Kathy Lynn Emerson Books In Order

Publication Order of Susanna, Lady Appleton Books

Publication Order of Treasured Tales Books

Publication Order of Diana Spaulding Books

Publication Order of Liss MacCrimmon Mysteries Books

Publication Order of Secrets of the Tudor Court Books

Publication Order of Mistress Jaffrey Books

Publication Order of Deadly Edits Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Kathy Lynn Emerson is an American writer of the 21st Century. She was born in rural Liberty, New York and spent most of her childhood there. She later attended the Bates College situated in Lewiston, Maine. It was here that she met her future husband. Apparently, they met in the very first week! After finishing her college and also her husband’s service in the U.S. Navy, they later returned to Maine and settled there. During those intermediate years, Kathy earned her master’s degree at Old Dominion University and also taught for sometime at Tidewater Community College in the city of Virginia. She currently resides in Wilton in the town of Maine along with her husband and three prized cats. They run a Christmas Tree Farm there.

She took the plunge into writing at a very young age. As a child, she used to write a newspaper for her dolls and also fascinating adventure series featuring all her favorite television characters. These were the infant steps she took into the world of literature. As she grew older, her passion for writing grew and so did her sensibility as a writer. She is known to be a highly versatile writer and has written contemporary, historical and time-travel romance along with historical mystery novels in both fiction and non fiction genre.

She has a fetish for using an assorted set of aliases for the different genres she writes; Kaitlyn Dunnett, Kaitlyn Gorton and Kate Emerson to name a few. Each of this alias has a different connotation. Emerson writes historical fiction set in royal courts as Kate Emerson and contemporary mystery books as Kaitlyn Dunnett. For historical mysteries however, she retains her original name i.e. Kathy Lynn Emerson. The purpose of using so many aliases, is perhaps to break the monotony and get into world of the respective genres.

Kathy Lynn Emerson has written historical mystery series like “The Face Down series” and “The Diana Spaulding 1888 Mysteries”. She has also written “Liss MacCrimmon Scottish-American Heritage Mysteries”. Kathy also writes historical non-mystery novels set way back in the sixteenth century. This reflects her deep and keen interest in the life and times of sixteenth-century England and she preserves a chain of mini-biographies online called “A Who’s Who of Tudor Women” which makes for a fascinating read. Kathy’s non-fiction includes “The Writer’s Guide To Everyday Life In Renaissance England” And “How To Write Killer Historical Mysteries”.

Kathy Lynn Emerson’s all-time famous work “How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries” presents an enriching overview of the detailed process of writing historical mysteries. It covers all the areas right from research, plotting, and language to marketing and publicity. Emerson includes plenty of instances and advice from mystery writers, and a detailed case study of the writing process of her own famous work “The Face Down mysteries”. Written in a fresh unique way, each chapter is further subdivided into easy-to-digest segments for budding writers who want to grasp various topics in the process. Kathy has indexed all the topics in the comprehensive table of contents. The book is like a Bible for those who are starting out in this genre. Its immense sea of knowledge and easy to understand details make it a must read for those who want to grasp the nuances of writing historical mysteries. It is like a much needed reference guide which everyone must possess. Kathy Lynn Emerson demonstrates how to bring history forth, rather than just write contemporary mystery in disguise. It is one of her prized works, for which she will be remembered for many many years to come.

Kathy Lynn Emerson’s another famous work is “The Face Down Mystery Series”. It is an anthology of numerous mystery stories. The stories are in chronological order, featuring the young Susanna Leigh who is a sixteenth century lady, involved in Herbology, and married to Robert Appleton, as the protagonist at the center of each story in the series . Each story is followed by an author’s note containing historical trivia and anecdotal material. Each of the Face Down Series novel is extremely engaging and makes for an exciting read. The first one in the series was Face Down in the Marrow-Bone Pie which was is still very popular and loved. Others include Face Down Upon an Herbal, Face Down Under the Wych Elm etc to name a few.

Another of Kathy Lynn Emerson’s loved work is the historical novel “The Royal Inheritance”. It is an imaginary tale inspired by the condition of women at Henry VIII’s court. The story goes like this. It has a girl named Audrey Malte at the center of the plot. She has been brought up as an illicit daughter of Henry VIII’s royal tailor. But the king’s constant special treatment to her coupled with her hair color provide allusion towards another explanation as to why she was separated from her mother when she was a small kid. As she grows into a fine woman, she comes to understand the adverse implications of imperial birth. This novel makes for a thrilling read as we are taken through the life and tribulations of the lead character.

In addition to making a place for herself in the hearts of readers and setting a niche, Kathy Lynn Emerson has also been bestowed with several honors. She was bestowed with the prestigious and much sought after Agatha Award, in the Best Non-Fiction category in 2008. This was for her work “How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries”. It provided the much deserved appreciation and recognition for the huge volume of work she has contributed. She was also Nominated in the subsequent year i.e. 2009 for the Anthony Award in the Best Critical Non-fiction Work category. This was for her outstanding work “How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries”. In 2013, her work “The Royal Inheritance” was declared Winner of 2013 Single Titles Reviewers’ Choice Award. Another feather in her cap!

We are indeed truly indebted to Kathy Lynn Emerson for the breath of fresh air that she has been in the field of historical mystery. Very few writers leave behind a body of work which in addition to amusing and entertaining people, inspires and serves as a pedagogy to other budding writers. Kathy is definitely one among them. She will be remembered for a very long time to come.