From Across State Lines with Carlene O'Connor!
- PA Cozy Mystery Writers
- Mar 25
- 4 min read
Please give a warm welcome to Carlene from New Mexico…
Carlene O’Connor is the USA Today bestselling author of The Irish Village Mysteries, the Home to Ireland Series, the County Kerry Mysteries, and soon a historical cozy mystery based on the hit mobile game June’s Journey. Her mysteries have also been published in the UK, Germany, and Estonia. She currently lives in New Mexico with her 13-year-old labradoodle, but travels often. She can be reached at https://carleneoconnor.net.
Dream Vacation: Smaller European Villages. Love to just wander around, take in the sights, boutiques, and cafes. I’m a big people watcher.
Why did you decide to become an author?
I honestly didn’t decide to become an author—I decided to write a novel, and was pretty shocked when I was able to get an agent and then a publisher. Prior to writing the novel I had written short stories, essays, and plays—my first short story was when I was four years old. So I feel I was always doing it but as far as making a career out of it I think it must have been meant to be.
How does your main character differ from you/is similar to you?
I actually write several series, but for this post, that would be Siobhan O’Sullivan in my Irish Village Mystery Series. I once had an acting teacher who said that whatever role you play, it’s yourself if the things that happened to them had happened to you. Basically, there’s some of me in every character I write and I get to embody them, but if you listed things like age, looks, even country of birth, we are very different. I suppose the only thing I can claim is a bit of her spirit and sarcastic sense of humor.
Is your book set in the same state that you live in? (please describe the setting)
It’s not even set in the same country. I move a lot but at the moment I live in Albuquerque NM. I’ve only been here three years, and it’s my first time living anywhere like this, but it could not be more different than County Cork, Ireland. I’m lucky to have a bit of both. I visit Ireland whenever I can but I also feel like I’m there when I’m writing my series.
Bonus Questions:
Are your mysteries mostly focused on cold cases or current day ones?
So funny that you ask this—they are current, however the one I’m writing now (Murder at an Irish Auction) involves a cold case as well as a current one. Murder at an Irish Farm involved both a cold case and a current one as well.
Do you have any reoccurring characters in your story? (please tell us about two of them)
I have a ton of them, as Siobhan has five brothers and sisters, The O’Sullivan Six, her love interest, Macdara Flannery, and her colleague Aretta Dabiri. Macdara of course is her husband by now and he’s local to Kilbane, Aretta came to Ireland as a child from Africa. She’s a bit cautious compared to Siobhan’s forceful nature, so I think she helps ground Siobhan a bit.
Favorite Holiday: I do love Christmas. Decorating the tree, carols, and hot cocoa by a fire – with snow coming down. (Even if only in the imagination).
Murder of an Irish Session: An Irish Village Mystery #12
A Little Bit About the Book:
As pregnant Siobhán O’Sullivan awaits bringing her new life into the world, she’s bringing new life to her village of Kilbane in County Cork, Ireland, with a music and matchmaking festival. But one matchmaker is about to find out that Cupid’s arrow can be fatal in the latest Irish Village Mystery from USA Today bestselling author Carlene O’Connor.
Siobhán loves to see the joy playing trad music brings to her brother Ciaran, but his concern that he’ll never find a mate pulls at her heartstrings. So she proposes that Kilbane host a music and matchmaking festival to draw single trad musicians. While renowned matchmaker Liam Noone plays Cupid with his Lucky Book, music—and hopefully love—will fill the pubs and the autumn air.
Turning over his precious Lucky Book to Siobhán for safekeeping, Liam takes the stage to introduce matched musician couples who will kick off the festival in the town square. Suddenly all goes black. When the lights come back on, the matchmaker has met his maker, impaled through the heart with an arrow made from the sharpened bow of a bass.
Was it the fiddle player, the flute player, the drummer, the piper, the squeeze box player, or the bass player who struck a sour note? Garda Siobhán and her husband Macdara must pick up the tempo to make whoever committed this crime of passion face the music…
What Format Is This Book Available In?
Hardcover | Ebook | Audio
Carlene's book, Murder at an Irish Session, is available for purchasing through the following link:
You can also find her books through your local indie stores! Not sure where one is? Bookshop.org can help.
For more information, please visit her website: https://carleneoconnor.net
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