Kathy Lynn Emerson is a prolific author across genres. She has written romance novels under her own name and a pseudonym, plus fiction and non-fiction for both adults and children. Her most recent success has been in writing historical mysteries. She has two series featuring strong women: 1880s U.S. journalist Diana Spaulding and Lady Appleton, set in Elizabethan England. I’m not a regular reader of historical mysteries set much before the late 19^th Century, although I read and enjoyed Face Down Beside St. Anne's Well. Nancy, a friend and Cozy Library reviewer, read and enjoyed the first two of Kathy’s Face Down mysteries and reviewed them for the site (click here). When I visited Kathy’s website (http://www.kathylynnemerson.com/), I learned about the Diana Spaulding – and they sound quite interesting to me – so I plan to read both of them!

Books

"Chronicle of Lady Appleton" Mysteries

• (2006) Face Down beside St. Anne's Well

• (2005) Face Down below the Banqueting House

• (2002) Face Down Across the Western Sea

• (2001) Face Down before the Rebel Hooves

• (2000) Face Down under the Wych Elm

• (2000) Face Down beneath the Eleanor Cross

• (1999) Face Down among the Winchester Geese

• (1998) Face Down upon an Herbal See Review

• (1997) Face Down in the Marrow-Bone Pie See Review

Diana Spaulding Mysteries

• (2007) No Mortal Reason See Review
• (2005) Fatal As a Fallen Woman
• (2004) Deadlier Than the Pen

Non-Fiction

• (1996) The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in Renaissance England
• (1989) Making Headlines: A Biography of Nellie Bly (juvenile)
• (1984) Wives and Daughters: The Women of Sixteenth-Century England

Profile

The illustration (above) was done at Bouchercon in 1997, but my appearance has not changed much since then. Personally, I think the characters I create are much more interesting than I am, but for those readers who like to know something about the author, here is a brief biography.

The first thing I remember writing as a child was a newspaper for my dolls. The second was a long, rambling adventure series featuring characters from all my favorite television shows. The crew of Rocky Jones, Space Ranger got along just fine with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, and with Perry Mason. They all lived in a castle, which looked a lot like my grandfather's house, and the kingdom was ruled by Queen Kathy (ten-year-old writers have no modesty) and King Mel. Mel? No, not Mel Gibson. Way back then Mel Torme had a weekly variety show!

With all those characters mixing together in my head, it's no wonder I've never been able to stick to just one kind of writing. In addition to contemporary, historical, and time-travel romance, I've written children's fiction and nonfiction, biography, history, and historical mystery. Who knows what I'll do next!

And the answer is: write a contemporary mystery series under a pseudonym. Look for more information when we get closer to 2007.

These days I do my writing in rural Maine. I came here from New York State to attend college more than thirty years ago and met my future husband the first week.

Illustration and profile from the author’s website. Used with permission.

Author website: http://www.kathylynnemerson.com/