with Carolyn Arnold
We are delighted to welcome author Carolyn Arnold to Omnimystery News today.
Carolyn's most recent mystery is Valentine's Day is Murder (January 2015; trade paperback and ebook formats), the eighth in her series featuring married couple Sara and Sean McKinley.
We recently caught up with the very busy author to talk more about her work.
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Omnimystery News: The McKinley mysteries is just one of your series. Tell us about the others and their lead characters.
Photo provided courtesy of
Carolyn Arnold
Carolyn Arnold: I have three series, with a fourth due out at the end of this year. I have only three published stand-alone titles available — one novel, one novella, and one short story.
I have two police procedural series — Madison Knight, and Brandon Fisher FBI. I have one cozy mystery series — McKinley Mysteries.
When it comes to any of my books, the characters speak to me and resonate with me on some (or many) levels. For Madison Knight, I love her strong will and determination, her ability to overcome even seeming odds and bring a killer to justice. I love how anything else is second to that. For Brandon Fisher, I love his stubborn nature and fiery temper. I love how he's forced to learn self-control when it comes to his difficult boss. For Sean and Sara McKinley, I love their giving nature, the fact they truly care about other people, and that they are committed to one another and truly in love.
OMN: How have the characters developed over the course of their respective series?
CA: Consistency as far as the character's personality is vital, but circumstances in life change us as people so this natural occurrence is reflected in my books. Madison Knight is softening somewhat from the woman she was in Ties That Bind. Based on what happens in each book, she responds and grows. At this point, she even has a love interest developing, which means she's starting to open up. All of these changes really started happening after she faced off with the Russian Mafia in Just Cause.
Brandon Fisher started off as a new FBI Agent and has three cases under him now, so he's grown as an agent from the experience. He's also undergone a divorce and is still deciding if he believes in love at this point. His priority has become his career, and he is casual in his personal affairs.
The McKinleys originally worked together and couldn't give into the love they felt for one another. They've since been able to commit to this love and it's only grown along with the series.
OMN: When starting a new book, how do you decide whether it will be a series title or a stand-alone?
CA: With very few stand-alone stories in my history, these characters have come to me and demanded I tell their stories. But what makes me choose to base a series on certain characters depends on them, on how many stories they have to tell me. This might sound strange to a person who doesn't write, but this is the best way to put it. Do they interest me enough to continue on in their lives, do they have more experiences to go through, to share with me?
OMN: How do you go about finding the right voice for your characters?
CA: I believe as an author you need to have the ability to transcend genre, you need to possess excellent intuition and the ability to place yourself in other people, within the opposite sex and their mindset.
As for finding the right voice, I believe this is something that comes naturally with the writing process, the going with the flow so to speak. For my Madison Knight, and McKinley Mystery series, these characters dictated a third person point of view. For Brandon Fisher, he insisted on first person.
In this day and age, I don't think it matters to readers if my characters are men while I'm a woman. It's about being realistic and tapping into the mindset of the characters. If women couldn't write men and vice versa, it would be a boring world of fiction out there.
OMN: You briefly mentioned the genres into which each of your series fits. Do you think there is an advantage to categorizing them as such?
CA: I categorize my books in various genres. My Madison Knight and Brandon Fisher FBI series are police procedural and hard-boiled. Brandon Fisher could even cross over a bit to thriller. My McKinley Mysteries are cozy mysteries.
I believe there are advantages to labeling books under genres as it allows the reader to know what to expect. I'm actually working through my website to make sure each title has these classifications noted.
OMN: Tell us a little more about your writing process.
CA: My writing process is a very organic, go with the flow one. What some term "pantster," which means writing by the seat of your pants. I can roughly outline, but in-depth outlines have never worked for me. I usually know the murder method, the victim(s), and who the killer is — but not always — when I set out to write.
As far as going with the flow, if I have been moved to interview killers and characters before writing a book, I do. Each book is a creation and at this point I've realized there's no set "block" answer as to how I set out to write a book. Every work is different and needs to be approached as the unique creation it is.
When I'm writing, it's like I'm watching a movie and simply recording what I see. I do, of course, operate from the point of view of the character's head to get depth and feeling.
As for characters in murder mysteries, there are usually a slew of secondary characters. It's naming all of them that becomes a challenge.
OMN: Where do you most often find yourself writing?
CA: I'm one of the fortunate ones. I moved from my dining room into my own office. Our house is a two-bedroom and two years ago, we renovated the second room into my office. It has a modest desk, a treadmill (for when I am inclined), and wood flooring. I painted the walls a bright yellow because I love the energy of the color.
OMN: How do you go about researching the plot points of your stories?
CA: Research is of high importance for any author. Readers know when you're blowing smoke, as they are intelligent. You respect them as such by doing due diligence when it comes to research.
For myself, I use a blend of Internet, textbook, and consultation with experts. I'm fortunate to have contacts who are cops, ex-cops, former FBI, and weapon specialists.
OMN: How true are you to the settings of your books?
CA: For the most part, my books are more character-driven. This means that while immediate settings are important, it's not necessary for a location to be detailed in depth. I have used locations where I have been in person and places I have researched online. I also have friends online from all over the world, so I've been known to contact them for help on authenticity as well.
OMN: Are any of your settings inspired by specific places?
CA: My Madison Knight novels are set in a fictional city I've named Stiles. I base it on a combination of London and Toronto, Ontario, but it can basically be anywhere USA. Despite basing it (in my mind) in Canada, my books are all written in American English and follow American police procedures.
OMN: If we could send you anywhere in the world, at no cost to you, to research the setting for a book, where would it be?
CA: At this moment, I'd say Washington, DC. I find the political arena fascinating when it comes to conflict, strong characters, and personal agendas. I believe it's ripe for fiction.
OMN: Complete this sentence for us: "I am a mystery author and thus I am also …".
CA: I am a mystery novelist and thus I am also gifted with a robust imagination that allows me to turn a nice walk through the woods into a brainstorming session for murder.
OMN: When selecting a book to read for pleasure, what do you look for?
CA: I look for professional work and a book that hooks me with the writing style within the first few paragraphs. I read in a variety of genres with mystery/thriller at the top followed by action/adventure and some contemporary fiction. I absolutely loved and recommend The Girl on the Train.
OMN: What's next for you?
CA: As I mentioned before, I have a fourth series coming out the end of this year. It's the first in an action/adventure series and I'm excited about setting out in this endeavor. It's a genre leap for me and it's come with challenges, but nothing that I haven't been able to handle. It's been a fun process so far. It's set to release the end of November this year.
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Carolyn Arnold's books range from cozy mysteries to hard-boiled detective and FBI procedurals. She is also a blogger and is published in IUeMag, a distinguished online magazine dedicated to inspiring people. In addition, she is the founder of the Shining Soul site that is geared to healing, motivation, and self-empowerment and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada. Born in a small town, Carolyn enjoys returning to her roots and spending time in the country reflecting on life and letting her imagination run wild. She currently lives in a city near Toronto with her husband and two beagles, Max and Chelsea.
For more information about the author, please visit her website at CarolynArnold.net and her author page on Goodreads, or find her on Facebook and Twitter.
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Valentine's Day is Murder
Carolyn Arnold
The McKinley Mysteries
Jimmy finally takes a vacation — and a chance on love — only to be abducted. His female companion originally thinks he had cold feet about their relationship, but Sean and Sara know there's more to it. Jimmy isn't the type to just up and disappear, let alone leave a lady stranded.
Setting out on their private jet, Sean and Sara reach the tropical paradise of Ocho Rios, Jamaica with sightseeing as the last thing on their minds.
With a gold coin being their initial tie to Jimmy's kidnapper, Sean and Sara even speculate about the involvement of pirates. Yet as the hours pass, and there's no word from Jimmy's captors, Sean and Sara will need to figure out the real motive before it's too late.
With help from their friend, Adam, back in Albany, the pieces come together and not a moment too soon.
