Sherry Harris is a whirlwind! I’m not sure if I first became aware of Sherry through her work with Sisters in Crime, her smart/funny entries on the Wicked Cozies blog, or her witty cozies. Her smiling face is always worth seeking out at conferences, and I’m thrilled to have her here today.

How does a book start for you?

It’s been different for each book. Tagged for Death, the first book in the Sarah Winston Garage Sale series, came from a conversation I overheard in an airport several years earlier. The second book started with a crime that occurred when my husband was stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base. I wanted to right a wrong that I couldn’t in real life.

Who in your latest book has surprised you most – and why?

The sixth book in the series, The Gun Also Rises, comes out in January. The murderer surprised me. I thought it was one person, but later realized it was someone else. And it was all right there, laid out for me. I heard Patricia Cornwell speak once. She said she follows the evidence and the killer reveals themselves to her. I’ve never had that happen before because I’ve always known who did it.

When and/or where is your latest book set and is there a story behind that setting?

All the Sarah books are set in Ellington, Massachusetts and nearby Fitch Air Force Base. They are based on Bedford, Massachusetts and Hanscom Air Force Base. We live there for five years and I fell in love with the area.

What are you working on now?

I’m writing the eighth book in the Sarah series and getting ready to start a new series. The Chloe Jackson Redneck Riviera mysteries set in the panhandle of Florida. The panhandle has many nicknames – the Emerald Coast, Lower Alabama and, of course, the Redneck Riviera.

Which question didn’t I ask you that I should have?

Oh, that’s a hard one. I like to tell people who want to be published not to give up, to study the craft of writing, and to network with other authors. I have stacks of rejection letters and two and a half unpublished books that will probably never see the light of day.

Sherry Harris is the Agatha Award nominated author of the Sarah Winston Garage Sale mystery series. She is the President of Sisters in Crime National, a member of the Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime, the New England Chapter of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers. Website: Sherryharrisauthor.com Blog: Wickedcozyauthors.com

In her spare time Sherry loves reading and is a patent holding inventor. Sherry, her husband, and guard dog Lily are living in northern Virginia until they figure out where they want to move to next.

Website: Sherryharrisauthor.com Blog: Wickedcozyauthors.com