CHRISTOPHER NULL

Looking for a classic mystery? Carol Light has you covered, with a half-dozen meditations on the whodunnit under her belt now. Her latest book Death Watch, part of her budding Southern Secrets series, is out July 9.

Ready to meet the author?

Who are you, and what do you write about?

Thanks for having me, Chris.

I’m Carol Light, a writer of traditional whodunnit mysteries. I live in South Florida, where the sun shines almost every day of the year. A southerner by birth, I grew up in the Midwest and then lived in Australia for eight years before moving to the Sunshine State. Besides reading and writing, I enjoy going to the beach, spending time with friends, quilting, and traveling. I’m looking forward to a trip to Montana in late July. Fingers crossed it’s cooler than Florida in midsummer!

What is your favorite word?

Intrepid. It’s an inspiring word and even sounds fearless when you say it.

What is your least favorite word?

My absolute least favorite words are derogatory, dehumanizing, and offensive terms for women. Apart from those, I’d say hopeless is a least favorite. It goes against my optimistic nature.

What is the trait you most like about yourself?

My sense of humor. It’s not that I’m cracking jokes all the time (mainly because I can’t remember them), but I often find something humorous in most situations and enjoy making people smile—or groan if it’s a pun.

What is the trait you least like about yourself?

That would have to be perfectionism. Fortunately, I’m more aware of this tendency and have learned that accomplishing something is better than not trying or failing to finish a project because I fear it’s not good enough.

What is your greatest fear?

Heights. I think it has to do with being stuck at the top on a Ferris wheel when I was four or five. I don’t think I was up there that long, but I was alone and a long way from the ground. I’m also not fond of snakes.

How do other people describe you?

Usually they just shake their heads, but if they had to describe me, I hope they would say I’m easy to be around, creative, and kind.

What talent would you most like to have?

The ability to walk up to strangers at a gathering and start an interesting conversation. I’m working on it, but as an introvert, it doesn’t come naturally. I’d also like to have a talent for learning other languages.

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

I’d be mentoring children struggling with reading and/or older students needing help with writing.

How would you like to die?

In my sleep at age 104 with a smile on my face after a fabulous meal and a delightful evening with people I love.

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

An obstetrician. I think it would be wonderful to welcome babies into the world and witness their parents’ joy.

When and where were you happiest?

I think I was happiest in childhood visiting my grandparents in Arkansas. There were plenty of hugs from relatives of multiple generations, fun places to explore in their small town with my cousins and siblings, and lots of laughter. Many of the anecdotes I share in my Southern Secrets books are from my relatives. Don’t believe all of them. I’m not the only storyteller in the family.

What is your greatest regret?

I don’t believe in having regrets, but I wish I’d taken my writing more seriously when I was younger. I’m a late bloomer as an author.

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

I’d worry less and work more quickly and efficiently. It relates back to my perfectionism and a need to be thorough in all I do. Even housework is a chore.

Who is your fictional hero?

I love characters who refuse to give up on themselves or their dreams despite challenges. Jo March of Little Women with her loyalty to her family and love of reading and writing is a personal favorite from childhood. More recently, Miss Scarlett (PBS series), V.I. Warshawski, and H.L. Marsay’s Dorothy Peto in her The Lady in Blue mysteries are female detectives I admire.

Who are your favorite writers?

I love mysteries, so some of my current favorites in that genre (not in any particular order) are Elizabeth George, Craig Johnson, Michael Connelly, Jane Harper, Sandra Brown, John Sandford, CJ Box, Scott Turow, Tana French, and Anne Cleeves. More mainstream, I adore Fredrik Backman’s books because they have such heart and humor and Liane Moriarty’s brilliantly unpredictable stories.

What have you been working on lately?

I’ve just finished the third Southern Secrets mystery, Fatal Silence, which will be available in March 2026.

Currently, I’m preparing for the July 9 release of the second book in the series, Death Watch, which takes place in the small town of Crossroads, Arkansas. Police chief Tim Birch arrives too late to save the life of his youngest officer from an accidental exposure to fentanyl during a routine traffic stop. Determined to find the drug dealers and suppliers responsible, Tim and his team begin to investigate, but no one is talking.

Meanwhile, Jana Nance makes a major midlife change in returning to Crossroads, where she lived as a teenager. Her new job as the town’s first tourism director allows Jana to be close to her dying grandmother, but she hadn’t realized her boss would be her high school nemesis. When her committee visits the site of a new park, they discover the body of Jana’s godson, Eli, in a deer stand with a cache of fentanyl-laced pills. The police suspect Eli was a drug dealer, but Jana isn’t so certain. Her efforts to keep the park project on schedule and please her new boss result in more problems for Tim. Unless he can catch Eli’s killer, Jana’s death watch may be her own.

Find Carol on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, BookBub, and GoodReads, and check out Death Watch at Amazon!

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