Now it’s time to learn more about the authors we read. . .
What drew you to the genre you write?
For reasons I’m not ready to explore within myself, I really enjoy crime stories. I watched every episode of Law and Order – all iterations – when I was in graduate school, and these days am reading almost exclusively crime fiction. It was revelatory when I found Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar series; at the time I didn’t realize funny crime fiction was a thing.
Tell us how you got into writing?
I wrote as a kid, but we didn’t have a lot of money, so I gave it up early to focus on more practical pursuits. I picked it up again later in life when I had more time for it. The impetus for my first book was to write something that my mom would like (she loved crime fiction). When I wrote Murder on the Spanish Seas I wasn’t thinking about getting it published, but Mom was thrilled when it was. (She didn’t read it, though. “Too much profanity.”) I was cleaning out the basement and found some of the stories I wrote when I was ten. I don’t know if this is good, or bad, but my voice hasn’t changed much since then.
What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
Not sure there’s enough room here for that. My first job was as a bartender, followed by tennis instructor, dive bar cleaner, semiconductor engineer, marketing manager, management consultant, nonprofit CEO, etc…, etc…
How many books do you have published?
Seven in two series. My eighth book, Five Things I See, starts a third series and comes out August 4 (Severn House). Murder on the Highlands Express, the fourth in the Jesse O’Hara series, is scheduled for publication March 2027.
Where do you write?
Usually on my couch in our living room. But I can write just about anywhere. I wrote a fair bit of Murder on the Highlands Express in a one room, 200 year-old fisherman’s cottage on the coast of Scotland.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Crime fiction. Detective, PI, amateur sleuth, just about any kind other than romance crime, if that’s even a thing. I really like fantasy, too. Val McDermid, Brian McGilloway, Brent Weeks, Brandon Sanderson and Lev Grossman are favorites.
What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I can curse and order beer in seven languages.
Who is an author you admire?
Val McDermid. A prolific, fabulous writer who is both famous and gracious.
Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?
When I first decided to write a book I looked up habits of prolific writers. Two stood out and I structure my process with those in mind. 1) Write 2,000 words each day. I try to net 2,000, which usually means I write twice that, as I’m often discarding what I wrote the day before. 2) ‘Writing is rewriting’. I never have writer’s block, because I know whatever I put on the page I can revise later. It doesn’t have to perfect, or even good, the first time. It usually isn’t. 😉
What is next for you?
I’m working on a crime fantasy book right now, and am about halfway done with the first draft. I also have future installments of my existing series in my head, one of which is Jesse O’Hara goes to Burning Man. I have a lot of Burner friends…
Where can we find you?
Walking my dog, at home writing, or doing research in Chicago, Jacksonville, or one of the many places that Jesse O’Hara visits. Electronically you can find and contact me at wendyschurch.com, and you can sign up for my newsletter there. I’m not that active on social media other than Instagram, @wendychurchwriter.
Now to have some fun . . .
Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Dinner, and breakfast for dinner.
Fruits or vegetables
Fruit, and it’s not close
Sweet or salty snacks
Salty
Ice cream or cake
Ice cream, or ice cream cake. Or cake.
Cooking or baking
Cooking. Baking requires too much precision
Dining in or dining out
We don’t have kids, and don’t have to save to put the dog through college, so it’s definitely dining out. There’s a lot of food in my books, much of it inspired by tasting menus and places we’ve eaten around the world. But I also love to cook for friends and family.
City life or country living
Country, with trips to the city for dining out.
Beach or mountain
Beach. Water, always.
Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall
Fall, followed by Spring and Winter. It’s too hot in the summer.
Extrovert or introvert
Introvert
And even more fun . . .
What is your favorite movie?
I love comedy, and Melissa McCarthy, so I’d have to say The Heat, followed by The Other Guys (“bye, Sheila…”).
You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
I’m going to assume this means other than the people in my life and my pets. So….1) My laptop with wifi connection, 2) my Psych DVDs and something to play them on, and 3) An annotated copy of Ulysses. That’s the only way I’ll ever get through it.
My bio:
Wendy Church is the author of the non-cozy and semibiographical Jesse O’Hara mystery series, where a misanthropic woman with a million dollar brain and a ten cent personality travels around the world stumbling over crimes. Her debut novel, Murder on the Spanish Seas, was named a Booklist Top Ten Debut Mystery/Thriller. Wendy’s Shadows of Chicago mystery series is set in and around the restaurant industry in Chicago, its first installment, Knife Skills, received a starred Kirkus review. Read about Wendy’s books at Kirkus, on her website, or occasionally on Instagram. Wendy lives in Seattle with her partner, and when not writing serves as a full-time personal valet to several furry cohabitors.