Katie O’Keene is a paranormal cozy mystery writer, a cat lover and a (wannabe) tea connoisseur. Her first series, Designer to the Dead, follows interior-designer-turned-medium Lindsey Dell as she solves mysteries in her increasingly haunted hometown of Sparrowford. You can also find a series of short stories here featuring Sparrowford residents explore the ghosts, witches, vampires, dragons, and other magical beings found in this special small town. And she is starting a new series, Little Bold Ladies. Be sure to sign up for Katie’s newsletter by visiting her Website. You can find her books on Amazon and be sure to follow her on Goodreads. Katie also has a free short story for you!
Now let’s find out more about Katie’s Designer to the Dead series…
What type of witch do you write (think Bewitch, Sabrina, Charmed, Hocus Pocus)?
More like Melinda Gordon in The Ghost Whisperer. My MC Lindsey starts out as a medium.
Tell us what time frame your stories are in and what setting or world?
They’re set in a modern-day Midwestern small town.
Who is your protagonist?
43-year-old Lindsey Dell, a somewhat reluctant interior designer, turned medium
Has she/he always known they were a witch? How did they discover their power?
While Lindsey has always been highly empathic, it isn’t until after a bad breakup that she starts to see ghosts. Thankfully, she’s enterprising enough to put that power to work!
What sets your mysteries apart from other paranormal cozies?
It doesn’t follow the typical new-to-town-discovers-a-body model. Also, the subject matter gets a bit darker in Apparition to the Kitchen. That’s frustrated for some readers.
How much research do you do to create your story, and how much do you include in your books? Or your story pure fantasy?
I did a surprising amount of research on ghost hunting and interior design for the first book. The second and third books had more research into things like traditional spellwork.
Do you feel the crimes committed in paranormal cozy are very different from acontemporary cozy?
I think it’s kind of split down the middle. My first book deals with a murder like any other, but the crimes in my second and third books are supernatural.
Pen In Hand, Words on Page 