An Amazon International bestselling author,
I “met” Judy Penz Sheluk through Sisters in Crime – Guppy Branch, an anagram of
sorts for “the great unpublished,” although after many years in existence,
several members are now published authors who have elected to stay in the Guppy
fold to mentor and/or share their publishing experience with others.
Judy is
one of this group; a member since 2013, her debut novel, The Hanged Man’s Noose, was published in July 2015. Skeletons in the Attic was published in
August 2015. Her short crime fiction is included in several anthologies, most
recently, The Whole She-Bang 3, a
blind-judged collection published by the Toronto branch of Sisters in Crime.Judy lives in Alliston, Ontario, a small
town about 90 minutes northwest of Toronto, Canada, with her husband, Mike, and
their 1-year-old Golden Retriever, Gibbs.

I hope you enjoy my interview with her:
Me:
Where do you get your ideas?


My husband likes to joke that he sleeps
with his eyes open.
Me:
Why do you write mysteries?
Judy: I’ve loved the mystery genre since my first Nancy Drew book. In my
teens, I discovered (and devoured) every Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh book.
By my mid-twenties, I’d read every Dick Francis, Ed McBain and John D.
MacDonald. Today, I’m a huge fan of Wendy James, Tana French, Sue Grafton,
Louise Penny, John Sandford, Sara J. Henry, and Michael Connelly. People often
ask me if reading in the genre I write can cause problems for me. The reverse
is true. Reading is the best teacher. Before I started writing short stories,
for example, I read several crime fiction anthologies.
Me: How difficult was it to find a publisher?
Judy: I naively thought it would be easy. I’d been a freelance writer and
editor since 2003, and had developed a decent reputation. I also understood the
business. But it took about two years to find a publisher for Noose. For
Skeletons, it took about two days…once you’ve had some success, it does get
easier. I purposely have two publishers (with a sequel due to each for 2017)
because they are two different series, and I didn’t want to put all my books in
one publisher’s basket. There have been so many changes in the publishing
world, and they continue to come. If readers are interested, my website,
www.judypenzsheluk.com, has a series titled “My Publishing Journey.” Start with
the first post (select from the Archives), “The First Cut is the Deepest,” and
go from there. I’m very honest about my journey, the highs, the lows, and
everything in between.
Me: Do your books have helpful hints (recipes, book club notes) at the
back?
Judy: No recipes. I like to say my books are amateur sleuth with an edge.
There’s the requisite small town and amateur sleuth, but there’s no cats,
crafts, or cookie recipes. That said, on the cover of Noose, there’s a
“Treasontini,” which is signature drink of The Hanged Man’s Noose (a pub on
Main Street). Here’s the recipe:
![]() |
Gibbs at our cottage on Lake Superior (northern Ontario) |
How
to Make a Treasontini
Ingredients:
2 oz. Blueberry Vodka
2 oz. Triple Sec
2 oz. Blueberry Juice
1 dash Club Soda
Fresh or Frozen Blueberries
Ice Cubes
Preparation: Combine blueberry vodka,
triple sec and blueberry juice in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes.
Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. Top with club soda, garnish with
blueberries, and serve.
Me: Thank you, Judy. I’ll see you in the Guppy “pond.”
Find Judy on www.judypenzsheluk.com, where
she blogs about the writing life and interviews other authors. You can also
find her on Facebook, Pinterest , Goodreads, Twitter and Amazon.
Judy is giving away a signed paperback copy
of Skeletons in the Attic on Goodreads to readers in the UK, New Zealand, and
Australia here. Enter before December 1st for a chance to win.
15 comments:
Thank you for hosting me today! I'd love to hear from your Aussie readers.
Great interview AJ and Judy! I love the premise for Skeletons in the Attic - sounds like my kind of read :)
Heading over to Good Reads now. Jo
Thank you so much, Jo! Good luck int he Goodreads Giveaway. Please spread the word (hmmm....that could reduce your odds of winning!)
Lovely interview with a few things other authors can most likely relate to. Thanks for the giveaway ... heading over now ☺
So many big box stores going into small towns that this premise seems like a true story. Wow from Canada to Australia. Quite a book tour. Well done, Judy.
Marilyn (aka cj petterson)
Thanks Marilyn! Yes, the big box take-over is prevalent...and definitely inspired by what I saw going on in my own smallish town.
Thanks Iris. Good luck in the giveaway!
Always good to hear about a new cosy mystery series!
OMG--I have got to try a Treasontini! If they are anything like sour apple martinis then I'm in trouble!
Looking forward to reading your books Judy. AJ, thank you for introducing me to Judy's work!
Now...off to find blueberry vodka!
D
Your books sound fabulous (and mysterious), Judy, but now I'm just sitting here daydreaming about being able to walk my dog 'at my cottage on the lake'. How beautiful. Especially Lake Ontario. *sigh*
Great interview Judy and AJ. I enjoy reading mysteries and I love to discover new to me authors. BTW - I love the cover of Skeletons in the Attic!
It's been a pleasure having you here, Judy. One thing I *love* about cozies are the fabulous titles and yours don't disappoint.
Thanks to everyone else for stopping by (I hope an Aussie wins Judy's GoodReads giveaway!).
Thanks Janni. My books aren't as cozy as some (no cats, crafts or cookie recipes). I like to call them amateur sleuth with an edge!
Dee, the treasontini is really good. A couple of days ago, I was invited to a local book club. They read Noose and had made up a pitcher of them A bestseller!
Hi Nikki, our cottage is actually on Lake Superior (though Toronto is on Lake Ontario). We are a province of many lakes (5 great lakes and a zillion small lakes and cottage areas). I love being near water.
HI Eleni. Thank you on the cover. It was designed by Ryan Doane. I gave him the key elements -- locket, tarot cards, attic -- and he was brilliant. Those particular tarot cards are specifically mentioned in the book.
Thanks Joy, for having me. Fingers crossed for an Aussie win on GR!
Hi Judy and Anita - I love finding new authors and Judy's books sound like they're right up my alley. And just in time for Christmas. Have a great Monday! Fi xx
Thanks Fiona! I hope you enjoy it. Do let me know. Always love reader feedback.
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