041BOOKS columnist Lauren Hewitt interviews Mary Keliikoa the author of the award-winning Hidden Pieces and Deadly Tides in the Misty Pines mystery series.
When I signed up to Netgalley Hidden Pieces by Mary Keliikoa was the very first ARC I read and it certainly got me hooked! I am thrilled to be interviewing her today! Her books can be found here on Amazon, Waterstones, Barnes and Noble.
Mary Keliikoa is the author of HIDDEN PIECES, the first book in the Misty Pines mystery series, and the multi-award nominated PI Kelly Pruett mystery series. 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. A Pacific NW native, she spent many years working around lawyers. When not in Washington, you can find Mary with toes in the sand on a Hawaiian beach. But even under the palm trees and blazing sun, she’s plotting her next murder—a novel that is.
Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Lauren! I’ve been married for 34 years to a wonderful man. I’m also the stepmom to two adult daughters, and GamGam to 10 grandchildren. On the home front, we have two fur kids, a feisty golden retriever named Bella, and a 13-year-old kitty named August who runs the show. I’m busy finalising edits on the second book in the Misty Pines mystery series, DEADLY TIDES, and working on a new book where a game between a married couple goes very wrong!
How did you get started with writing books?
I worked for a law firm right out of high school and that’s when I started to love mysteries and suspense novels. Mary Higgins Clark and Sue Grafton were among my first loves in the genre. But I didn’t start writing until my late twenties when a co-worker suggested that she wanted to write a mystery. With a full hour each day for lunch, we thought what the heck and set out to draft a novel during that time.
While that book didn’t sell, I had the writing bug and went on to write three additional novels. None of those sold at the time, so I took a break for 16 years to start a company with my husband.
After I turned 50, I came back to my writing and started reworking the last book I drafted prior to taking a break. That book, DERAILED, went on to become my debut in 2020 and received several nominations for best debut!
Would you and your main character get along? And why or why not?
Sheriff Jax Turner and I would get along very well because he was fashioned after many of the strong and tenacious men I have known in my life. I think the only time we’d have a problem is if he started telling me what to do. And then like Trudy, his assistant, I’d have to set him straight.
If your book were made into a movie, which actors would play your characters?
When I was writing Hidden Pieces, I envisioned Gerard Butler as Sheriff Jax Turner. So, he would be a must. Olivia Nunn would make a great Abby, and Alyssa Milano would be my pick for Elena.
What is your favourite childhood book?
I don’t know that I had a favourite as a child, but I remember as a teenager enjoying Jean Auel and the J.R.R. Tolkien novels. In fact, I was first drawn to fantasy novels before I moved into loving mystery and suspense.
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
That first draft of any project is always the most challenging. Trying to find the voice of the characters and the plot, and intertwining the mystery and the red herrings. My favourite part is actually the editing where I get to spend time taking the characters to an even deeper level and finding the real theme of the novel.
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
The best money I have ever spent was on working with a writing coach on my debut novel. I was having trouble getting it published, and my craft needed work. Having a writing coach for a period was like taking a master class, but with the teacher solely focused on me and my project. After working with a coach for a few months, I was able to fix the issues, and I learned so much about structuring a story. I went on to sign with an agent and had a book deal a year later. So, yes, money is well spent!
What’s your favourite writing snack or drink?
Coffee is my must-have, and M&Ms close by are also essential.
How do you celebrate when you finish your book?
I head out to lunch at my favourite restaurant and my husband and I celebrate with a fancy drink and dessert.
What inspired the idea for your latest book?
The summer before my freshman year in high school we had a tragedy in our community. Two friends were out walking on a rural road and a car stopped. One of the girls was pulled in and the other ran away. That moment changed everything in our small town and shattered the illusion of safety we all had.
That moment stuck for me, and when I started thinking of a new book to write, it resurfaced and inspired what became the Cold Case in HIDDEN PIECES. Everything else in the novel came in response to that.
Do you have a message for your readers?
Only that I hope they enjoy the book and love Sheriff Jax Turner as much as I do! He starts in a dark place, but he finds purpose when another 14-year-old girl goes missing. He is complex and conflicted, but his quest for redemption and to fix the mistakes of the past make him a character worth rooting for.
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Lauren Hewitt is a freelance writer and aspiring author. The avid reader is also a homeschooling and homesteading mom and blogger who collaborates with publishing houses and independent authors ad shares her views on books and promotes authors on her blog and social media pages (Instagram Blog TikTok)
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