Mechanicsburg Mystery Presents...

Episode #47: A Conversation with Sheryl C.D. Ickes (December 12, 2025) Sheryl C.D. Ickes is an award-winning author with the start of a new series, called the Fluff and Flowers Mysteries, which features two tree fluffers who discover a dead body near 100 Christmas trees! We talk not only about the real-life inspiration behind this unusual real job, and how Carlisle PA is featured in Tough Fluff, but also about her three other on-going book series: A Slice of Life Mysteries, The Becky and Rufus Cross Country Mysteries, and her Fairies of Creek Water for younger readers. Because where else are you going to find a book universe filled with truck-driving sleuths, bakery-owning crime solvers, and fairies who fight against theft?

Episode #46: A Conversation with Andrea J. Johnson (November 12, 2025) The author of the "Victoria Justice" series talks about she her small-town mystery series, her heroines’ loving adoptive mother, and the inspiration for the Delaware beach town where she sets her stories. Since she wrote three books on the writing craft, we talk about her work teaching creative writing and development editor.

Episode 45: A Conversation with Steve Hockensmith (October 9, 2025) The author of the “Holmes on the Range” series about two cowboys solving mysteries in the wild West saddled up to talk with us about the series, the sometimes contentious relationship between the “Big Red” and “Old Red” Amlingmeyer brothers, and the research that went into the writing. Hockensmith also discussed the challenges writing the Nick and Tesla children’s series with Bob “Science Bob” Pflugfelder and his journey from entertainment reporter to award-winning author.

Episode #44: Conversation with Sarah Ickes (September 2, 2025) As we take a fantasy detour from traditional mysteries, Author Sarah Ickes introduces us to the Olde Realm in her Action/Adventure book, “Written Wings.” We get to meet Vectra Tillerman, a powerful guardian who leads two siblings on an adventure to find their kidnapped brother. In a place where Ancient Greeks enter your dreams, mythical creatures are all around, and others give chase for the end reward, will the kids discover the truth about their parents? Also discussed is the larger world that Sarah is building with her stories; which all started with her mystery series featuring Murial Robertson in America 1880s. And did you know that she is an artist as well?

Episode #43: A Conversation with Radha Vatsal (July 31, 2025) Radha’s talk about her novel “No. 10 Doyers Street” impressed many readers at I Scream for Mysteries, so we brought her on the show to talk about what New York’s Chinatown community was like in the early 1900s, the character of Chinese gangster Mock Duck, what newspaper reporting was like in that time, and the presence of Indian women in America.

Episode #42: Conversation with Tj O’Connor (June 26, 2025). A popular guest at Mechanicsburg Mystery events, Tj joins us to talk about “The Whisper Legacy,” the first book in his Pappa Legacy thriller series, and “Dying for the Past” from his Dead Detective Casefiles series. We also talk about how the paranormal Dead Detective series was republished, why he writes flawed heroes, and the care he takes in capturing accurately how his characters react in stressful situations.

Episode #41: A Conversation with Elizabeth C. Bunce (June 4, 2025). The author of the Myrtle Hardcastle middle-grade series talks about the malaprop that helped inspire the five-book series. We also talk about visiting a woolen mill near Kansas City for research, the fun footnotes that she inserts in the Myrtle story, her crafting hobby, and one fan’s wonderful gift to her.

Episode #40: A Conversation with Libby Klein (April 28, 2025). The author of the Poppy McAllister cozy mystery series is moving into women’s fiction (with mystery overtones) with her new novel “Vice and Virtue.” We talk about Layla Virtue, the recovering alcoholic ex-cop musician., her struggles to stay offthe bottle, and her desire to avoid being drawn into a murder investigation. We also talk about the novel’s comical elements, and the black Lab that plays a role in it.

Episode #39: A Conversation with S.J. Bennett (April 9, 2025) Sophia Bennett talks about her best-selling series featuringQueen Elizabeth II as an amateur sleuth. We talk in-depth about the fourth book in the series, “A Death in Diamonds,” and discuss whether it’s focus on women’s relationships with men and each other makes it a feminist novel. Sophia also talks about her father’s encounters with the queen, whether she would write about other royal families, and the unique role the monarchy plays.

Episode #38: A Conversation with Rosanne Limoncelli (Feb. 21, 2025) Rosanne has taught writing and filmmaking for more than three decades, and on March 11 she’ll make her mystery author debut. We talk with Rosanne about “The FourQueens of Crime,” her historical novel featuring Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, and Naigo Marsh. We talk about the inspiration for creating this detecting supergroup, why she set it during the run-up to WorldWar II, her work teaching filmmaking and the difference between writing for screen and the page.