By Holly Hargett
Carol Perry’s writing has been described as fast-paced cozy, beguiling, and entertaining, but her favorite quote is from a fan who said, “You really put me there.” And that is Perry’s intention with every story. Her mysteries are filled with compelling characters that engage the reader with each chapter.
Perry has been reading and writing her entire life. It started when her wish list for Santa was filled with book titles, and her passion for the written word grew into a full-time job as an advertising copywriter. She later wrote non-fiction articles for magazines and newspapers, and with the publication of “Sand Castle Summer,” in 1988, Perry became a published novelist. She’s written 25 books in total and currently writes two cozy mystery series that some have described as “Nancy Drew for Grownups.” The Witch City Mysteries are set in Salem, Mass., with a continuing cast of characters. Perry was born in Salem on Halloween Eve so she’s able to write with local familiarity. Her Haunted Haven Mystery series is based in Florida and has a touch of the paranormal.
A career highlight came after getting a letter from Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor after Perry included her in her “Ten Women: Political Pioneers” book. “She wrote to thank me for including her in my book. I was impressed to get a letter from the stationery of the United States Supreme Court,” said Perry.
Perry’s characters are a composite of real-life characters, and she’s occasionally used the real names of friends from high school. “I need to be in the favorite character with a lot of my readers. They’re actually a composite of my character,” said Perry. Her novels always have a murder, but the death is not descriptive and while her books can be romantic, “we don’t follow them to the bedroom,” said Perry. She’s been writing long enough that her early characters didn’t have computers or cell phones.
Perry’s new releases are available on www.KensingtonBooks.com, Amazon and selected bookstores: Halloween Cupcake Murder, a three-author hard-cover, and Now You See It, a Salem-based cozy, #13 in the Witch City series. The Gulf Beaches Library in Madeira Beach will host the Seminole mystery author for a book talk and signing 10/21 @3pm. Perry is involved with Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and says “my favorite mystery author is Sophie Kelly/Sophie Ryan.”