Today I have the pleasure and honor of chatting with Mary Kellikoa. She is the author of the Shamus finalist and Lefty, Agatha and Anthony award nominated PI Kelly Pruett mystery series and the upcoming Misty Pines mystery series featuring Portland homicide detective turned small town sheriff slated for release in September 2022. Her short stories have appeared in Woman’s World and in the anthology Peace, Love and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by Music of the ‘60s. She is the Vice President of her local Sisters in Crime, an active member of Mystery Writers of America, as well as Private Eye Writers of America. In addition, she volunteers her time as a Pitch Wars mentor. A Pacific NW native, she spent a part of her life working around lawyers. Combining her love of legal and books, she creates a twisting mystery where justice prevails. When not in Washington, Mary can be found on the beach in Hawaii where she and her husband recharge. But even under the palm trees and blazing sun, she’s plotting her next murder—novel that is.
SS: Can you share a bit about your background, Mary?
MK: Right out of high school, I began working for attorneys. First it was secretarial, and then it progressed to office management and paralegal duties. My love of mystery and the desire to write in that genre really came from that time. I wrote four books from the time I was twenty-seven to thirty-five, and then set that aside to open a company. I returned to writing when I was fifty and polished the last book I wrote in my thirtiess, Derailed, which is the first book in my PI Kelly Pruett mystery series.
SS: What in your childhood contributed to you becoming a writer?
MK: I have always been an inquisitive person and especially interested in why things are a particular way. I often find myself apologizing—”sorry for the twenty questions”—but really that trait is what compelled me to write. There was also a tragedy while I was in high school. A young girl was abducted while walking one of the country roads where I lived. Her body was later found. On some levels, I’ve been trying to make sense of that crime ever since. It’s shaped me, as it did so many young girls who lived in my town, and it sparked even further that questioner in me.
Ultimately, in all of my books I am asking the question—why did this murder or crime occur and who had a hand in it? Drilling down to the reasons and how the relationships intertwine and the motivations work has been something I’ve always been drawn to. And making sure justice prevails in the end is a must.
SS: Did anything in your past push you to write about your book and the conflict(s) in it?
MK: My father and I had a complicated relationship, and I never felt like I made him proud. And then he died when I was twenty-seven, not giving us a chance to change that. That not measuring up is a theme throughout the Kelly Pruett mystery series, even though she worshipped her father. She’s working to overcome that and to set herself right on her own path. I’ve often said that writing is healing yourself. Even in the mystery genre that is true because ultimately it’s about relationships—the ones that save us or are obstacles to overcome—are all there to be worked through whether in fiction or in life.
SS: What would you say is your biggest failure in life? Has it appeared in your works?
MK: My brother was an alcoholic and I was quite co-dependent to that. He died in a DUI at the age of thirty. For years, I believed that I failed him because I couldn’t save him. In this particular series, I have not addressed that. But I do have a new series coming in September 2022 and I dive right into the topic of co-dependence. I think we work on things when we’re ready. And while I write fiction, the motivations and feelings of the characters are a really great way to work through issues. What’s funny is at the time I wrote that particular novel, I didn’t realize that’s what I was doing. But a few months later as I was editing I was like, ah, yeah, I can see that’s exactly what was happening.
SS: Hilary Mantel (Wolf Hall) says that a Catholic upbringing is the only qualification a writer requires. Can you relate to this idea? Do you have any similar writing qualifications?
MK: While I’m not Catholic I think the only qualification a writer needs is the ability to ask questions and wonder why. That alone will take you far.
SS: What are you working on at the moment?
MK: Book 3 of the Kelly Pruett mystery series, Deceived, has been approved by the publisher, and that will conclude this part of Kelly’s journey (not to say she won’t be back, but she’ll pause for now). My new series that features a Portland homicide detective turned small town sheriff will launch in September 2022. But currently I am finishing a standalone. An overachieving paralegal is forced out of her comfort zone when her boss is murdered, her sister is fleeing the scene, and the two events appear inextricably linked.
SS: What epitaph would you want most to be written about you when it’s all said and done? What epitaph would you like at the end of your life?
MK: She loved well, lived simply, and dreamed big. And she didn’t stop until she was satisfied!
SS: If you were deserted on an island, which three people would you want with you? Why? One fictional character from your book, one fictional character from any other book, one famous person that is not a family member or friend.
MK: Floyd, Kelly Pruett’s Basset hound, because I would have to have a dog with me. Stephanie Plum because she’s just funny and smart, and if nothing else, she’d keep it entertaining. Plus she’d be willing to try crazy things to get off that island and sometimes you need a crazy friend. And Janet Evanovich so we could talk about all things writing!
SS: When you are creating a story, do you avoid reading books in the same vein so as not to be influenced by others, or do you seek out all possible variations for maximum inspiration?
MK: When I’m in the middle of creating my own story, I stay away from reading books in the same vein. Before, however, I read a lot just to get inspired and I learn so much about craft when I’m reading other authors. The way they start a chapter, or end it with a hook. How they describe action scenes or emotion. I take it all in as a master class.
SS: How do you give back to the writing community?
MK: I’m a Guppy with Sisters in Crime and act as a fantasy agent annually for them. I’m also the Vice President of my local SinC chapter. In addition, I volunteer my time as a judge for the Shamus awards committee. Most recently, I learned I will be a Pitch Wars mentor for 2021-2022, and I am thrilled about this opportunity!
When I had just returned to my writing in 2016, I entered Pitch Wars, a mentoring program for aspiring authors, and became a mentee. The gift of being able to learn so much from seasoned writers set me on the path of where I am today. I’ve made life long friends from that part of my journey, and I’m excited to be able to pay it forward this coming year.
SS: What is your most recent book? In twenty-five words or less, tell me why your book should be a reader should start your book next.
MK: Denied is book 2 of my series. I think a reader should pick it up to be entertained, to solve a puzzle, and to watch a character with heart find her way in being a mother and in her career. It’s every woman’s story in many ways—you know except for solving a murder part 😊
SS: What advice would you give aspiring writers?
MK: Don’t stop writing, don’t stop learning, and enjoy the process! It’s so easy to measure yourself against your friends who write faster, or see more success right away. But if you can tap into the joy of writing and creating, surround yourself with people who are there for you on the good and bad writing days (there will always be those days the plot is shaky and the words don’t come), then you’ve already made it.
SS: Let’s face it, making things up is a strange occupation for a grown-up. But if we accept that statement as true, then writing crime novels must be stranger still. After all, as a crime writer, you spend a lot of your time trying to work out how one person might kill another and get away with it. Do friends and family do tend to look at you in a different way once they’ve read one of your books?
MK: It really is a strange occupation, isn’t it?! And the answer to your question is yes! In fact, in my first novel I address some alternative lifestyle issues that had me asked more than once if I was into that sort of thing. (No, emphatically, no I am not.) It is also a friend and family joke not to upset me because I’ll kill you in a book. I’ve even been known to threaten that I will do that! But seriously, mostly of my friends are impressed that I have written mystery novels and that they don’t figure out the killer until I reveal that information at the end. Although they also admit that the way I think has them a little scared—which I’ll take as a compliment!
SS: Is one of the points of crime fiction to suggest that we might all be capable of more than we care to admit?
MK: Oh I definitely believe it is. What I like to write, and what I like to read, are stories of ordinary people that are decent human beings pushed into extraordinary circumstances (whether of their own making or forced upon them) and to observe how that changes them. Sometimes not in good ways of course, and that is the fodder for crime fiction.
SS: Do you prefer tidy endings, or can you leave a few loose ends?
MK: This is such a great question, and one I don’t have a clear answer to because sometimes it depends on the story. In a series or standalone, I do like the crime itself solved. But the layers of character arc, relationships, issues that are festering to be addressed, I’m okay with those being unknown. Especially in a series, I feel confident that they will be addressed at some point. Even in a standalone, however, life is rarely tidy. What I don’t like is books that leave a major plot point unanswered and being the stubborn person I am, I might forego the next book because I’m annoyed by that!
LIGHTNING ROUND:
SS: Describe your books in 3 words: Complex, unexpected, and engrossing (Forward Reviews said it best)
SS: Favorite thing about your genre? The puzzle and the surprise.
SS: Another genre that you would love to write: Thriller/Suspense
SS: When writing, are you a night owl or morning person? Morning, with copious amounts of coffee please
SS: Pantser or Plotter? Panster mostly, but I do like to plot the next few chapters out.
SS: Book you’re currently reading: Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena
SS: Your favorite guilty pleasure: Lately I’ve been into binge watching survival shows.
SS: Number one book boyfriend or girlfriend is: Harry Bosch. Love him!
SS: Your favorite villain or serial killer is: I don’t have one. I always root for the good guys!
SS: Your favorite detective or spy protagonist is: Kinsey Milhone
SS: What is your favorite thriller or mystery movie? Knives Out is my current favorite! It changes all the time!
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Denied and Derailed are available through Amazon. They are also available through:
Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Signed copies are available through:
Vintage Books | Annie Bloom’s Books
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An excerpt from Denied:
CHAPTER 1
After nearly getting killed during my first murder investigation, I’d spent a good portion of the last months holed up on the couch, nursing my arm where the bullet of a Ruger LC9 claimed a chunk. The experience left me with two options: sell my dad’s agency, R&K Investigations, and take a desk job—a choice my ex and his mother championed—or continue to be a PI.
The fact that my basset hound and cohort Floyd and I were parked in front of Vince Burnotas’ house in Riverview, Washington, on a Monday afternoon looking for signs that he was home indicated which way I went.
Earlier in the day, a soon to be client had shown up as Floyd and I’d sprinted home after conducting a surveillance on a cheating husband for his suspicious wife. My eight-year-old daughter Mitz, who stayed with me Friday through Monday, was back with her dad for the week and attending Washington School for the Deaf. Dressed in black running tights and an over-sized sweatshirt to fend off the early May chill, I was bent over in front of my house kneading the knot in my bad arm and trying to catch my breath. Athletics had never been my forte, but too much couch surfing had cost me any stamina I had possessed.
“Kelly Pruett,” a female voice pierced the air behind me.
I’d gotten upright and found a young woman with upswept strawberry blonde hair approaching. Her long cardigan hung over a T-shirt, both too small to cover her baby bump. I knew most of my neighbors. Hell, I’d just been through half of their yards dodging swing sets and patio furniture. She wasn’t one of them. “Morning. Do I know you?” I’d glanced at my Fitbit, a gift from Mitz, funded by my ex-husband, Jeff. It read eight o’clock.
She’d cocked her head to the side. “You should. Damn girl, you look as pretty as ever.”
Sweat trickled down my back, pooling onto my butt, and my thick shoulder-length hair pulled into a ponytail had frizzed under my own humidity. I managed a thank you, but I didn’t recognize her and I hated guess who games. Floyd sniffed her shoes and gazed up at me. He was also at a loss. “Sorry. I give up.”
“It’s me. Stephanie Burnotas. Well, Jacoby now.”
The only Stephanie Burnotas I had known was a large mousey girl from homeroom at Parkrose High. Even though this girl was pregnant, if this was that Stephanie, she’d shrunk in half since then. Unlike me who’d added an extra layer after having Mitz.
“Stephanie as in ‘PBJ every day,’ Stephanie?” The reference wasn’t to her weight. She really did eat PBJ’s every day.
She chuckled. “Like you should talk.” I laughed too.
Our peanut butter obsession had been something we had in common. I’d missed out on my ten-year reunion using my daughter Mitz had the flu as an excuse and hadn’t run into any of my old high school classmates in a long time. Fifteen was next summer. I wouldn’t be at that one either. “My gosh, Stephanie. You look great. You live here in the neighborhood?”
“Not exactly. I’m glad to find you home. I heard you inherited your dad’s business. I was sad to hear you lost him.”
I bounced in place; my leg muscles tight. My dad had left me the business, my childhood home— everything, including a few of his messes. “I’ve been taking up where he left off.”
She wrapped her arms around herself. “Does that include missing persons?”
“I handle it all.” A half-truth. Willing to handle and being hired to handle were different. My PI license with the state of Oregon was current. But after my arm had healed, I’d gone back to my roll before my dad died: serving legal papers and a few stakeouts that only sent me running from pissed off cheaters on rare occasions. Her timing was good though. I’d been itching for something different. “Who’s missing?”
“My dad.”
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You can follow Mary on social media here:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bookbub
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