I’m delighted to introduce you to multi-published author Carol Preflatish, the author of the Nathan Perry Mystery series and seven romantic suspense novels. Currently living in southern Indiana, Carol recently took on the vice-presidency of our local SinC chapter, Derby Rotten Scoundrels.

 I’m discovering that half the fun of doing these interviews is learning new things about people I’ve known for years! I had no idea we shared a love for the same fictional detective, or that Carol was also a talented photographer, whose work has appeared in her local newspaper, as well as in “Golf Journal,” the official publication of the United States Golf Association. Here are Carol’s responses to my questions:

1. I know you’ve been very busy writing lately. Tell us about your latest release, and what inspired you to write it. 

On December 17, I released The Coin Collector, my second book in the Nathan Perry Mystery series. When a coin convention comes to Mystic, Massachusetts, the town has another murder on its hands. Detective Nathan Perry investigates the mysterious death, and determines the victim was killed over a rare Colonial Era coin. With so many suspects, he has to figure out if the killer got away with both the murder and the valuable coin?

Originally, I wrote romantic suspense, but after writing seven romances, I decided to switch to writing mysteries. I love reading police procedural mysteries, with my favorite being the Jesse Stone series by the late Robert B. Parker. That series inspired me to write my own series. Homecoming to Murder is the first book in my series.

2. What’s next for you writing-wise?

I’m currently working on the third Nathan Perry book, Witch Hunt. My series take place in the fictional town of Mystic, Massachusetts, which I modeled after the town of Salem, Mass. In this book, there’s a serial killer targeting the modern-day witches of Mystic. Detective Perry has his hands full trying to connect the murders to each other, all the while looking for the killer before he strikes again. I’m hoping for a late 2021 release for Witch Hunt.

3. Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

I always loved writing. I remember in elementary school I wrote short plays. In high school, I discovered that I still enjoyed writing, although, it was research papers that I wrote then. I didn’t write much else until 2000, when I decided that my goal for the millennial would be to write a novel. I did that, but it took me ten years and a few more books before I was published.

4. Tell us about your path to publishing your first book.

I had no idea what I was doing on that first book. I joined a few online writing groups and that helped me immensely. I learned so much from the writers in those groups. My first published book was not the first one I wrote though. Even then, I received a lot of rejections from agents and publishers. Eventually, I decided to pitch my book to small press publishers that didn’t require the author to have an agent, and found success.

About a year after that first book was published, the press shut down. It was a nightmare getting my rights back, but I eventually did. My next three books were published by a new small press. Unfortunately, they closed down right before my fourth book with them came out. Getting the rights back to those was much easier, and I have since self-published those.

My current series is with Seventh Star Press out of Lexington, Kentucky. I’m very happy with them, and I don’t foresee them closing down anywhere in the near future.

5. Do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser—or somewhere in-between?

I’m a little of both. When I start a book, I have at least the first two or three chapters plotted out. After that, I don’t know where my muse will take me until I start writing. As you probably know, your characters will tell you where the book is going as you’re writing.

6. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing?

I love photography, specifically nature photography. Unfortunately, with the quarantine, I’ve only been able to get out on one photo trip in 2020. I also love to watch football. My Sunday afternoons are pretty much reserved for watching the Indianapolis Colts. I also love to watch old movies and television shows.

7. What’s something about you that most people don’t know? 

I’m a licensed amateur radio operator, more commonly known as ham radio. My husband was a ham operator, in the days before cell phones, I got my license so we could communicate when we weren’t together.

8. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Research, research, research, and I don’t mean for the plot of your book. There is so much that a writer needs to know other than just the writing part. Research the publishers you want to submit to. Know their guidelines like the back of your hand. My current publisher told me after accepting my first book that he was happy to see that I knew how to format a manuscript because it made it so much easier to read and edit. There’s also the business part of writing. Your job doesn’t end when your book is published. Most writers have to do their own marketing, and there’s so much to know about that.

9. Anything else you’d like to add?

Anyone interested, can find more about me and my books on my website at http://CarolPre.com