Mary Kennedy

Mary Kennedy is a national best-selling author, and a clinical psychologist in private practice on the east coast. She has sold forty novels, all to major New York publishers, and has made the Waldenbooks, BookScan and Publishers Weekly best-seller lists. Her early novels included middle grade fiction and young adult fiction for Scholastic and Penguin.

Mary won an award from the National Endowment for the Arts for "artistic excellence in literary fiction." A popular workshop presenter, she has spoken at over a hundred conferences, libraries and schools, all over the country. She also has written articles for PW, NPR, BookPage Gannett, RWR, and other industry publications. When not writing, speaking, or traveling to exotic locales, she lives with her husband and eight neurotic cats. The cats have resisted all her efforts to psychoanalyze them, but she remains optimistic.

THE TALK SHOW RADIO MYSTERIES

Currently Mary's writing an adult mystery series, The Talk Radio Mysteries, which is set in a fictional town in south Florida. The first title, DEAD AIR, was released January 2010, the second, REEL MURDER, appeared June 2010, the third, STAY TUNED FOR MURDER, January 2011. The Talk Radio Mysteries was pitched and sold as "Frasier Meets Murder She Wrote." The heroine is Maggie Walsh, a psychologist who closes up her Manhattan practice and heads to sunny Florida to take a job as a radio talk show host. And, yes, she solves a murder in every book! As a former radio copywriter and a practicing psychologist, Mary is uniquely qualified to provide realistic background for her books - although she hasn't personally solved any murders ;-). Mary's favorite vacation destination is South Florida and she makes an annual winter pilgrimage to Fort Lauderdale.

MORE ABOUT THE SERIES:

“Frasier Meets Murder She Wrote in this entertaining series from a real-life psychologist.”

“If you're thinking of committing murder in South Florida, beware Mary Kennedy's delightful radio psychologist Maggie Walsh, one of the most appealing amateur sleuths to come along in years. Hook her up with Jessica Fletcher and no murderer shall ever go unpunished.” Donald Bain, Author of the Murder, She Wrote series

“Tune in for a great new series featuring insightful Dr. Maggie, a radio talk show psychologist who says it like she sees it in a wry and clever debut.” Carolyn Hart, “America’s Agatha Christie.”

STAY TUNED FOR MURDER is the third in this delightful mystery series (Penguin Obsidian, 06/01/2010, ISBN 0451232356, 320 pages, $6.99)

Romantic Times says:

“Floridians can claim another sleuthing marvel--and Kennedy has the beginning of a hit series. Charming, humorous, sassy psychologist Maggie Walsh is a cross between Carrie Bradshaw and Dr. Jennifer Melfi as she deals with flaky co-workers, a screen-siren mother and the attentions of a sexy detective and a gorgeous hotelier..4 and a half STARS!”

Maggie is really getting into the swing of her daily radio show. She loves her new life in Cypress Grove, Florida, where she considers herself a female Dr. Phil–minus the money and the fame. Unfortunately, she’s also minus the fans. So when a glamorous psychic and author comes to town, (I talk to Dead People and You Can too) Maggie is worried about her job. Every time the psychic appears on her show, the ratings soar, and Maggie is afraid she may be edged out of WYME.

Maggie decides to do some sleuthing and see if Chantal is really what she seems to be. And along the way, she has to solve a double murder with the help of sexy Detective Rafe Martino.

GET TO KNOW MARY KENNEDY

MAUREEN: What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?
MARY: I love mysteries, and I remember reading Nancy Drew with a flashlight when I was supposed to be sleeping. I think of a mystery as a puzzle to be solved and I also like the idea that good triumphs in the end.

MAUREEN: What’s your favorite vacation spot?
MARY: Ft. Lauderdale. We rent the same ocean front condo there every February and it’s the highlight of my year. I love Florida and set the Talk Radio Mysteries there. Maggie closes up her Manhattan psychology practice and moves to Florida because she’s “sick of the cold, sick of Manhattan real estate prices and sick of listening to people’s problems all day long.” She’s much happier living in Florida, working as a radio talk show host and solving murders!

MAUREEN: Do you believe in ghosts?
MARY: I had to do quite a bit of research on ghosts, psychic and the paranormal for STAY TUNED for MURDER. A famous psychic comes to Cypress Grove, and she develops quite a following. She even angles for a spot on WHYY, and Maggie is afraid she may take over her talk show. I leave it up to the readers whether or not Chantel is the real deal.

MAUREEN: What’s next?
MARY: I hope a long career writing more mysteries and maybe even going back to my roots in young adult novels. Three teen novels (previously published in print by Penguin) will soon be available as e-books.

MAUREEN: What do you love to do in your free time?
MARY: My favorite hobby (an expensive one, according to my husband) is cat rescue. I currently have 8 adorable rescued cats. I didn’t look for them (I swear!), the poor things were starving and homeless and found me. I love all animals and feature a delightful pug in the Talk Radio Mysteries.

MAUREEN: What, if anything, would you like to tell your readers?
MARY: To please take a moment out of your day and do what you can to help animals. They bring joy to so many people, and ask so little of us. I have a link to Forgotten Cats, one of my favorite charities on my website http://www.marykennedy.net/. You can read about my books, and there’s a special section devoted to “Siggy,” who was truly a remarkable cat.

GOTTA ASK -- GOTTA ANSWER :)

MAUREEN: Your series is about a psychologist turned talk radio host, turned amateur sleuth. You’re a psychologist turned novelist. Any secret ambition to solve mysteries yourself?

MARY: I’d love to solve a mystery and am a big fan of CSI, Law and Order, Criminal Minds, NCIS, etc. Unfortunately, that’s as close as I get to the nitty-gritty aspects of sleuthing. I admire the way they can solve a crime in the space of a one hour show, I have 300 pages to do it!

Learn more about Mary at http://www.marykennedy.net/

Come back tomorrow when Cat hosts Christine Merrill