Dear Reader,
One afternoon two years ago, I was sitting at my desk, looking at pictures of Crittenden County, Kentucky, when an image formed in my head: a group of Amish circled around a well, staring at a body. Soon, the characters came to life, and a pretty good story began to form.
That was the easy part.
I don’t usually write mysteries, so I had a lot of work to do and questions to ask while writing this series. Thank goodness for Heather Webber, my critique partner. She writes mysteries, and helped me so much with pacing and structuring the central mystery. A certain police detective in Denver very patiently listened to my somewhat creepy questions about dead bodies, collecting evidence, and other police procedures. Judy, one of my reader friends, told me all about working in a small-town sheriff’s office. Thank you, Judy! I’m also indebted to several folks in Crittenden County who took time to talk to me about the area. Most of all, I have my editor to thank for asking me to try a little harder to make this series everything I dreamed it could be.
By the time Found was finished, I knew I had once again fallen in love with the characters. I’ll miss Frannie and her bossy nature and her Yellow Bird Inn. I’ll miss Mose and his stories about everyone and anyone in town. I’ll miss Aaron and his animals, Walker and Lydia, and even Mary King’s restaurant. But most of all, I’ll miss the days I spent envisioning beautiful, rural Kentucky.
Thank you for reading the series, and for taking this trip to Kentucky with me. As always, I’m grateful for your letters, your emails, and your friendship on Facebook. Thanks for visiting with me at book signings, and for asking your librarians to carry my books.
The next series will be set in Berlin, Ohio. Hopefully, I’ll see you there!
With blessings,
P.S. I love to hear from readers. Please find me on Facebook, on my website, or you can write me at:
Shelley Shepard Gray
10663 Loveland Madeira Rd. #167
Loveland, OH 45140