Shana Merchant series.
Jill: Why did you begin your first mystery series?
Tessa: I started off writing bio and techno thrillers, but it quickly became clear that there wasn’t much of a market for those subgenres at the time. That led me to try my hand at a mystery. I had always been drawn to mysteries, particularly of the locked-room and closed circle variety, so my first called Death in the Family became an homage to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and ultimately launched the Shana Merchant series.
Jill: What is your literary/publishing history?
Tessa: I wrote four novels prior to getting my first book deal, all of which remain unpublished, but that experience was critical as it allowed me to secure a literary agent and also develop my style and voice. I consider those my “practice novels” now, though I do hope to revisit them someday.
Jill: Inspiration for your lead character, Shana Merchant, and her various antagonists?
Tessa: Shana was born of the desire to create a female detective with deep-seated trauma that would impact how she approached both her investigations and her personal relationships. Readers sometimes describe Shana as “messy”…she doesn’t always make the conventional choice, but her understanding of the human psyche due to her family’s dark past makes her compelling (or so I’m told!).
Jill: How did you decide on settings and point of view, such as first person in the Shana books??
Tessa: I had always wanted to set a book in the Thousand Islands of Ontario and Upstate NY, a unique and atmospheric area that I knew well. As for point of view, providing unfettered access to Shana’s inner thoughts and emotions felt important because of her trauma and PTSD. I wanted readers to feel close to her pain, and understand how it shaped her character.
Jill: Why did you begin a second mystery series?
Tessa: My second mystery series, called the North Country novels, will be launching in late 2025. I had decided to pause the Shana Merchant series after The Coldest Case, mainly because I saw an opportunity to wrap up a throughline in a way that felt authentic and timely to the story. That said, I wasn’t ready to leave the Thousand Islands or the universe I’d created around Shana and her State Police colleagues. The new series is a spinoff of that world, with many of the same characters and multiple points of view. Shana still plays a part, but now readers will get to see her through a fresh lens.
Jill: What is your writing process??
Tessa: My process varies wildly depending on where I am in the production journey. When I’m drafting, I try to write a chapter a day and give myself time to reflect on the plot, but when I’m editing or proofreading, I can go for fifteen hours straight, and often do (at that stage, my goal is to simulate a binge-read and ensure that the story has momentum and holds its shape).
Jill: Do you experience writer’s block?
Tessa: Far more often than I’d like! But I take that “block” to mean that I’m on the wrong track with the story, and use it as an opportunity to rethink the plot.
Jill: How have you books evolved since writing the first one?
Tessa: I’m happy to say that I have far more confidence than I did when I first started writing novels. Now, common mystery and thriller structures feel ingrained, and I’m comfortable veering from that path to write an unpredictable story that still satisfies the desire for a twisting, fast-paced crime thriller.
Jill: Your greatest writing challenge?
Tessa: My goal is always to write a story that’s more interesting, more engaging, and more memorable than my last. No pressure!
Jill: Are you a panster or a plotter?
Tessa: I’m somewhere in between…I always start out with a loose outline but inevitably rethink it, sometimes even changing the identity and motive of the killer deep into the book. It can make for a meandering process, but if I can surprise myself, odds are good that the reader will be surprised too.
Jill: Which obstacles and pitfalls did you not expect?
Tessa: I’ve had to train myself to accept that there will be a period of many weeks when I lose my way. Those moments of uncertainty and panic allow me to step back from the story and reassess. I’m always happier with the ultimate outcome than I was with the initial idea.
Jill: Average length of time to write one of your mysteries?
Tessa: I’ve got a little faster with every book, so in general it now takes about seven months for me to write a series novel.
Jill: How do you conduct your research?
Tessa: I’m lucky to have connected with several Bureau of Criminal Investigation detectives and a sheriff from the Thousand Islands area early on, and have since found a very generous medical examiner as well. I always take several research trips to make sure I have the settings right, since most scenes take place in real places.
Jill: Are your settings actual or imaginary?~
Tessa: I usually only fictionalize a setting if I’ve made it a crime scene. I never want to offend or upset residents of the small towns I incorporate into my books.
Jill: Do you have theme goals?
Tessa: Themes often reveal themselves toward the end of the writing process, but all of the books in the Shana Merchant series include themes like family, obsession, deception, and revenge.
Jill: Which book was the most fun writing?
Tessa: I have to say, I really enjoyed writing The Kind To Kill, the fourth book in the series. Because of events that occur in the third book (Dead Wind), many readers expected it to be the finale, so I used that as an opportunity to surprise and unsettle them with misdirection and a story that, in a way, kicked off the second part of the series.
Jill: You are extraordinarily popular as a panelist and speaker, five events alone in November, 2024. Were you prepared to spend so much time promoting your books?
Tessa: Thank you! I didn’t expect to have quite so many events beyond those related to a launch, but meeting readers and collaborating with fellow mystery and thriller authors in my immediate community and beyond has become one of my favourite parts of the author life.
Tessa: I don’t have any UK events planned for 2025 at the moment, but that could change. Visiting for a book event is definitely a priority.
Jill: Have any instances from real life crept into your books??
Tessa: Absolutely. Many of the experiences I’ve had in the Thousand Islands have found their way into the series, including being stranded on a remote private island in a violent storm (which inspired Death in the Family).
Jill: Which social platforms do you use and why?
Tessa: I’m on every major social platform, but I tend to be most active on Instagram. In addition to connecting with enthusiastic bookstagrammers and readers, it allows me to share visual content related to the books and provide a behind-the-scenes look at the settings that inspire my stories.
Jill: How important are minor characters in your books?
Tessa: Minor characters are always important to me, especially now that several of them are becoming leads in the spinoff series. I try to give every character as much dimension as possible so that readers feel invested in their lives.
Jill: What do you hope readers take away after reading your books?
Tessa: I really just hope that readers enjoy spending time in Shana Merchant’s world and exploring a place they may not be familiar with. If I can keep them guessing and deliver some chills along the way, all the better.
Jill: Your Favourite Genres and mystery writers ?
Tessa: I love a good small-town mystery from writers like Sarah Stewart-Taylor, Christina McDonald, Louise Penny, and Will Dean.
Jill: Tips for budding authors?
Tessa: I always recommend connecting with other writers. Critique groups are excellent for skill development and accountability, and because the publishing industry can be quite ruthless, having writer friends to chat with.
Jill: What’s next?
Tessa: Aside from the first North Country novel, I’ve been working on a co-authored mystery with two other writers and a standalone thriller set in Connecticut that I hope to finish early next year.
My Cornwall magazine.
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