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Casey Daniels
Pseudonym for Miranda Bliss.
Pseudonym: Kylie Logan.
A couple years ago I applied for a part-time job as a
tour guide at a historic cemetery not far from where I live.
Why? Well, aside from the fact that the job would force me
to step away from my computer and remind me that there was a
life beyond writing (even in a place where just about
everybody was dead), I love cemeteries.
No, really. I mean it. I really love cemeteries.
Think about it. A cemetery—I mean a really good old
cemetery, not these new "memorial parks" where every
headstone is flat to the ground and every one of them looks
the same—is really a museum without walls. Take a peek
into any cemetery that's more than sixty or so years old and
you're bound to see interesting architecture, sculpture and
art. There are stories, too, everywhere you look. One
memorial can give you a glimpse into generations of a
family's history. Another might suggest tragedy. Still
others speak of undying love and precious memories.
Is it any wonder that a writer's imagination is bound to
take flight in a cemetery? That's exactly what happened to
me. I didn't get the job, by the way, but as I drove home
from the interview, I did get the idea for Pepper Martin, a
cemetery tour guide whose enthusiasm for cemeteries does not
rival my own. After all, what could be more perfect that an
amateur sleuth surrounded by dead people? And if she just so
happened to be able and see and talk to some of them, all
the better!
I learned to love mysteries early thanks to my dad, a
Cleveland Police detective who enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes
stories and spent his days off searching for stolen cars.
Often on those trips, I was in the back seat and to this
day, I have Dad to thank for my knowledge of some
less-than-savory parts of the city. Later, I read my way
through every mystery story I could get my hands on. Agatha
Christie and Conan Doyle are still among my favorites.
I have a degree in English, experience as a journalist and
writing teacher, and lots of ideas for more Pepper Martin
mysteries. When I'm not writing, I'm usually with my family
and our two dogs, Ernie, an adorable Airedale pup, and
Oscar, a rescued Jack Russell who spends far too much time
watching TV. I enjoy knitting, gardening and of course,
stomping through cemeteries in search of history, stories
and inspiration.
Books:
 Supernatural Born Killers, September 2012
Wild Wild Death, January 2012
A Hard Day's Fright, April 2011
Tomb With a View, July 2010
Dead Man Talking, October 2009
Night of the Loving Dead, January 2009
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