It is launch day for Death of an Academic! This is the first book in a new murder mystery series following retired police detective Nancy Sharpe. You can find the ebook on your favourite ebook store site.

To celebrate the release, I interviewed Kevin about writing Death of an Academic. Here is what he said about the experience:

1 – What was the inspiration for this book? 

I grew up in a household which loved murder mysteries. Not that I was the child of private detectives. Mostly my mother really enjoyed a good whodunit. I have fond memories of Murder, She Wrote, Midsommer Murders, Columbo, Clue and Death by Murder. I suppose I’ve always leaned a little closer to the humorous side of the genre rather than the deathly serious. 

2 – What inspired the character of Nancy Sharpe?

Given my preference for a more lighthearted tone, I thought an older, wiser and retired detective would be entertaining to write. Having several figures in my own life to draw inspiration from, I chose to make Death of an Academic a love letter to my godmother who has been such a bright presence throughout my life. 

3 – When in the writing process did you know who the murderer was? 

As my first mystery novel, I wasn’t entirely certain how one goes about plotting actual murders. I’ve always been told to “write what you know” but I thought I’d keep from delving too deeply in the research on this subject. I had several possible culprits in mind as I began and sort of let Nancy Sharpe hone in on the most appropriate one for me. Then, of course, I went back and ran the story through several edits so it looked like I knew what I was doing the entire time. 

3 – Who was your favourite character to write?

Honestly, I really enjoyed writing Scott Sharpe. I felt I got to bumble the most with him. Though there were some other standouts which I’m excited to see how readers receive them.

4 – What was the hardest part about writing a murder mystery?

Oh goodness, it might be simpler to ask what was the easiest. To which I’d answer: coming up with a multitude of reasons for wanting someone dead. I suppose, out of all my struggles, getting the tone of the police force itself was the trickiest. I didn’t want to fall too heavily into genre tropes so I tried to have a retired officer who was fondly remembered by her workplace. But I also wanted to be sensitive to the discussion of policing in the modern world as well. It was a delicate balance which I hope I got right. 

5 – How long did it take to write this book?

I made an effort to finish this story in a more timely manner. I have a tendency for fiddling with things trying to get them just right. I really wanted a stress-free… well, less-stress novel. This project initially began as a National Novel Writing Month challenge and I liked it well enough, and it was received well enough, that I thought I could clean it up. In total, I think it took about four months though that was spread over a longer period of poking amongst many different projects.

6 – What characters in your book are most similar to you or the people you know?

I would say Professor Gingrich; I really identify with the dead.

7 – How did you come up with the title for your book?

Well it was a laborious process of brainstorming and workshopping. Really had to dig deep and sort through multiple options and variations before presenting a list to our focus group… ok, it’s literally just the premise of the book. I’m fairly certain it was just a quick reminder of what I was doing for my NaNo challenge.

8 – Do you have any other closing comments?

I had a blast working on this book and it turned out to be a lot of fun to write. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did.

Death of an Academic releases on June 9th, 2022. You can pre-order the book from your favourite ebook store; including: Amazon.ca, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks and Kobo.