Author Spotlight: Shari T. Mitchell

I’m always on the lookout for new authors to read, especially in my preferred genres of fantasy, science fiction, thriller/mystery, and horror. Imagine my delight when I fell upon Shari T. Mitchell and her collection of mystery thrillers that are just begging to be read! My TBR has never been happier.

Shari is the type of person you’re immediately drawn to with her engaging personality, relatable perspectives, honesty, and incredibly sharp wit. I got the honour and pleasure to interview this renowned author of the Marnie Reilly Mysteries series and I’m excited to share our discussion here with you. It’s been amazing getting to know Shari better and gather insight into her life, her books, and her creation process.

So, without further do, please welcome my sister in writing, Shari T. Mitchell, as we discuss inspirational nightmares, sociopathic characters, and her dark thrilling new release, Vacant Grave!

Author Interview with Shari T. Mitchell

Tell us about your latest release, Vacant Grave, and give us a glimpse into what inspired you to write this book/series. 

Shari: Vacant Grave is book four in the Marnie Reilly Mysteries series, and it sprang to life after I awoke from a horrible dream and sent myself an email in the wee small hours. The next morning when I checked my email, two words stared back at me: The Poacher. Recalling my nightmare, I ditched twenty chapters from the original manuscript and started again. The character I dreamed up was too evil to ignore. You know those creepy urban legends about the hook in the car door, the Slender Man, or the Midnight Man? Well, The Poacher is worse, and his tale is pure evil. Here’s the blurb and a short synopsis: 

Fact and fiction collide when a gruesome urban myth creeps out of the forest, bringing terror to the little town of Creekwood. Will psychic psychologist Marnie Reilly bury her past demons? Or will they send her to an early grave? 

Haunted by dreams of an icepick wielding stranger hunting her in the woods behind her house, Marnie Reilly waves it off as a trauma induced nightmare. After all, who wouldn’t experience night terrors after twelve months of murder and mayhem? 

Then October takes on a more chilling vibe when a corpse is discovered in the hay maze on her property and a local girl disappears from the road outside her home. 

But when disturbing effigies dressed in the bloodstained clothes of missing women are dropped at her doorstep, the psychic psychologist races against time to save the women of Creekwood, including herself. 

Is urban legend The Poacher alive and on a killing spree? Or is something more sinister at play? 

Welcome to Creekwood. Where Halloween is murder! 

What is the most surprising thing you learned while writing Vacant Grave? 

Shari: Characters matter. Following a life and death tragedy at the end of Fatal Vow (book three), writing Vacant Grave was so dang hard. One of my crew was missing from the pack and I could not get into the groove. Character interaction is a mainstay in my series. I didn’t realize how integral to the storyline my secondary characters are until I had to write without one of them. What that character added to the storyline was greater than I knew. It was awful!  

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book? 

Shari: Having grown up in the region where my fictional town of Creekwood is set, I’m fairly clued in to climate, dialect, and basic local knowledge, but I do research murder methods, and other things that pop up along the way. The “if X does this, what will be the result?” comes up a lot. Or will this kill someone or just seriously wound them? Checking legalities of the local area is important too. When is hunting season for deer, ducks, bears, etcetera? When do black bears hibernate in the Adirondack Mountains? That answer is mid to end November through March or April.  

I have a stable of reference books I use and my sister-in-law is a pharmacist, so she helps me when medication murders are on my mind. If I need a medical doctor or lawyer, I have both on speed-dial. My other half gives advice regarding veterans and mental health, an industry he was a part of for fourteen years. 

I’ve let my answer get away. Depending on the storyline, I do a lot of research, and also go down many a rabbit hole while searching for specific information.  

Who is your favourite character you’ve written and why? 

Shari: Detective Tom Keller is my favorite character and the one who I believe has developed the most. I love him because he is bits and pieces of so many good guys I’ve met throughout my life. He’s funny, loyal, kind, and a goofball, but he’s also protective, smart, and a badass when he has to be. Whenever a situation is tense, I can count on Tom to be inappropriate and add the comic relief a dark storyline needs. Everyone needs a Detective Keller in their life. 

If you asked who the best character is to write, I would say my resident sociopath, Kate Parish. She scares the bejesus out of everyone.  

What advice would you give to first-time authors that you wish someone had told you in the beginning? 

Shari: Write every day—even if it’s only 250 words. I have a note with the mantra Little by little becomes a lot taped to my desk to remind me that even short additions to a manuscript can deliver big end results. 

250 words X 365 days = 91,250 words.  

What is the most challenging part of writing for you? 

Shari: I am a storyteller, not a writer. Learning to combine the two skills has been a challenge, but it has been well worth it. As I rewrite/edit/tweak, whatever the word, Divine Guidance, I realize what a crap writer I was ten years ago. The story is solid. The writing is abysmal. The second edition will be a far more enjoyable read. 

What is your writing routine? Do you have any strange writing habits that are part of your process? 

Shari: I wake up early, grab a coffee and a smoothie, and head back upstairs to write. If I don’t allow myself to get distracted by emails, 5:00 to 7:00 AM can be quite productive. There are far too many demands on my time through the week, but I do sneak off to my office over the weekend and some evenings to get more words on paper. Anyone who works full time knows it’s hard to balance a schedule between life and work. 

Strange habits? Hmm … I leave far too many notes for myself on Post-its and send myself an inordinate amount of emails in the middle of the night. While I do know some authors need music in the background when they write, I need silence or instrumental only. Nothing with words. I have the attention span of a two-year-old on red Kool-Aid and will sing along to music I love and lose focus. Although, Christmas music doesn’t do that. It can play in the background and I’m fine.  

I almost always have a pencil behind my ear or have my hair pulled up, held in place by said pencil. I rarely use a pen, except to sign things or write letters or greeting cards.   

Is there any subject matter that you find difficult to write or that you avoid altogether? 

Shari: I’m a mystery thriller writer and when people ask why I don’t have more romance or sex in my books, it seriously annoys me. While there are hints of romance and intimacy in my stories, you’ll never read a full-on graphic sex scene in my books. It’s not how I roll. If you want a mystery thriller with great character interaction, strong relationships, dark humor, witty banter, diabolical antagonists, and heaps of twists and turns, I’m your gal. If you want graphic sex scenes, move along. My stories won’t be for you. I wouldn’t call it difficult or avoidance. It just seems unnecessary for the genre. 

Are you a ruthless character assassin? Do you mourn the characters you kill off? 

Shari: Ha-ha! Ruthless? Some readers might say so. I don’t gratuitously slaughter characters—there is always a reason for their death. Some I feel bad about, but I write paranormal thrillers. Any character could come back at a given moment as an ethereal being. That makes their deaths not as final. 

What is your deepest joy about writing? 

Shari: My eldest sister’s reaction to my stories and the creative bond we share sit at the top of the joy list. While she didn’t hate my first book, there were misunderstandings about symbolism. Once she understood who’s who and/or what’s what, she became a great supporter and a beta reader. I’m the baby of the family, so she doesn’t hold back if she doesn’t like something, which is good. She throws ideas out that stick and others that don’t, but that’s okay. Not all my plot twists work as planned, either. My latest, Vacant Grave, has a character inspired by a conversation we had over a few drinks on the boat last year. She’s one of those characters who will pop in and out of books in the series when her specific talents are needed.   

Are there certain experiences you’ve had that have made it into your stories? 

Yep. The first book in the series, Divine Guidance, was never meant to be published. It started out as an effort to heal following a nasty break up from an abusive ex. He was killed in effigy early in the story. It was a cathartic exercise. *smirks*  

People who know me well recognize offhand remarks by my characters and every now and again, a funny family/friend anecdote will make an appearance. Names of establishments and hometown references pop up throughout all four books in the series. I love it when someone back home reaches out to say they saw it. 

Are there any writing rules that you love to ignore? 

There are rules? Yes. I break many, but I’m told by an expert in the field that it enhances the pacing of my stories so I’ll continue to be a rebel. Although, I do follow Elmore Leonard’s number one rule: “If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.” 

Author Bio

Shari T. Mitchell is the author of the Marnie Reilly Mysteries thriller series, which includes Divine Guidance, Torn Veil, Fatal Vow, and Vacant Grave.

Raised in Northern New York State, Shari’s hometown and surrounds are the inspiration for her series’ fictional town of Creekwood, New York—which is located somewhere in the Adirondack Mountains.

While Shari loves developing multidimensional characters with whom her readers can relate, her passion is plotting the twists and turns of a mystery. It feeds her analytical and creative mind.

She lives in North Carolina and shares her home with her partner in crime, Harper, and their crazy rescue dogs, Dougal, Callee, Midget, and Mags.

A thirty-plus year marketer, Shari loves spending time with her family, cooking, hiking, traveling, gardening, and reading. She is often heard chatting with her characters because they natter at her constantly!

Mystery is her favorite genre, having cut her teeth on Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys and Trixie Belden. Her favorite authors include Robert Frost, Agatha Christie, Mary Higgins Clark, Ruth Rendell, Michael Connelly, Jonathan Kellerman, David Baldacci, Louise Penny, Stuart MacBride, and Michael Koryta.

Socials and Online

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharitmitchell/

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/sharitmitchell

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ShariTMitchellAuthor

Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/author/sharitmitchell

Website: sharitmitchell.com

Marnie Reilly Mysteries Book Links and Blurbs

Divine Guidance, Book 1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OE48802

Psychic psychologist Marnie Reilly battles inner demons every day. But when the “demon” is flesh and blood, will the final analysis be murder? Marnie Reilly is a hot-headed counselor with a difficult past; a dead mother, father, brother and an abusive ex-boyfriend. She has publicly taken on “The Collective,” a group of psychics and charlatans who sell hope at top dollar to troubled people looking for answers. They have threatened her, but she hasn’t taken their “hoodoo voodoo” nonsense seriously – until now. When the police find Marnie’s ex-boyfriend’s dead body in her shed, she finds herself in the middle of a murder inquiry. Serious questions arise about her involvement in the murder and Marnie is certain The Collective has framed her.

Marnie, her Border Collie, a childhood friend, and a cranky detective battle thunder, rain, ice, and blizzards to end a rash of murders in the sleepy city of Creekwood. Will the ghosts of her past help too?

Welcome to Creekwood. Where Thanksgiving is murder!

Torn Veil, Book 2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LF3L1FQ

Christmas is coming, and so is a killer. Will the psychic psychologist save Christmas and herself?

Marnie Reilly is back in Torn Veil, the sequel to Divine Guidance and her sixth sense is working overtime this holiday season.

A haunting swirl of evil sweeping through the little town of Creekwood is disturbing her dreams and her waking hours. The ghosts of her past are trying to help, but the messages from beyond the veil are muddled and vague.

When Marnie’s childhood friend turns up dead on the wrong side of the tracks, police detectives discover her business card in the dead man’s pocket. Is it an overdose or murder? As tensions rise in the race to solve the case, so does the body count. Detectives Tom Keller and Danny Gregg are on the scene to protect Marnie from the evil lurking in Creekwood, or is it Marnie who is protecting them?

Welcome back to Creekwood. Where Christmas is murder!

Fatal Vow, Book 3 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CC2TG7JC

When a long-held truth hides a sick, twisted lie, will the psychic psychologist’s greatest enemy save her from a fate worse than death? The last year has been an absolute shitstorm for psychic psychologist Marnie Reilly. Desperate to protect her loved ones from the evil stalking her, she fled her hometown of Creekwood, New York. It’s the first day of summer and she’s back in town to make amends and take control of the chaos of her past. But her greatest enemy is hot on her heels with an axe to grind. Or is that just an illusion created by a madman?

Welcome back to Creek. Where July 4th is murder!

Vacant Grave, Book 4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHV8S948

Fact and fiction collide when a gruesome urban myth creeps out of the forest, bringing terror to the little town of Creekwood. Will psychic psychologist Marnie Reilly bury her past demons? Or will they send her to an early grave? Haunted by dreams of an icepick wielding stranger hunting her in the woods behind her house, Marnie Reilly waves it off as a trauma induced nightmare. After all, who wouldn’t experience night terrors after twelve months of murder and mayhem?

Then October takes on a more chilling vibe when a corpse is discovered in the hay maze on her property and a local girl disappears from the road outside her home. But when disturbing effigies dressed in the bloodstained clothes of missing women are dropped at her doorstep, the psychic psychologist races against time to save the women of Creekwood, including herself. Is urban legend The Poacher alive and on a killing spree? Or is something more sinister at play?

Welcome back to Creekwood. Where Halloween is murder!