with PJ Nunn
We are delighted to welcome publicist and novelist PJ Nunn to Omnimystery News today.
Last year PJ published two mysteries, both first in series: Private Spies (Tidal Wave; 2013 trade paperback and ebook formats) and Angel Killer (Oak Tree Press; 2013 trade paperback and ebook formats). We recently managed to catch up with the very busy author and talk about her books.
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Omnimystery News: Introduce us to your new series characters.
Photo provided courtesy of
PJ Nunn
PJ Nunn: Shari Markham is the protagonist in one that begins with Angel Killer. She's got a brand new degree and a brand new job as a psychologist in the Crimes Against Persons unit of the Dallas Police Department. In that environment, there's not a gradual learning curve. Shari has to hit the ground running and soon finds herself immediately in over her head with a case of a serial killer who's targeting children. When he strikes close to home at her granddaughter's school, it becomes personal. Shari was born out of my years as a trauma counselor and consultant to a local police department and the county child welfare board. There are many stories left for Shari to tell.
Private Spies is the debut novel for my other series, and it's in a much lighter vein. Jesse Morgan didn't have much direction in her life until her best friend died suddenly and left her his business. That business happened to be a private investigation agency that specialized in locating missing persons. Jesse had worked there for several years, but mostly doing computer tasks and rarely field work. This was definitely a situation of on the job training. Jesse is quirky and often humorous, but she's got a knack for the work and apparently luck is on her side. She's definitely a moving target!
OMN: In your description of the characters, you mentioned the contrast between them. Would you place the books into different mystery subgenres?
PJN: The Shari Markham mysteries are darker and more edgy. They'd fit best in the psychological/hardboiled categories. The Jesse Morgan mysteries are more suited to Humorous, Traditional and maybe Cozy, but not typical.
OMN: Before these two mysteries, you wrote a couple of stand-alones. Why did you decide to start a series?
PJN: Although I may write another stand-alone novel at some point, I love series novels and have plans for many in both series. Obviously there's a need for keeping the characters the same in many ways, but I also like to show growth. It would be a sad character who never learned anything from experiences along the way!
OMN: How much of your own personal or professional experience have you included in the books?
PJN: Shari Markham in Angel Killer has a lot of me in there. Although I'm not actively involved in counseling at this time, I do still serve as a consultant to local law enforcement and write non-fiction articles on topics such as abuse and trauma survival.
Jesse Morgan in Private Spies is more of an antithesis to me and offers much relief to the heaviness of the counseling work I've done.
OMN: Describe your writing process for us.
PJN: I usually just start with a character and an idea and usually they take it and run. I typically don't even know "whodunit" until I'm well into the process. I may be anywhere when an idea strikes and often find myself waking in the night with something I have to get up and write down lest I forget.
OMN: And where might we find you writing?
PJN: My life is very full so it's a challenge to even make time to write. My oldest son is disabled and my husband is recovering from a stroke so I manage all of their shots and meds as well as their schedules. I also work from home and represent a long list of authors as their publicist so that keeps me busy and with the different time zones can't be squeezed into an 8 to 5 schedule. Whatever did we do before cell phones?? So my office is also my writing environment, but the activity of writing is confined to after the last meds have been dispensed at night and before the phone starts ringing in the morning. Fortunately I'm a night owl by nature and do my best and most creative work in the wee hours.
OMN: How do you go about researching the plot points for your stories?
PJN: I rely on the Internet for a lot of my research, but have a ready ear for law enforcement details with my best friend and fellow author who also happens to be a retired DPD officer and current SWAT instructor Mike Witzgall.
OMN: How true are you to the settings of the books?
PJN: I usually write about places I know, but I do take liberties sometimes to make things fit. Any town or community is constantly evolving and changing so I don't think that's a problem but I try not to make any glaring errors that would be offensive to locals
OMN: What is the best advice you've received as an author?
PJN: Be passionate about what you write, and write what you love. There's all kinds of advice out there but some of it isn't worth much. My writing changed when I finally realized it's OK to emulate the writing of authors I enjoy as long as I find my own voice in the midst and don't strain to make my writing resemble others. That may seem convoluted but I know what I mean (smile).
OMN: What kind of feedback have you received from readers?
PJN: I'm still new enough to really love when I hear what a reader thought about one of my books. I really appreciate those who take the time to write a review or a comment. They probably have no idea how much work goes into producing a finished product and it's just wonderful to know that someone enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
OMN: What are some of your favorite films?
PJN: Again, hard question because I like different films for different reasons and different moods. Probably my all time favorite is the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, but there are so many others.
OMN: Suppose one or both of your new series mysteries were to be adapted for television or film. Who do you see playing the lead characters?
PJN: Wow that's hard. I do have a mental image of the main characters, but I'm not sure they're anyone I've ever seen in real life. For Jesse Morgan, it might be Debra Messing in her younger years. Nobody comes immediately to mind for Shari …
OMN: What were some of the first books you remember reading?
PJN: The first books I remember were Trixie Beldon and Cherry Ames. I loved both series! Then I moved on to Nancy Drew, Victoria Holt and beyond.
OMN: Have any specific authors influenced how and what you write today?
PJN: I love so many that it's hard, but I think my work has been most influenced by Robert Crais and Janet Evanovich.
OMN: What are you reading now for pleasure?
PJN: I have very little time to read for pleasure, but that's misleading because I take great pleasure in reading for my clients and discovering new authors for review.
OMN: What's next for you?
PJN: More of the same! The second Shari Markham book is in the final editing process and the next Jesse Morgan book is in the final draft stage now. Coming soon!
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In 1998, PJ Nunn founded BreakThrough Promotions, now a national public relations firm helping authors, mostly of mystery novels, publicize themselves and their work. PJ lives with her husband some of their five children near Dallas, TX.
For more information about the author, please visit her website at PJNunn.com or her blog, and find her on Facebook and Twitter.
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Private Spies
PJ Nunn
A Jesse Morgan Mystery
When Jesse Morgan's boss and best friend died, she inherited Private Spies, a private investigation firm that specializes in missing persons. Unfortunately, she knew little about the business aside from her intensive work on the computer. But if Joey thought she could handle it, she felt obligated to at least give it a try. How hard could it be, right?
So Jesse took on her first case. Very straightforward. This guy is missing, find him. Oh but wait, he also kidnapped his own daughter. Find her too. Still not that hard. Except when she ran his report, the picture she found on his drivers license is of another guy. And when she found a guy who matched the first picture, he had another name. And when she found a girl that looked like the daughter, she didn't match anything. Not good.
Enter a retired police officer named Byron (really?) who says before Joey died, he hired him to work for them. Ok. This might be helpful. But then came a stalker, and a dead guy, a dead duck and an increasing list of incidents that all seem confusing to Jesse. Up to her eyeballs in threats and questions, Jesse's outraged when the woman who hired her decides to fire her. Unbelievable! Unable to stop at that point, Jesse is determined to find the guy and solve the case. If only it was as easy as it sounded.
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Angel Killer
PJ Nunn
A Shari Markham Mystery
The death of a child is every mother's nightmare. But what if the child has no mother? What if their little bodies are discarded like garbage and no one even seems to care that they're gone?
Shari Markham, psychologist for the Dallas Police Department, knows what it feels like to be unclaimed and unwanted. She can't turn away, even if it means demons dancing in her dreams at night. But when her relentless pursuit of information to help apprehend this madman gets a little too close, he turns the tables, warning her that his next scheduled victim will be her own three-year-old granddaughter, Angel!
Mac
