was my career for a long time. I wrote and had published my first few books while I was still working, and then I became a full time writer. Which is what I do now.

Where do you write?
At the half-wall between the kitchen and the dining room. I stand there and write on a laptop strictly dedicated to writing and only writing. For example, I am writing this interview seated at a computer in my office.

What is your favorite deadline snack?
Deadlines are not a thing in my life. I write four books a year, and in order to do that I have to be disciplined enough that I am never under time pressure. Also – I don’t snack. Ever.

What is next for you?
At the moment I am waiting on contract offers for two of my series. I have a contract for two more Sherlock Holmes Bookshop books and I have a pending contract for a renewed project that I can’t mention yet. He he!

What are you reading now?
The Maid by Nina Prose

Where can we find you?
Thank you for asking. vickidelany.com and lighthouselibrarymysteries.com. I’m on Facebook at Vicki Delany & Eva Gates, Twitter @vickidelany and @evagatesauthor. Instagram: @vicki.delany.

Now to have some fun . . .

Vanilla or chocolate
Vanilla

Ice cream or cake
Both? (But if only one, cake)

Broccoli or squash
Squash by far. I love squash.

Pizza, burgers, or pasta
Pasta

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Dinner

Mountain or beach
Beach

City or country
Definitely the country. I live on a small country property surrounded by farms

Introvert or extrovert
Believe it or not I am an extreme introvert.

And even more fun . . .

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
A very, very big book (maybe the entire LOTR series). A comfortable chair.
A radio or satellite phone so I can call for help when I’m ready to leave.

My bio:
Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than forty books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Catskill Summer Resort mysteries for Penguin Random House, the Tea by the Sea mysteries for Kensington, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series for Crooked Lane Books, and the Lighthouse Library series (as Eva Gates) for Crooked Lane.

Vicki is a past president of the Crime Writers of Canada and co-founder and organizer of the Women Killing It Crime Writing Festival. Her work has been nominated for the Derringer, the Bony Blithe, the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak, and the Arthur Ellis Awards. Vicki is the recipient of the 2019 Derrick Murdoch Award for contributions to Canadian crime writing. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.