Q&A With Author Elle Cosimano

Happy Thursday friends! Hope you’ve had a great week! I’m so excited to have Elle Cosimano with us on the blog today. I’m a huge fan! Check out our chat below 🤩.

Elle! I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to have you on my blog! Tell us a little bit about your background and how you got into writing.

Thank you! I guess you could say I took a circuitous route into writing. After earning a BA in psychology, somehow I ended up in selling real estate in Northern Virginia. I had a long, successful run at it but I also had two young children, and I was struggling to find balance between motherhood and my career. I was also miserable. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, only that I wasn’t doing it. As I was approaching my fortieth birthday (and likely a midlife crisis), my mother suggested I take some time off work and try writing a novel. That suggestion took me down a path I never would have envisioned for myself.

The Finlay Donovan series is one of my absolute favorites! I’m a huge Janet Evanovich fan, so when I first read Finlay Donovan is Killing It, I knew it would be a hit! What was your inspiration for this series?

I’m also a huge fan of Janet Evanovich—I adore Stephanie Plum! I never imagined I’d write a series in a similar vein (everything I’d written previously had been YA). The idea for Finlay struck me by surprise. About four years ago, I was having a working lunch with two of my beloved critique partners (Ashley Elston and Megan Miranda), brainstorming the plot of a thriller over lunch in a crowded Panera Bread, when a woman at the table beside us appeared to have misunderstood the context of our conversation. It was clear that she thought we were discussing actual murder instead of a fictional one. Someone posed the question, “wouldn’t it have been funny if she assumed you were contract killers?” That question became the inspiration for the story of a struggling romantic suspense novelist who accidentally becomes mistaken for a killer for hire.

Speaking of your YA books, tell us more about those and what made you make the jump from YA to adult fiction.

I never actually managed to get a YA series off the ground. I wrote two amateur sleuth mysteries, two paranormal mystery standalones, and a fantasy duology, but though I received plenty of acclaim and was nominated for several awards, the sales for those books were lackluster. Sales are critical to the lifeblood of a series (and an author’s career). I was at a crossroads when I came up with the idea for Finlay Donovan, uncertain if I could afford to continue writing. My critique partners encouraged me to take a chance, experimenting with something new, and I’m thrilled that the Finlay books have found such a passionate audience.

What does your day look like when you are in the middle of writing a book?

I’m homeschooling my youngest son who’s wrapping up his sophomore year of high school. (My oldest is away at college—Go Hokies!) I wear my teacher hat in the morning. My afternoons are split between making dinner, household chores, running errands, and managing the administrative side of my work as an author (coordinating events, marketing and publicity, engaging with readers, communicating with my agent and publishers, etc…) I typically write (and read) at night, generally between 7pm to 3am if I’m under deadline. I’m a silent writer (I can’t concentrate through interruptions), so I prefer writing at night when my inbox, phone, and house are quiet.

What type of research is involved when crafting a character like Finlay’s?

Most of my research for the Finlay books involves topics related to crime and law enforcement. Since I have loads of experience with parenting and publishing, I don’t have to research Finlay’s character as much as the mysteries she’s forced to solve. I’ve attended police academies for writers, done a ride-along with a deputy sheriff, toured a forensics lab, attended seminars taught by retired undercover cops, taken basic handgun classes, and interviewed attorneys . . . the list goes on. Hands on research inspires great story ideas and it breaks up the monotony of being behind a keyboard for hours.

What do you enjoy doing when you aren’t writing and on a deadline?

My hobbies are pretty quiet. I enjoy reading, cooking, and spending time with my family. I would go fishing every day if I could, and I daydream about one day having a home on the water. My husband and I love doing home improvement projects and traveling together. My life isn’t nearly as exciting as Finlay’s.

Do you have a favorite moment that stands out since becoming a well-known author?

I was in the grocery store a few months ago when an email popped up on my phone. It was from a young woman I had heard from about eight years ago, shortly after my first YA novels were published. She had been in high school back then, and my Nearly Boswell mysteries had piqued her interest in forensics. Fast forward to that letter I received while I was in the grocery store. She had written to tell me that she’s working as a scientist in a DC forensics lab, after my books had inspired the trajectory of her college studies and her career. It was a powerful moment, to realize my characters and stories had made that kind of impact.

Who is your biggest cheerleader?

My husband is my best friend and my biggest cheerleader. I couldn’t imagine doing this job without his support and encouragement. But professionally, I’d say my critique partners, Ashley and Megan, are my biggest support system. We’ve been brainstorming and sharing the ups and downs of our careers since the very beginning, before any of us had any books in print. Collectively, we now have 29 books published over a period of ten years. I’m so damn proud of us for that.

What are you currently reading/watching?

On TV, I’m loving All The Murders In the Building. As far as books, I just finished a fantastic historical thriller called The Half-Life of Ruby Fielding by Lydia Kang. I had the privilege of reading an early copy of Malice House, a delicious upcoming horror by Megan Shepherd. (And if you love atmospheric scary reads as much as I do, be sure to check out Lute by Jennifer Marie Thorne, which has been one of my favorite reads of 2022!) And I’m getting ready to dive into the upcoming dark thriller The Widowmaker by Hannah Morrissey, which I have been itching to get my hands on! SO many wonderful books coming out this year.

Your a wife, mom, and author, as well as many other things I’m sure. How do you balance it all?

Do any of us, really? I’m just like most moms, struggling, trying to keep too many balls in the air. I think that’s the spirit of Finlay Donovan, acknowledging the truth that is the messiness of motherhood. We’re all just doing the best we can.

Okay, last one! Please give us ALL THE SCOOP on the next book in the series, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun! I cannot wait!👏🏻

The third book in the series picks up right where book 2 left off, with Finlay and Vero’s latest entanglements with a hot cop, a fast car, and the Russian mob. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun will release on January 31, 2023, and I can’t wait! The research for this book was so much fun, drawing on all those hands-on research experiences I just finished telling you about. The cover and summary are now available online, and preorder links are live everywhere books are sold.

Thank you so much for your time Elle, and for giving us a glimpse into your world! I know you have so many fans looking forward to your new release and we can’t wait to celebrate with you!

To follow Elle and the Finlay Donovan series check out her Instagram!

To pre order Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (like me) click here.