Kelly Jo Sweeney grew up in England
before moving to New Zealand
where she lived for 15 years with her kiwi husband and four wonderful
children. An avid reader from an early age, crime novels have long
been a favourite. She always likes to work out whodunnit before the
big reveal and writing her own novels means that there’s at least
one that she’ll always get right. Her debut novel is set in and
inspired by the unique scenery of New Zealand, infusing her stories
with a wonderful sense of place and atmosphere.
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GUEST POST
Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and
how you became an author?
Like many authors, I’ve always written. In my teenage years it was angsty poetry and
a daily diary that I kept for about fifteen years (before I had children and hadn’t got
the energy for that anymore!) I’ve also written lots of short stories and started books;
I can’t seem to not write really. I’d never actually managed to finish a novel though,
that seemed to be the hard bit. A few years back I was getting close to turning forty
and I thought that it was about time I actually finished one of my ideas. I didn’t quite
complete it by my birthday, but I finished the first draft of The Body at Back Beach
about a month or so later. Since then, I’ve actually managed to finish three other
books. This is the first one that’s ready for the world to share though!
Where were you born/grew up at?
I was born and grew up in Derbyshire England. I lived in the UK until I was thirty and
had my first two babies there. My husband is from New Zealand and we decided to
move there with our young family. Fifteen years and two more babies later and we’ve
recently moved home to the UK. I loved living in New Zealand and it’s where The
Body at Back Beach is set. I’ve tried to capture some of the New Zealand that I loved
while I lived there in the pages of the book.
I moved back to Britain to be close to my family. I think that there will always be a
part of me that has a connection to New Zealand though. I lived there for fifteen
years and the decision to come back home wasn’t an easy one. We have family
back in New Zealand so no doubt we’ll be back to visit in the future.
What inspired you to write this book?
The Body at Back Beach was very much inspired by the landscape around the area
of New Zealand that I lived. I used to walk around Back Beach in Port Chalmers two
or three times a week, much like Helena, the main character does. One day I was
walking around there after there had been some really bad storms. The rain had
caused some land slips and I started to imagine what I would do if it had uncovered
something unexpected, like a body that had been buried years before. The story
grew from there.
I’ve always really enjoyed murder mysteries, both in books and on television. This
was the first one that I tried to write myself though, the other books that I’ve tried to
write before have been different genres. I think that a mystery book fits my style
better than other things that I’ve tried.
What can we expect from you in the future?
Helena already has a second adventure lined up. I’ve written the first draft but have
some editing to do. I hope to write a whole series following Helena where she’ll find
herself solving more mysteries. I’ve also got a couple of other books in the works,
one set in medieval times, a half-written mystery in a large Victorian mansion and
something completely different set in 1980’s Britain, They’re all quite a way off being
ready for the rest of the world to share as yet, but hopefully I’ll have something for
you all soon.
I just need to find some time to really get my teeth into things and get things edited
and polished first. Hopefully after the launch of The Body at Back Beach I’ll have a
bit more time to get on with that.
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
I read lots and lots, I always have done. My perfect idea of some ‘me’ time is peace
and quiet, a nice cup of tea and a good book; bliss! I like to read lots of different
types of books, I particularly like murder mysteries or romance though. My all-time
favourite books tend to be historical murder mysteries and if there’s a little bit of
chemistry between the lead characters then all the better. I do really enjoy ‘classic’
murder mysteries too, either older ones by Agatha Christie or Dorothy L. Sayers or
modern whodunits that follow the same kind of format. I think that The Body at Back
Beach would fit in well with that kind of book and be in good company.
Like many avid readers, I have a shelf and kindle full of more titles than I have time
to read. That doesn’t stop me from buying more and I’m always on the lookout for
recommendations for new books to check out.
Pen or typewriter or computer?
I love writing by hand with a nice pen and brand-new notebook. When it comes to
writing a book though, it has to be my laptop. I make far too many mistakes to
manage with a typewriter and I find that I can write quicker on keyboard than on
paper. I’m dyslexic, so using a keyboard (and spell check) makes the whole process
much easier for me. I’ve also managed to reach the point where I can type much
faster than I can write by hand, at least with it all being legible at the end! I also like
to be able to back everything up on the computer. It makes it easier to edit and make
changes when I come back to work on a draft too.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in The Body at Back Beach?
My main character is Helena, she’s in her early 50’s and works as a counselor at
Otago University in Dunedin New Zealand. She has two grown up sons who have
left home in the last few years and she lives with her husband in the family home
overlooking Otago Harbour. Until recently, she’s been working full-time, but decided
to take a bit of a step back and spend some more time in the local community. She
loves where she lives and although she travelled quite a lot in her younger years,
she wouldn’t live anywhere else.
The other characters in this book are residents of Port Chalmers and the surrounding
area. Helena knows some of them before the book starts, but others are people that
she comes across as she starts to investigate the murder. We don’t meet Helena’s
sons in this book, but they will appear in future titles.
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