I’ve always loved both the literary classics and traditional mysteries, and I thought it would be fun to combine them in some way. Creating a literature professor who solves mysteries by comparing real people to literary characters seemed like a good way to do that.

My methodology for novels is pretty much the same regardless of genre. I’m about halfway between a “plotter” and a “pantser.” Picture books, on the other hand, tend to result from the inspiration of a moment, and I write them very quickly (with plenty of revision afterward). Each book has its own unique inspiration.

Emily is a literature professor in Portland, widowed for two years and getting restless with her life, when she inherits an estate. She then moves to the Oregon coast and embarks on a new “career” as an amateur sleuth, as well as rekindling a new/old romance. Her journey involves the development of that romance as well as learning how to use her newfound wealth responsibly to benefit her community.

My favorite Doctor is Ten, David Tennant. He’s a brilliant actor, and his Doctor is passionate, funny, and incredibly charismatic. Before he came along, my favorite was Tom Baker. I’ll always love Tom, but he didn’t have the scope in the old series that the new series allows. As for the Tardis, so far the only one I’ve managed is on my phone case. But I can’t seem to get the dimensional stabilizer to work.

I started studying the Russian language because it was different and fascinating, and that drew me into a love for the literature as well. There’s something about Russian literature that is deeper and more authentic than most. Those writers don’t pull any punches. For a long time, I didn’t write because I knew I could never write like Tolstoy or Dostoevsky. Now I keep them in mind as models to aspire to, although my own writing is nowhere near their level.

I often relax with a piece of knitting and a good BBC mystery show. But of course I read a lot too. My “comfort food” reading, for instance when I’m sick, is the Anne of Green Gables series. I can never get enough of L. M. Montgomery. I also reread all of Jane Austen’s novels, usually about once a year.

I hope the Crime with the Classics series will continue for some time, as I’m having fun with it and have a lot of classic authors yet to explore. But I also have an idea for a different cozy series, as well as ideas for some more serious standalones, and I have a couple of previous novels I still hope to get published.