Cindy Sample Books In Order

Publication Order of Laurel McKay Mysteries Books

Publication Order of Spindrift Cove Mystery Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Cindy Sample is an American author that writes mystery romance novels. She started out in the corporate world as the CEO of a mortgage company before finally giving in to her desire to write novels.

+Biography

Cindy Sample was a little girl when her love for detectives was ignited. She decided fairly early on that she wanted to become like Nancy Drew when she grew up. However, it eventually dawned on her that she had neither the mental focus nor the determination to pursue private detective work.

But the realization did not keep her down for long. If she couldn’t solve mysteries as a detective, she could write about them as an author. It would be several years before she got into the publishing field.

Before that, she busied herself with overcoming life’s many obstacles. As a single mother with a thriving company under her belt, for many years, Cindy had neither the free time nor the inspiration to pursue publishing and writing, not when she had meetings to attend and school events to plan.

A time eventually came when Cindy realized that she was not willing to spend her life doing paperwork, not when all she yearned for was to create murders and solve them in the fictional towns bubbling in her brain.

The switch to publishing wasn’t without its challenges but Cindy Sample made it work, writing the Laura McKay series for which she is best known.

The author was only eight when she wrote her first novel. She was in third grade at the time and her vocabulary was pretty limited, so she doesn’t think the story was especially impressive.

Cindy got little in the way of substantial encouragement at the time and that might explain why she took such a big break from her writing. She was sixty-years-old when her first novel was published.

But the author was grateful because the life experiences she had garnered by that point helped her create her stories. The Laurel McKay series features a single mother in her late thirties who must contend with murder in her small community.

‘Dying for a Date’, Cindy Sample’s first novel and the first Laurel McKay title, was published in 2010. At the time, she did not know anything about the publishing arena. She submitted her first manuscript to the few literary agents she knew and was surprised by the positive feedback that came her way.

Though, none of that encouragement materialized into the publishing deal she wanted, not at the start. The agents she engaged praised her for her strong voice and unique humor. But they also told her that her writing was simply terrible.

So Cindy went back to the drawing board and continued to write, using each new project to grow her skills. After four years, she reached out to an agent who connected her to a number of promising presses. From there, the author’s career took off.

Cindy bases a lot of her ideas on the things she has seen and observed. This is especially true for the characters and settings. Cindy always sits down to write with the intention of entertaining her readers.

She wants everyone to close her book having had a good laugh and a great time. The author believes that her time in the corporate arena prepared her adequately to deal with the rigors of writing and publishing.

Even though the author is quite social, she always finds the time to write and promote her work. Cindy is very disciplined. If the need calls for it, she can spend entire days and weeks locked away, writing, especially if she has a particular deadline that she’s chasing.

Cindy blends outlining with writing by the seat of her pants. For the most part, she can start writing once she knows who the killer is, what his motives are, and where the dead bodies are located.

Being a pantser is exciting for Cindy. She enjoys diving headlong into a new story, seeing where it takes her and watching as surprising subplots take shape. However, once Cindy completes the first draft of any given novel, she will take the time to outline every chapter to make sure that the story makes sense.

She checks to see if there are enough clues to entice the reader and whether or not every scene drives the mystery forward in some way. Quite a lot of research goes into the novels that Cindy Sample writes.

Because there are police procedural elements in her work, the author depends on the homicide detectives in her area to help her make sure that all the police related details in her books are accurate.

She also has friends in the medical field who give her advice on subjects like quick acting poisons. Because the author writes mysteries, she reads a lot of books in the genre, not to mention watching television shows in that same field.

+Dying for a Date
Laurel McKay is a divorced mother with two children. Laurel hasn’t had the best dating experiences, which is why she decides to join the dating service in her area.

Laurel doesn’t know what she’s looking for, whether she needs true romance or just a guy that can service her needs every few days. Despite these anxieties, Laurel throws her best dress on and prepares to meet the first bachelor on her list at a fancy restaurant.

The man that shows up that evening is hardly the gentleman Laurel was expecting. When she breaks his nose in response to his rude advances, Laurel has no idea that the man will be murdered in just a few hours, and that having his blood on her clothing will make her the prime suspect.

Now, with the police on her tail and a second date having ended disastrously, Laurel must find a murderer before she ends up in prison.

+Dying for a Dance
Laurel McKay cannot dance. In preparation for a role at a best friend’s wedding she should never have taken, Laurel takes up dancing lesson, a decision that sees her stumble upon a dancing star’s lifeless body.

Now a detective who dated her briefly before disappearing has come back into her life. Laurel has a lot of work to do in juggling her love life with her determination to stop a nefarious killer.

2 Responses to “Cindy Sample”

1. melodie: 2 years ago

   Totally agree! Just found this series and love it!
   Is she still writing?

   Reply
2. Kim whichard: 3 years ago

   I am hopeful a new book is about to jump on my shelf
   “Dying for a new delicious detective read!”

   Reply