CHRISTOPHER NULL

Today’s “introducing the author” features Jolie Tunnell, who hit the big-time as a mystery writer with a dozen books to her name. Her newest, Shadows in Chinatown, is about to hit stores.

Who are you, and what do you write about?

Hi! I’m Jolie Tunnell, an award-winning and Amazon best-selling author who loves to bring the past to life with suspenseful historical mysteries. I live in Southern California with the hubby, five grown kids, a new grandbaby, and a very large cat we call Munch.

Minus the murders, Idyllwild has been our summer retreat for years.

Cozy up with a cuppa and enjoy my mountaintop mysteries with a feisty small-town community, hidden villains, and the unsinkable Loveda Brown. I give readers historical whodunnits with a turn-of-the-century Wild West twist.

What is your favorite word?

“Gobsmacked!” Say it loud like you mean it.

What is your least favorite word?

“Wait” is a four-letter word. I generally don’t.

What is the trait you most like about yourself?

I am a creative problem solver and very stubborn persistent in solving them.

What is the trait you least like about yourself?

My brain is extremely distractible and chases squirrels every five minutes.

What is your greatest fear?

Water. I’m a terrible swimmer.

How do other people describe you?

Trustworthy.

What talent would you most like to have?

Singing or playing piano. I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.

If you weren’t working as a writer, what would you be doing?

Mothering the world.

How would you like to die?

Peacefully to music, rather like an opera.

If you were to die and then come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

My own cat, of course.

When and where were you happiest?

Being a stay-at-home mom for twenty years straight.

What is your greatest regret?

Not writing for twenty years straight.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

A memory would be nice. Everyone who knows me knows that if it isn’t written down, it doesn’t exist.

Who is your fictional hero?

Batman. That’s like asking who my favorite author is. Don’t go there. Moms don’t play favorites.

Who are your favorite writers?

Oh, fine. The bombastic list includes Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling, Erma Bombeck, Dave Barry… I choose a new one every five minutes. And I don’t play favorites.

What have you been working on lately?

My new (favorite) books…

The upcoming Mrs. Kelly Mystery Series takes us into 1882 San Francisco and introduces a mail-order bride who discovers her fiancé isn’t as advertised when his murder throws her into the heart of an international intrigue. As she navigates the city’s seedy underworld to uncover the truth, she must reconcile her idyllic expectations with the brutal realities of a place where everything and everyone has a price.

The Mrs. Kelly Mysteries are for readers who love strong female protagonists, immersive historical settings, suspense, cultural tensions, and political intrigue. Fans of Victoria Thompson and the television series Miss Scarlet and the Duke are going to love Shadows in Chinatown.

Visit my website, JolieTunnell.com, sign up for my newsletter, and get a free book!

Check out Shadows in Chinatown at Amazon!

Want to be the next thriller writer profiled on the blog? Email me here!