Zombies for Everyone: A Jenna Sutton Supernatural Cozy Mystery
by Kimberly Wylie
I am pleased to welcome Kimberly Wylie to Escape With Dollycas today!
Hi Kimberly
What are your top 10 favorite books/authors?
My top ten favorite books are (in no particular order):
- Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone
- DaVinci Code
- And Then There Were None
- Deception Point
- 11/22/63
- From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
- Wrinkle in Time
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
- Dead Until Dark
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
What book do you think everyone should read?
I don’t think there’s one book everyone should read. That’s the beauty of books. They’re like ice cream. There’s no one “best” flavor. Some people love the simplicity and pureness of vanilla. Others want unique flavor concoctions like blueberry-caramel cheesecake.
How long have you been writing?
Professionally, I’ve been writing for over twenty years. During that time, I rarely had time to write what I wanted to write. I’ve only spent the last couple of years actually devoting small chunks of time to my inner muse. She is very happy to finally be free.
Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
In writing, there are two types of authors often referred to—pantsers and plotters. Pantsers let their inner muse take full control of their story. They have no set story arc. Their stories develop organically. Plotters, on the other hand, work from a carefully crafted outline. They have predefined characters, with predefined character goals. You’ll find debates Internet-wide about which is better.
I, personally, am a hybrid of the two. I have an idea of my story arc. From my cozies, I have specifically clues in my brain that I know need to be brought to light. However, as I write, I let some of it happen organically. This includes the appearance of characters. Betsy and Tom were two characters that my inner muse brought to life as I wrote.
What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?
I rarely do research before I begin writing a book. Instead, I research as I go. For Zombies for Everyone, I did a lot of research on voodoo to be able to build it into my world as the catalyst for the first zombie. Before I started writing, I wasn’t sure if I was going to touch on zombie history, but it felt like it was needed to further immerse the reader in the Jenna Sutton reality.
Do you see writing as a career?
Writing has been my career for the last twenty-plus years. Regretfully, to make a living writing, I was forced to write simply what others wanted written. Sometimes it was interesting. A lot of times it was not. But it paid the bills and sent my kids to college. Now, I see writing as a creative outlet that soothes my soul. The word ‘career,’ to me, means a focus on making money. I want my writing to be about the stories I tell, whether they sell or not.
What do you think about the current publishing market?
This is such an exciting time to be in publishing. Print on demand has opened up publishing to millions of authors whose works would’ve never seen the light of day even a decade ago. This is both a blessing and a curse.
Although this has allowed many, many excellent writers to bring their stories to life, it also has meant there are many books now published that really should’ve had a bit more vetting (and editing) before they came to market. It has also meant a lot more competition for all books.
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
I don’t know any fiction writer who isn’t an avid reader. I think we love stories, first and foremost. If we’re not telling them, we want to be told one.
My favorite genre depends on my mood. In fact, I usually go through spurts of reading a specific genre. Right now, perhaps not surprisingly, I’ve been reading quite a few cozy mysteries. I love paranormal cozies, but also have been devouring regular cozies as well. This is not a new genre though for me. I love Agatha Christie, who I would argue is the queen of cozies, before there was the term ‘cozy.’
Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
I write one book at a time. Although I have a long list of books/book concepts I want to work on. If an idea for one of those books comes to mind, I will take a few minutes and jot notes down.
Thank you Kimberly for visiting today!
Keep reading to learn about Kimberly’s book.
About Zombies for Everyone
Zombies for Everyone: A Jenna Sutton Supernatural Cozy Mystery
Young Adult Paranormal Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Cypress Canyon Publishing (June 30, 2021)
Paperback: 184 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8741616895
Digital ASIN: B096NSXPXQ
Jenna Sutton is nothing like the iconic vampire slayer of TV fame.
She’s the antithesis of a cheerleader. She’s not peppy. And she sucks at gymnastics. She has nothing in common with the fictional Buffy, other than being blonde and in high school…
Oh, and occasionally she kills vampires for a living as well as other things that go bump in the night.
Following an attack on an English teacher at a nearby school, it becomes clear this wasn’t an ordinary coyote bite. The gray-green Lichtenberg-like webbing of streaks making their way up Ms. Pruett’s arm can mean only one thing—zombies.
But this isn’t a normal zombie attack. The victims seem to be hand-picked.
Can Jenna complete her investigation without the school administrators figuring out she’s actually a high school student from another school? Will Jenna be able to find out who’s behind these attacks before a full-scale zombie outbreak overtakes the town? And, perhaps most importantly…
Why did her best friend kiss her after all of these years?
More About Kimberly Wylie
Kimberly Wylie loves to write books about murder, mystery and mayhem.
Kimberly has been a full-time freelance writer and editor for more than twenty years. She has worked for both large publishing houses and small, boutique publishers, as well as magazines, Fortune 500 companies, and hundreds of private clients. When people asked her, “What do you write?” Her standard answer was always, “Whatever pays.”
For the last two years, Kimberly has focused on finally writing what she wants to write. During COVID, she published an award winning cookbook—The Ambergris Caye COVID Relief Cookbook. This book was featured in Forbes, won a Gourmand International award, and helped provide more than 20,000 meals to the residents of the island of Ambergris Caye, Belize. She’s also recently published a children’s picture book—Carl the Misunderstood Crocodile—and is donating profits to a local wildlife conservation and rescue group. Zombies for Everyone: A Jenna Sutton Supernatural Cozy Mystery is Kimberly’s first foray into her favorite genre—Cozies!
When not writing, you can find Kimberly enjoying the sunshine, the beach or the reef, from her home on Ambergris Caye. She lives there with her husband and the best English Cream Golden Retriever in the world—Coco.
Author Links
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Purchase Links – Amazon – Author Website –
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*Interview questions provided by the author.
Sounds like a fun paranormal mystery. I look forward to reading it.