Author Interview with Kate Damon, Author of JURY DUTY IS MURDER & Enter to Win $25 Amazon Gift Card! #authorinterview

Today we are interviewing Kate Damon, author of the cozy mystery, Jury Duty is Murder. Enjoy!

When Kate Damon is not writing, she and her husband enjoy RVing, spending time with family and friends, raising Monarch butterflies, and playing a wicked game of bridge.

Writing as Margaret Brownley, she has published more than 40 novels and is a New York Times bestselling author. Known for her memorable characters and humor, she is a two-time Romance Writers of America Rita finalist.

Not counting the book she wrote in sixth grade, and the puzzle of the missing socks, this is her first mystery.

Website ➜http://margaret-brownley.com/

Twitter ➜https://www.x.com/katejuryduty

Facebook ➜https://www.facebook.com/MargaretBrownleyAuthor/ and https://www.facebook.com/p/Kate-Damon-61565155275435/

Instagram ➜https://www.instagram.com/katedamonbooks

BookBub➜https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kate-damon

Goodreads ➜ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4072660.Kate_Damon and https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/163681.Margaret_Brownley

Interview

Can you share a story about what brought you to this particular career path (becoming an author)?

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a writer. I wrote my first “book” in sixth grade and wrote all through my teens. No one took me seriously, probably because I couldn’t for the life of me diagram a sentence and failed eighth-grade English. Marriage and motherhood occupied me for a while, but the writing bug never left. One day I decided to go all out. One by one, I sent three books to Harlequin and all were rejected. However, an editor must have taken pity on me because on the third rejection, she wrote, “You’re getting closer.” She bought my fourth book, and I was off and running.

Jury Duty is Murder sounds like a hoot! How did you come up with the idea to write it?

I’m the kind of person who goes away for a week and comes back three weeks behind. So, I’ve always wondered how jurors faired who were sequestered for weeks and even months. But I doubt that I would have written the book had it not been for a dark time in my life. I normally write Western romances. Then my husband passed away and I was kept away from the support of friends and family because of Covid. I guess you might say that during that dark, lonely time, my brain turned away from romance to other thoughts, mainly murder. LOL

Can you tell us a little about your main characters?

The story is about four former jurors who disliked each other immensely during the trial and hoped to never see each other again. But when the other jurors start dying under mysterious circumstances, they must put their feelings aside and work together to find the killer before the killer finds them--or they do him a favor by killing each other.

Mindy (CeeCee)

Mindy, known by her nickname CeeCee, is an exotic dancer whose life has been significantly impacted by the trial. As a result of her involvement, she lost both her job and her boyfriend, leaving her in a precarious position both financially and emotionally.

Helen (Schoolmarm)

Helen is a 72-year-old woman facing challenges related to aging. Her family is attempting to place her in an assisted living facility, which adds to her feelings of isolation and frustration.

Harold (Shoe)

Harold, nicknamed Shoe due to his habit of staring at his feet, experiences a series of unfortunate events upon returning home from the trial. His house is destroyed when a news reporter crashes into it on his first day back. Additionally, he faces financial difficulties as his hardware store teeters on the brink of bankruptcy and his marriage struggles under the strain.

Alex (Reporter)

Alex is an actor whose career has hit rock bottom. His personal life is equally troubled; he lives in a garage owned by an eccentric landlady. The combination of professional failure and romantic woes contributes to his sense of despair.

What's the very first line of your book?

They surged in en masse through the double glass doors and down the steps of the courthouse.

What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?

Jury Duty is Murder is a blend of suspense, humor, and character-driven drama that keeps readers engaged while exploring the complexities of human relationships in the aftermath of a high-profile trial.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

That’s a toughie, mainly because of the many movements that already exist. However, to answer your question, I would want to focus on promoting literacy among children. The national reading test scores are alarming. Children who struggle with reading often face challenges in academic performance, self-esteem, and future opportunities. One of the things my movement would do is provide ideas on how to promote reading in the home. For example, I had a young son who was addicted to TV cartoons. So, we muted the sound and made him read the subtitles. I was amazed at how quickly he adapted, and his reading improved.

About the Book

The verdict is in; a famed athlete is headed for prison. The jurors have done their job and are free to go back to their lives. But after being sequestered for four months, life as some knew it no longer exists.

HAROLD ASHMAN’s house is almost destroyed by a careless driver. Exotic dancer, CEECEE LAINE, discovers that her boyfriend is two-timing her, and she no longer has a job. Actor ALEX MANNING learns his career is down the tubes, and 72-year-old, HELEN RYDER, discovers her family is plotting to put her in an old folks home.

Then things take a turn for the worse. When former jurors start dropping like flies, CeeCee, Helen, Harold and Alex are convinced there’s a killer on the loose. Now the feuding foursome must find him before he kills them—or before they save him the trouble by killing each other.

Jury Duty is Murder is available at Amazon.

Here’s what readers are saying about Jury Duty is Murder!

I was having a bad day, and this book was enough to lift any cloud. I laughed out loud, I was sad with them, and I was surprised by the plot twists even in the epilogue. Great ending. Perfect for fans of Murder in the Building and Man on the Inside. I hope there will be more with these characters.

— AV_therearenobadbooks

Kate Damon’s Jury Duty Murder is a fun, fast paced, riddled with humor who-dun-it, told through the eyes of four ordinary, yet distinct folks who are so incredibly relatable, you’ll feel like you know them as soon as they are introduced. Thank you, Kate, for giving us this curl up in your favorite chair and read straight through adventure!

–Barbara Newhart