QandA with Author Kimberly Wylie

Will Jenna be able to find out who’s behind these attacks before a full-scale zombie outbreak overtakes the town? –Zombies for Everyone: A Jenna Sutton Supernatural Cozy Mystery by Kimberly Wylie
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Author Q&A

What inspired you to write this book?

I have had insomnia since I was a little kid. One of the tricks I use to fall asleep is to tell myself a story. Each night would be a continuation of the story from the night before, as if the day was simply a very long commercial break. Jenna Sutton and her series of adventures has been playing out in my head, each night for years.

What can we expect from you in the future?

You can definitely expect Book 2 of the Jenna Sutton Supernatural Cozy Mystery Series in November of 2021—Werewolves Everywhere. I also have another non-paranormal cozy started (no title yet), set on a small private island in the Caribbean.

Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?

There are definitely side stories, especially about Aunt Cassie. However, at this point, there is a strong possibility some (if not most) will end up in the series at one point or another. I love Aunt Cassie. She may someday get her own series.

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Zombies for Everyone?

Jenna was orphaned at age 17 ½. She’s a senior in high school when we join her, just before her 18th birthday. She desperately wants to be like her mom—strong, confident, capable—but she’s still a young adult, now struggling on her own. This makes her also a bit insecure and unsure of herself. Jenna has had to keep so much of her life, and the full supernatural world around them, secret, it’s always been difficult for her to make friends. This has made most people think she’s odd and/or stuck up.

Kieron is Jenna’s best friend. He had a huge crush on Jenna when they were younger. The attraction to one another has been on and off over the years, where both are unsure how to make that jump from best friends to girlfriend/boyfriend. He’s really smart, and he’s very tech savvy. He’s one of those kids in high school that hasn’t locked himself into one clique. He’s friendly with and accepted by pretty much everyone.

Colm is an Irish-born warlock. He’s confident to the point of being somewhat cocky. He knows he’s good looking. He rarely has trouble with women, and this only adds to the cockiness. He heads up a clean up crew for the Consortium. Jenna is unsure of how old he is. Because witches and warlocks age differently than non-supernaturals, Colm could be young 20s or much older.

Cassandra/Aunt Cassie – Cassandra was the daughter who was forced to take in Jenna’s mom, when Jenna’s grandparents were killed. They grew as close as sisters, so she’s always insisted Jenna call her Aunt Cassie. Cassandra was a Hunter who became a witch, which is a societal taboo. Currently, she is third in line for High Priestess of North America—an incredibly prestigious and powerful position.

Where did you come up with the names in the story?

Jenna is the name I almost named my daughter, Brittany. Many of Jenna’s characteristics are modeled after Britt. She’s one of the coolest, strongest, smartest young ladies I know, yet she still has that little bit of insecurity lingering.

Kieron is a name I found after I had my son. If I had had another boy, he may have been named Kieron. I’ve also always loved the name Colm. I have a list of names I love, just waiting to come to life in books!

YA Cozy is a new one for me, though I will say this book feels more like a paranormal adventure story than a cozy mystery. The mystery was well paced with plenty of clues. It was easy to assume why the attacks were happening once it came up in conversation, and from there, very easy to pick out the big bad. Still, the story was an enjoyable one with lots of action and plenty of pop culture references, some of which I am certain are less applicable to the YA crowd than their parents, but fun nonetheless.

In this book we are introduced to Jenna and her partner Kieron, high school students with a little something extra. She is a Hunter. Her job is to investigate and hunt down things that go bump in the night. Kind of a cross between Dean WInchester and Buffy Summers. Kieron provides moral, tech, and info support. They are asked to track down the source of a zombie bite, before it leads to a full on outbreak. It becomes apparent that there is more going on than a simple zombie attack and with several great suspects, it moves at a fair clip.

Despite the extracurriculars they really are just typical seventeen year old kids worrying about dating, homework, and mean girls. That is a fun contrast to the uber adult nature of the work they do. Jenna’s mother is missing, presumed dead (a story point that I am certain will be prominent in upcoming books) Leaving Jenna with the job of caring for herself while staying under the radar of adults who would put her in the system.

The magic world built for this story is sound, though it will need some bolstering ahead as it went up fairly quickly. I think another 50 pages of story could have easily softened the info dump feel. There is a lot of information to process about magic and recurring characters, as well as The Consortium and The Covens, but at some point in this series, things are going to get really interesting and my sixth sense is tingling in anticipation.This is a great story for age 12-18 readers and really for anyone who enjoys YA and / or paranormal cozy.

I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Jenna Sutton is nothing like the iconic vampire slayer of TV fame.

She’s the antithesis of a cheerleader. She’s not peppy. And she sucks at gymnastics. She has nothing in common with the fictional Buffy, other than being blonde and in high school…

Oh, and occasionally she kills vampires for a living as well as other things that go bump in the night.

Following an attack on an English teacher at a nearby school, it becomes clear this wasn’t an ordinary coyote bite. The gray-green Lichtenberg-like webbing of streaks making their way up Ms. Pruett’s arm can mean only one thing—zombies.

But this isn’t a normal zombie attack. The victims seem to be hand-picked.

Can Jenna complete her investigation without the school administrators figuring out she’s actually a high school student from another school? Will Jenna be able to find out who’s behind these attacks before a full-scale zombie outbreak overtakes the town? And, perhaps most importantly…

Why did her best friend kiss her after all of these years?

Purchase Links – Amazon – Author Website

Kimberly Wylie loves to write books about murder, mystery and mayhem.

Kimberly has been a full-time freelance writer and editor for more than twenty years. She has worked for both large publishing houses and small, boutique publishers, as well as magazines, Fortune 500 companies, and hundreds of private clients. When people asked her, “What do you write?” Her standard answer was always, “Whatever pays.”

For the last two years, Kimberly has focused on finally writing what she wants to write. During COVID, she published an award winning cookbook—The Ambergris Caye COVID Relief Cookbook. This book was featured in Forbes, won a Gourmand International award, and helped provide more than 20,000 meals to the residents of the island of Ambergris Caye, Belize. She’s also recently published a children’s picture book—Carl the Misunderstood Crocodile—and is donating profits to a local wildlife conservation and rescue group. Zombies for Everyone: A Jenna Sutton Supernatural Cozy Mystery is Kimberly’s first foray into her favorite genre—Cozies!

When not writing, you can find Kimberly enjoying the sunshine, the beach or the reef, from her home on Ambergris Caye. She lives there with her husband and the best English Cream Golden Retriever in the world—Coco.

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