Sharon Lynn was raised in Arizona, but it was living in England as a teenager, and every return trip since that inspired the setting of her first novel, Death Takes a Bath. As a professor of theater, film, and writing, she coaches and mentors aspiring artists. Her short stories can be found in anthologies from Malice Domestic and Desert Sleuths. Learn more about her and her books at her website where you’ll also find links to her other social media and to sign up for her newsletter. 
The Roman Baths
Bath, England
When did you realize you wanted to write novels?
For me, it wasn’t so much about writing as it was about wanting to solve mysteries. When I was about nine years old, I started creating mysteries based on the things I found around the house. We had a gorgeous bunch of yellow and red columbines in our front yard, and I thought they would make a great clue in a story. “The girl loved the flowers and always had one in hand, then she disappeared, but there is a crushed columbine under a stone…” I never got much further than that, but I always had scenarios bouncing around my head.
How long did it take you to realize your dream of publication?
Death Takes a Bath, my debut novel, is the third manuscript I wrote before getting published. The first was two decades ago, and I didn’t do anything with it. About five years ago, I wrote a novel about Death Takes a Bath’s main character’s mother. Once I wrote it, I started attending conferences and learning what I did wrong. I did rewrite after rewrite, and it turned into a monster. I may go back to it at some point and turn it into a taught suspense novel. I wrote my debut for my daughter and used all the lessons learned from the previous manuscript to polish it.
Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author?
Traditionally published.
Where do you write?
I write everywhere! Coffee shops, airplanes, my living room, home office, and restaurants. I use an iPad that goes with me everywhere, so I can write whenever the mood strikes me.
Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?
Silence is golden, but I have the ability to block out my surroundings. Chaos can swirl around me, and I focus. Unless the music has words – then I sing.
How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular?
My main character Maddie McGuire was built off many of my daughter’s traits, but I couldn’t make her too exact because then I couldn’t put the character in danger. A lot of the situations in the plot were from when my sister and I lived in Bath as teenagers. The most significant difference between the novel and real life is that Bath is an extremely safe city with next to no crime. I interviewed two retired police officers, and they both said that Bath has maybe one murder a year. It’s a lovely city, and I highly recommend visiting if you get a chance.
Describe your process for naming your character.
When I name characters, I want them to feel real. I chose Maddie because my daughter had four friends named Maddie. The last name came from the character’s strawberry-blonde hair. I wanted her to have Irish ancestry, and I liked the flow of McGuire. The aristocracy in the novel came from research, and the young constable Edward was named after English kings.
Real settings or fictional towns?
Bath is a real city, and it is lovely. My series, The Cotswold Crime Mysteries, takes place in the Cotswolds, which extends through seventy miles of Areas of Outstanding Beauty. Maddie’s home is the one my family lived in when I was a teen, but I changed the house’s name to Ash Tree Cottage. I love the idea of someone reading my book, then going to Bath (which, if you’re ever in England, you should do!), and recognizing sites like the Roman Baths and the Abbey.
What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
Maddie is a ranter. When she gets mad, or nervous, or excited, she babbles on without a breath. It’s a trait I never do, so it’s really fun to write.
What’s your quirkiest quirk?
I have zero sense of direction. When I’m driving, my husband will ask, “Do you know where you’re going?” I used to get offended until I realized that about 60% of the time, I didn’t. Now I take a full 30 seconds to get my bearings and then admit, “No.”
If you could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why?
Goodness, this is a tricky question. I’m going to sound pretentious, but one of the subjects I teach is Introduction to Shakespeare, so my answer is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Here me out – no one was better at human nature than Shakespeare. His smart characters did dumb things, and stupid characters said wise things, just like in real life. Hamlet knows he is depressed, knows why, and is incapable of fixing it. I know so many college students who feel the same way.
Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours?
I wish I had started writing sooner. If you’re not sure you should write that novel, do it!
What is your biggest pet peeve?
Rudeness. I don’t see how it ever makes a situation better.
You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
Can I pick my husband and my dog? I’m guessing that would make it “not deserted.” All my photos so I can dream of my family, a piano so I can finally learn to play, and enough paper and pens to keep writing.
What is the worst job you’ve ever held?
My first “real” job out of college was managing an apartment complex. Everyone who worked there gossiped and made fun of everyone else, it paid next to nothing, and had a six-day workweek. I lasted three days before the symphony (my dream) called me in for an interview in the marketing department. I worked in the arts for years until I became a professor teaching theater, communication, and creative writing.
Who’s your all-time favorite literary character (any genre)? Why?
Lady Georgiana Rannoch from Rhys Bowen’s Her Royal Spyness series. Bowen develops the character from book to book, allowing her to learn from her mistakes and gain confidence. Even her disaster of a maid, Queenie grows and changes. Also, I think Georgie would like my main character Maddie if they lived in the same time period.
Oceans or mountains?
Both! We have a boat docked in San Diego and just moved to the mountains in Northern Arizona.
City girl/guy or country girl/guy?
City. Even though I’m a peaceful little person, I like good restaurants, movies, and concerts.
What’s on the horizon for you?
Death Takes a Bath, the first in the Cotswold Crimes Mystery Series, releases tomorrow, but you can preorder it now. Watch for book signings and launch party info on my website. I’m busily writing Book 2, Death Takes a Fall, which will be out December 2023, and doing research for Book 3.
Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books?
Yes, thank you! As I mentioned, one of the things I teach is writing, which I came to through the theater. When acting, you are creating a character – especially in plays where all you have to go on is dialogue. I never considered those experiences would make me a better writer, but they did. My advice to anyone who isn’t writing because they don’t have the training is to write. You have done more than you think, and those experiences will make your characters come off the page.
A Cotswold Crimes Mystery, Book 1
In this series debut, a college sophomore discovers a severed human ear on her doorstep while on an international internship in England. She must solve its meaning before she becomes the next victim or, worse, gets deported.
When Maddie McGuire gets an archeology internship at the Roman Baths in England, she assumes everything will go her way. After all, it always has. But her first week turns from a princess fairytale into a nightmare when a human ear lands on her doorstep. The only bonus of the ordeal is meeting young constable Edward Bailey. Their budding friendship is a source of comfort, except when rules get in the way.
Throwing her attention into her internship, she vows to forget anything ear related. The Roman Baths are the perfect escape, except for her aristocratic coworker Simon Pacock who sabotages her every move. And he only becomes more aggressive when she discovers a dead body at the Baths, both ears intact.
As the danger ratchets higher, Maddie must use her wits and knowledge to come out of this ordeal alive.
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