Guest Post Kathy Aarons

Today we have an author post from Kathy Aarons, author of Death is Like a Box of Chocolates (I will be reviewing in a few days.), the first in the CHOCOLATE COVERED MYSTERY series by Berkley Prime Crime.  She says research for the series was such a hardship: sampling chocolate, making chocolate, sampling more chocolate, and hanging out in bookstores.

After growing up in rural Pennsylvania and attending Carnegie Mellon University, Kathy built a career in public relations in New York City. She now lives in San Diego with her husband and two daughters where she wakes up far too early, and is currently obsessed with the Broadway Idiot documentary, finding the perfect cup of coffee, and Dallmann’s Sea Salt Caramels.

Occasional Persistence
A lot of people ask if I’ve always wanted to be a fiction writer. I had to admit that even as a teenager who loved writing and was fanciful enough to imagine becoming a Navy pilot, Broadway choreographer, and puppy shelter owner, I never considered a fiction writing career.

I graduated from college in the 80’s and moved to New York to “climb the corporate ladder” in my blue suits with large shoulder pads and small neck scarves. Years later, I was the marketing director of a medical computer company, wondering too often about the meaning of life. I re-met my soon-to-be-husband, who I’d known in college, and moved with him to Silicon Valley where I eventually became a stay-at-home mom.

And by stay-at-home mom, I mean one of those “crazy” moms: PTA president, foundation fundraiser, high school writing conference co-founder, theater costume chair, puppet-making business assistant, soccer/swim/basketball mom, along with too many other volunteer jobs to list. Anything to avoid housework.

When my youngest daughter started attending school five days a week, I needed to become even more creative to dodge anything cleaning-related. I started writing a novel, which was way harder than it looked. After years of workshops with RWA and Sisters in Crime, buying almost every known writing craft book known to man (and sometimes even reading them), and attending loads of writing conferences, I got a three-book deal with Berkley Prime Crime to write the Chocolate Covered Mystery series.

Some of my writer friends have said this is evidence that my persistence paid off. Since I spent so much time doing something other than writing during those years (volunteering is way easier than writing!), I could really only be congratulated for occasional persistence.

And perhaps that’s best. My youngest daughter goes off to college a couple of weeks before my first book comes out and I will have plenty to do to avoid empty nest syndrome.

And the dreaded housework.

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You can follow Kathy on Facebook or Twitter or visit her at: www.kathyaarons.com.

Thank you Kathy!