Mystery Brecksville author Connie Laux goes by many names

BRECKSVILLE, Ohio — Connie Laux goes by many names: Casey Daniels, Kylie Logan and Mimi Granger are just a few. With each name comes a distinct voice, portrayed through Laux’s many book releases.

The Brecksville-based author has published about 65 books — many mysteries and historical fiction — over the past 30 years.

It all started in early 1992, with “Twilight Secrets”, Laux’s first novel, which she published under the pen name “Constance Laux”.

“I had played around with writing fiction a bit, but hadn’t really done much with it. I had a story idea and started working on it,” Laux said. “The more market research I did, the more I realized that what I was writing was what the market called a ‘historical romance.’ I didn’t really start writing historical novels; I just realized that was what I was writing.

Thirty years after the release of that first book, Laux hasn’t slowed down, delving into mysteries, romances, and adventures of all kinds whenever inspiration strikes.

“My problem – if you want to call it a problem – I have these ideas, and they’re cool and seem so fun,” Laux said. “So I think, ‘Oh, but that would be a mystery.’ Alright, I’ll write mysteries. Or, ‘Gee, that sounds like a young adult. I think I’ll write young adult. It has a lot to do with what kind of idea I have at that particular moment. .

Although Laux started out writing historical romance, she shifted gears in 2006 and perfected herself on the mystery format. Around this time, Laux went to a job interview for a job as a part-time tour guide at Lakeview Cemetery, and although she didn’t get the job, she did find inspiration for a character.

Soon she was developing a paranormal series that follows Pepper Martin, a cemetery tour guide who solves mysteries for ghosts. The series – based in Cleveland – now contains 10 books, published under the name Casey Daniels.

Another Cleveland-based series came in her three-book Jazz Ramsey series published as Kylie Logan. The plot follows Ramsey, a cadaver dog trainer and amateur detective.

Her ‘Haunted Mansion’ series, written as Lucy Ness, is also set in northeast Ohio, following Detective Avery Morgan as she solves murders with the help of a ghost. . The same goes for her “Love is Murder” series, which follows a romantic Tinkers Creek bookstore owner as she solves more silly and wacky murder mysteries in 2021’s debut album “Death of a Red Hot Rancher. “.

Next year, Laux plans to introduce a new name for a historical mystery series: Anastazia Hastings.

“The name I use depends on the type of book I’m writing,” Laux said. “I’ve been a whole bunch of people.”

Laux’s books, published by Penguin Randomhouse and St. Martin’s Minotaur publishing houses, are usually written over a period of three or four months.

She said she learned her method of writing from author Susan Wiggs, who suggested writing for 45 minutes without doing anything else – that is, without checking emails or social networks. Then, at the end of the writing sprint, you have 15 minutes to do whatever you want. She repeats this process for the entire working day.

“It helps me focus on what I’m supposed to do, and I know there’s that little 15-minute carrot at the end,” Laux said. “That’s what works for me, and I’ve been doing it for a long time, and I mostly write five days a week.”

As for the writing itself, Laux said she usually planned the investigative process first, to ensure the mystery followed a logical path. After that, she works in subplots and relationships for the characters. She is then left with an outline that she uses for each chapter.

“It depends on the pain,” Laux said. “Usually once I turn in a book, it takes about a year before it’s published, so there’s a lot of lag time, but that year you do a lot of stuff too. See your editors’ notes, make edits, see copy edits, and then a proofreader sees it. »

Beyond her writing, she’s also involved with the northeast Ohio chapter of “Sisters in Crime,” a mystery-writing organization “for sisters and gentlemen,” Laux said. Find more information about the group at neosinc.org/wordpress.

Currently, Laux has a book planned for 2022, in his “Love Is Murder” series: “Murder of a Mail-Order Bride,” which is slated for release August 2. Other projects are also underway.

Find more information about Laux at mystery-book-series.com.

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