If you like psychological thrillers in the vein of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, you're going to love this interview with best-selling author Rachel Abbott.

As you'll hear me mention in the beginning of the interview, Rachel is one of the UK's very best selling authors. And for good reason. She writes taught, twisty, psychological mystery-thrillers that keep her readers guessing until the very last page. If you're looking for some books that will keep you up at night, turning the pages, you've come to the right place. ;-)

Rachel is an incredibly busy - and generous! - author. She speaks at many live events each year, and also at prisons, which you'll hear her mention. I am so grateful that she took the time to speak to me for this episode of It's a Mystery Podcast.

No personal introduction on the audio from me today. It was a long weekend in Canada and I'm late getting the show out as it is. Enjoy!!

You can find out more about today's guest, Rachel Abbott, and all her books on her website Rachel-Abbott.com. You can also find her on Twitter @RachelAbbott.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode

* Click on any of the book covers to go to Rachel's books on Amazon

* Rachel's website: Rachel-Abbott.com

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher.

Sadly, technology was not our friend during this podcast, so there is no corresponding YouTube video.

Transcription of Interview with Rachel Abbott

Alexandra: Hi, mystery readers, I'm Alexandra Amor. This is "It's a Mystery Podcast," and I'm here today with Rachel Abbott. Hi, Rachel.

Rachel: Hi, Alexandra, how are you?

Alexandra: Very well. How are you?

Rachel: Good.

Alexandra: Good. Well, thank you so much for being with me here today. I'm gonna give our listeners a little bit of an introduction to you.

Rachel Abbott was born and raised in Manchester and is now the internationally bestselling author of seven crime novels, including her most recent, "The Sixth Window." In August 2015, Amazon revealed that Rachel is the U.K.'s bestselling independent author over the last five years. She is also listed at number 14 in the list of U.K. bestselling authors both traditionally and independently published over the same five-year period, outselling authors like Jeffrey Archer and Jojo Moyes. Her books have been translated into seven different languages. Rachel presently lives in Alderney in the Channel Islands, which are between England and France, where she writes full time.

You have a really great story about how you began writing that involves a snow storm.

Why don't you share that story with our listeners?

Rachel: Well, yes, it kind of does. I'd been thinking for quite a long time that I would like to write. But like a lot of people, I couldn't find the time to do it. And I decided I really wanted to write about 10 years before I started, but I was still working full time,

What happens when you cross an entrepreneur with a literature professor and a frustrated blogger? Murder, of course!

My guest on today's podcast, Gilian Baker, has been a writing teacher for years. When she started working on a story during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) a few years ago, the muses took hold and they haven't let go yet.

Gilian and I chat about the very modern subject of her first cozy mystery novel, and the classic elements it also contains (a small town location and hemlock, naturally!). Gilian has two more books coming out this year and I will be sure to post and Tweet about them when they are released.

In the introduction I mention that my guest from episode 21, Vered Ehsani, has an amazing deal on right now for the box set of her Society for Paranormals mysteries, which she describes as 'Lara Croft meets Jane Austen in colonial Kenya'. Three novels for $0.99. Click here to learn more and grab this box set. This price won't last long.

Also (it's an embarrassment of mystery novel riches this week), my guest from episode 8, Robin Storey, has just released her latest book called A Time for Penance. It is also on special for $0.99 until May 22. Click here to check that one out too!

This podcast episode is sponsored by the free mystery novella, Charlie Horse.

1890. Frontier British Columbia. When one of her students is accused of a crime, will new schoolteacher Julia Thom be able to prove his innocence?

For a limited time you can click here, or on the cover image at right to get your free copy.

You can find out more about today's guest, Gilian Baker, and all her books on her website GilianBaker.com. You can also find her on Twitter @gilianbaker.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode

* Click on the book cover to go to Blogging is Murder on Amazon

* Gilian's post on her site about how to avoid having your accounts hacked

* Read an excerpt from Blogging is Murder with commentary from Gilian

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher.

You can also click here to watch the interview on YouTube.

Transcription of Interview with Gilian Baker

Alexandra: Hi everyone, this is "It's a Mystery" podcast.

Matty Dalrymple is my first return guest to It's a Mystery Podcast and I'm thrilled to talk to her today about her new book, Rock Paper Scissors.

Matty is fascinated by the alienation that can be created when people are different or extraordinary. Both her spirit sensing sleuth, Ann Kinnear, from her first two books, and Lizzy Ballard, from the new release, Rock Paper Scissors, are characters who are set slightly apart from the average person. For me, what was interesting about this chat with Matty was that she has written two female protagonists who have reacted very differently to their respective situations. You'll hear us explore how Ann Kinnear, from The Sense of Death and A Sense of Reckoning has reacted to her abilities by withdrawing from the world. Whereas, Matty's newest protagonist, Lizzy, has a greater need to connect with the world.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by my cozy mystery novel, Horse With No Name.

Would you risk your life simply to be yourself?

Julia Thom is new to the small town of Horse, but she’s not new to trouble. When reclusive watchmaker James Hunter is beaten, but has no memory of the event, Julia vows to find the culprits. Even if Hunter hadn’t saved Julia herself from being assaulted, she would still be on the case; meddling helps keep her focus off her own complicated life. Julia is fast becoming a thorn in Police Constable Jack Merrick’s side and he flounders as he tries to figure out how to deal with such a headstrong woman.

When the attackers strike again and the violence escalates, Julia’s determination redoubles, putting herself in more danger than anyone could have anticipated. While Julia and Merrick grapple with finding unknown assailants, they must also find a way to come to terms with one another.

This novel is free for a limited time at all online vendors:

KOBO

Amazon

iTunes

Barnes and Noble

You can find out more about today's guest, Matty Dalrymple, and all her books on her website MattyDalrymple.com. You can also find her on Twitter @MattyDalrymple.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode

* Click on any of the book covers to go to Matty's books on Amazon

* Matty was previously on Episode 26 of It's a Mystery Podcast

* Help for Independent Authors and Writers at The Indy Author.

* Matty's blog post about train stations

* Sign up for Matty's newsletter and receive a free short story

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And

Magic is something I know almost nothing about. Luckily, my guest today, John Gaspard, who is a filmmaker as well as a writer, is here to talk about his magician-sleuth Eli Marks.

After John and I spoke I began reading the first book in the Eli Marks series and I love it. Eli is witty and smart, and in a heap of trouble in the first book, The Ambitious Card. Eli strikes me as a deeply thoughtful guy, someone who tries to see what's going on behind the obvious, which is perhaps a perfect metaphor for what detectives and amateur sleuths - and magicians! - do. I suspect Eli is a bit like his creator, John, who was fun to chat with and clearly loves his writing hobby (he explains that he doesn't like to think of it as a job).

If you like cozy mysteries with well-drawn characters and a sense of humour, I think you'll like John's Eli Marks series.

In the intro I mention that Skype was acting up on the day I interviewed John, so I hope the slightly bumpy audio isn't too annoying for you listeners. I may have to beg John to come back on the show in January 2018 when his next book is released, so we can have a chat without having to deal with Skype's idiosyncrasies.

You can find out more about today's guest, John Gaspard, and all his books on his website Fast Cheap Movie Thoughts. You can also find him on Twitter @johngaspard and on Facebook.

This podcast episode is sponsored by the free mystery novella, Charlie Horse.

1890. Frontier British Columbia. When one of her students is accused of a crime, will new schoolteacher Julia Thom be able to prove his innocence?

For a limited time you can click here, or on the cover image at right to get your free copy.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode

* Click on any of the book covers to go to John's books on Amazon

* John mentions his magician mentor Suzanne's appearance on Penn and Teller's show, Fool Us. Click here to see that. [8 mins]

* John's blog, Fast, Cheap Movie Thoughts

* John's podcast, Fast, Cheap Movie Talk

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher.

You can also click here to watch the interview on YouTube.

Transcription of Interview with John Gaspard

Alexandra: Hi, everyone. Welcome to "It's A Mystery" podcast. I'm Alexandra Amor, and I'm here today with John Gaspard. Hi, John!

John: Hello, how are you doing?

Alexandra: Very well, how are you?

John: Good.

Alexandra: Good, thank you for being here.

What do you do with a character who's terrible at everything?

Today's podcast guest, JL (Janet) Simpson, has a unique character on her hands, Daisy Dunlop. As you'll hear her describe, Daisy is terrible at everything. Which is an interesting foundation for a character in a mystery novel.

But, as with so many of us, after multiple failures at finding her vocation, Daisy finally discovers an occupation she can call her own.

In the intro, I mention that the shortlist for the Arthur Ellis Crime Writing awards were announced last Friday. You can click here to see the whole list. It's a great way to find new authors and books. The site also lists all the previous years' short lists and winners, so you can work you way backwards, if you like.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by my cozy mystery novel, Horse With No Name.

Would you risk your life simply to be yourself?

Julia Thom is new to the small town of Horse, but she’s not new to trouble. When reclusive watchmaker James Hunter is beaten, but has no memory of the event, Julia vows to find the culprits. Even if Hunter hadn’t saved Julia herself from being assaulted, she would still be on the case; meddling helps keep her focus off her own complicated life. Julia is fast becoming a thorn in Police Constable Jack Merrick’s side and he flounders as he tries to figure out how to deal with such a headstrong woman.

When the attackers strike again and the violence escalates, Julia’s determination redoubles, putting herself in more danger than anyone could have anticipated. While Julia and Merrick grapple with finding unknown assailants, they must also find a way to come to terms with one another.

This novel is FREE for a limited time at all online vendors:

KOBO

Amazon

iTunes

Barnes and Noble

You can find out more about today's guest, J.L. Simpson, and all her books on her website JLSimpson.com. You can also find her on Twitter @JLSimpsonAuthor.

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher.

You can also click here to watch the interview on YouTube.

Transcription of Interview with J.L. Simpson

Alexandra: Hello mystery readers. I'm Alexandra Amor, this is It's a Mystery Podcast. I'm here today with J.L.Simpson. How are you Janet? Let me introduce you to our listeners.

Janet is an English rose who was transported to Australia by a giant nomad, and I'm going to have to ask about that a little bit later. She quickly adopted the accent and culture of her new home.

Written under the name of J.L.Simpson, her Daisy Dunlop mystery series, is set on the south coast of England where she grew up.

Author Judy K. Walker tells us how she found her main character Sydney Brennan, and coined the term 'Thrillergy', in this interview.

I love that Judy talks about using her experience working for a lawyer on death penalty cases as part of the foundation for her PI's background.

Stories come from many different places and Judy lets us in on parts of her process for writing her books. Since we recorded the interview, she has published the first book in the 'Thrillergy' she mentions - it is called Prodigal is separate from the Sydney Brennan Mysteries.

This podcast episode is sponsored by the free mystery novella, Charlie Horse.

1890. Frontier British Columbia. When one of her students is accused of a crime, will new schoolteacher Julia Thom be able to prove his innocence?

For a limited time you can click here, or on the cover image at right to get your free copy.

You can find out more about today's guest, Judy, and all her books on her website JudyKWalker.com. You can also find her on Twitter @JudyKWalker.

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher.

You can also click here to watch the interview on YouTube.

Transcription of Interview with Judy Walker

Alexandra: Hi, mystery readers, I'm Alexandra Amor. This is "It's a Mystery" podcast, and I'm here today with Judy Walker. Hi, Judy.

Judy: Hi Alexandra, how are you?

Alexandra: Very well, how are you?

Judy: I'm doing well, thank you.

Alexandra: Good. It's great to have you here today. So, let me give you an introduction to our listeners.

Author Judy K. Walker drew upon her own experiences as a Florida criminal appellate attorney in creating her fictional private investigator, Sydney Brennan. She's currently taking a break before book six in the series to return to her Appalachian roots in a thriller trilogy project, but don't worry there are many more Sydney Brennan adventures to come. Judy writes from her home in rainy East Hawaii, which has been very rainy lately as you were saying.

Judy: Indeed it has. Five inches yesterday.

Alexandra: Holy moly. Yeah, that's wet. That's wet even by Vancouver standards.

Judy: That's Wednesday here.

Alexandra: Yeah, it's way the it goes.

Tell us a bit about Sydney Brennan. I liked it that you called her your hair alter ego somewhere on the website, but tell us more about her.

Judy: Yes. Well, you know, with that introduction, I have to start with her hair. And I think it's in my...it might be in my Amazon thing that I said people talk about their characters as being their alter egos, and you know, doing all the things they wanna do, but for me I really just want her hair.

I had always envisioned Sydney with this, you know, these fantastic ringlets of red curls, which of course, you have short, apparently straight hair,

Just like life, Kim Hunt Harris's Trailer Park Princess cozy mystery novels are a healthy mix of funny moments and challenging times for her amateur sleuth Salem Grimes.

When I read The Middle Finger of Fate, the first book in the series, I was struck by how funny Kim's writing is, and how touched I was by her character Salem's ups and downs. Salem is someone really REALLY trying to turn her life around. And she's going through one of those times in life when no matter what she does things seem to wrong. And the harder she tries to right them, the wronger they go. (We've all had times like that!)

And yet, Kim's writing is so funny, and so sweet, that I laughed outloud throughout the book. Don't even get me started about the car with the 'bucket' seat. Oh my! ;-)

If you like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, do yourself a favor and try out the Trailer Park Princess books. You can thank me later. ;-)

You can find out more about today's guest, Kim, and all her books on her website KimHuntHarris.com. And you will find her on Twitter @kimhuntharris.

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on iTunes. And listen on Stitcher.

You can also click here to watch the interview on YouTube.

Transcript of Episode with Kim Hunt Harris

Alexandra: Hi mystery readers, this is Alexandra Amor with It's a Mystery Podcast. I'm here with Kim Hunt Harris. Hi, Kim.

Kim: Hello.

Alexandra: How are you?

Kim: I'm good, I'm excellent. How are you?

Alexandra: I'm very well thank you. I see it's hot there in Texas today.

Kim: It is hot here today in Texas today, in fact we had a string of 100 plus degrees days for I'm not sure how long now, but for too long. But of course it's nothing out of the ordinary. But, there are some clouds building up and we have a chance of rain and that's always welcomed here in west Texas.

Rain, we take it any chance we can get it. So keep your fingers crossed, that always helps bring temperature down, makes everybody happy too.

Alexandra: Yes. Good, absolutely we will keep our fingers crossed for you. So, let me give our listeners a little bit of introduction.

Kim Hunt Harris is the award-winning author of the Trailer Park Princess comic mystery series. Kim knew she wanted to be a writer before she even knew how to write. She loves to not only make her readers laugh and entertain them with a good mystery, but also to examine the issues that everyday people face, issues like faith and forgiveness, perseverance - I always have trouble with that word - and tolerance.

Set in Lubbock, Texas, this mystery series feature a cast of quirky characters, outrageous situations, a drama queen of a dog, and from time to time, a tear or two. Kim lives with her husband of more than 30 years and 2 teenage children in Lubbock, Texas.

Why don't you tell us about Salem. She's described on your website and on Amazon as a bit of a hot mess. So tell us about her.

Kim: Well, Salem is a hot mess. She has been so much fun to write. First of all she is a recovering alcoholic, which is not funny,

Tracy Tonkinson is a fellow Canadian author who has a deep love for history. In this interview she explains what drew her to write about late 19th century Chicago. We also discuss her character Drew McMillan, who made himself known to Tracy, and had such an effect on her, that she's now writing a second mystery series featuring this Pinkerton agent.

In the introduction I mention that podcast guest Cassidy Salem will have the next book in her Adina Donati series available next week. You can learn more about Dying for Data here.

You can find out more about today's guest, Tracy, and all her books on her website DiamondAndDoranMysteries.com. You can also find her on Facebook.

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on iTunes. And listen on Stitcher.

You can also click here to watch the interview on YouTube.

Transcription of Interview with Tracy Tonkinson

Alexandra: Hi, Mystery readers. I'm Alexandra Amor, this is It's a Mystery podcast and I'm here today with Tracy Tonkinson. Hi, Tracy.

Tracy: Hi, Alexandra, how are you?

Alexandra: Very well, how are you?

Tracy: Good, thank you.

Alexandra: Good, excellent, so let me introduce you to our listeners.

Tracy Tonkinson is the author of "Madman" and of "Poison," the first two books in her "Diamond And Doran Mystery Series," which follow rookie cop Arthur Diamond and the veteran sergeant Billy Doran as they clean up 19th century Chicago.

Also out soon is "Argent," which is the first book in the "Drew McMillan Case Files" series and this one follows the early career of Pinkerton agent, Drew McMillan.

Let's begin talking about Diamond and Doran.

Let's start by talking about Sergeant Billy Doran. Tell us a bit about him. He's an Irish Catholic living in Chicago.

Tracy: He is, yeah, and he's a 20-year veteran of the Chicago Police Force and he's pretty much getting to the end of his rope with the job and he wants desperately to retire but the fly in the ointment is he's a widower with five daughters and they all need supporting at this point, so the job is not going anywhere any time soon.

We meet him at the point where he's just lost a very good friend and unfortunately he ends up being, what's the word you would use, I guess, encumbered with a rookie that he doesn't want, and the rookie is Arthur Diamond.

Alexandra: Right, and we'll come back to the loss that Billy has experienced in a few minutes.

Tell us a little bit too about Arthur Diamond and how he ended up in Chicago.

Tracy: Arthur Diamond was actually born in Toronto and he lived in Toronto until he was 10, where under very unfortunate circumstances, he lost his mother and for a couple of years he was floating around, pretty badly treated, and ran away at 12 to join the British Army. He found himself in the UK and joined as a boy soldier and then he ended up in the Sudan at a very important time in British history and Sudanese history and found himself the recipient of the Victoria Cross.

Big congratulations go out to my guest on this episode Cari Hunter, who, a few days after we recorded this won the Best Mystery / Thriller award at the 2016 Golden Crown Literary Society awards (also known as a Goldie).

Cari is a full-time paramedic and part-time writer. As she mentions during the interview, her work informs her writing in a number of areas, including giving her a keen ear for dialogue, and an enjoyment for writing it.

In the introduction I mention that podcast guest Janel Gradowski has a new book out in her Culinary Competition Mystery Series called Banana Muffins and Mayhem. You can learn more at Janel's site here.

And I also mention the mystery I'm reading at the moment; the third book in Paul Doiron's series set in the Maine Wilderness. The book is called Bad Little Falls and I adore the sense of place and the deep character development that Paul brings to his books.

You can find out more about today's guest, Cari, and all her books on her website CariHunter.wordpress.com.

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on iTunes. And listen on Stitcher.

You can also click here to watch the interview on YouTube.

Transcription of Interview with Cari Hunter

Alexandra: Hello, mystery readers. I am Alexandra Amor and this is "It's a Mystery" podcast. I am here today with Cari Hunter. Hi, Cari.

Cari: Hello.

Alexandra: How are you today?

Cari: I am absolutely fine, and the sun is shining for once which makes a change for this part of the world.

Alexandra: That's great. Yeah, we've got gray skies and rain here in the middle of July.

Cari: It's been like that, so it's a rare occasion when the sun actually peaks through.

Alexandra: Nice. Well, let me introduce you to our listeners.

Cari Hunter lives in the northwest of England with her wife, two cats and a pond full of frogs. (I'm going to have to ask you about the frogs later.) She works full-time as a paramedic and dreams up stories in her spare time. Cari is the author of six novels and currently in the middle of writing a new crime series based in the Peak District.

The first in the series, "No Good Reason", won best lesbian thriller at the 2015 Rainbow Award, and its sequel, "Cold to the Touch", was published in December. A third book, "A Quiet Death", is due for publication next year in January 2017.

Let's start by talking about the Peak District. That's something I'm fascinated by. I love a strong sense of setting in a mystery novel, and I really try to incorporate that in my books.

You live in the Peak District is that correct?

Cari: I live very close. I don't actually in the Peak District. We are kind of on the verge. We're not badly situated. We get some really good walks within about half an hour, but we are not quite so isolated as some of th...

Today I'm interviewing Australian author Kasia Radzka. Kasia has a series of crime thrillers featuring her 'stubborn' investigative journalist sleuth Lexi Ryder. Kasia and I discuss the origin of characters, writing habits, and whether or not outlining a plot works for her.

I've added a new segment to the podcast where I mention new books being released by former guests. I'll add this intro to the audio recording each week, though it won't be included in the YouTube video.

This week two guests of the show have new books out. Malcolm Richards, who I spoke to in Episode 11, has released his next book in the Emily Swanson series; the book is called Cold Hearts. You can learn more at Malcolm's website.

As well, Renee Pawlish, who I spoke to in Episode 22, has a new book in her Dewey Webb PI Series called Murder in Fashion. You can learn more at Amazon.com.

You can find out more about today's guest, Kasia, and all her books on her website KasiaRadzka.com.

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on iTunes. And listen on Stitcher.

You can also click here to watch the interview on YouTube.

Transcript of Interview with Kasia Radzka

Alexandra: Hi mystery readers, I am Alexandra Amor. This is It's a Mystery Podcast and I'm here today with Kasia Radzka. Hi Kasia.

Kasia: Hi Alexandra, how are you?

Alexandra: Very well, how are you?

Kasia: Good, thank you. Thanks so much for having me on the show.

Alexandra: Oh you're so welcome, it's my pleasure, I'm looking forward to talking to you very much. Let's give everyone a little bit of information about you.

Kasia Radzka is an author, athlete wannabe and blogger living with her husband and son on the Gold Coast, Australia. In her lack of spare time, she likes to run marathons, eat fine food and drink good wine, discover new places and write action-packed novels. She's currently working on book number four in her Lexi Ryder Crime Thriller series. So that's what we're here to talk about today.

Why don't you start by telling us a little bit about Lexi.

Kasia: Okay, Lexi is an investigative journalist who likes to get herself into trouble. So trouble seems to follow her around everywhere and I suppose she likes to get into the way of people who do bad things.

Alexandra: Was she a character that you, let's say, that you created from some sort of inspiration or did...where did she come from?

Kasia: I guess I was just doing a character brainstorm and coming up with stories and she actually initially started out a little bit different than what she became. She was meant to be a weak, very weak character who was going to go through some growth progressions I didn't realize, but then the stories didn't work,