About the Author...

Edie Claire grew up in various small towns in the Midwest and South, finally settling in Pennsylvania with her husband, three kids, and a variety of species of animal life. She started writing when she was a kid; anything and everything from fairy tales to brochures about nonexistent industrial products. But since no one ever wanted to read any of it, her career path veered towards her other true loves: science and animals. 

She became a veterinarian, but sadly she soon realized that the daily grind of private small animal practice was never going to fulfill her rampant desire to create. (Ask any doctor…you get too creative in the medical field and malpractice lawyers start putting you on their speed dial.) So she started doing medical writing and editing on a freelance basis, one thing lead to another, and she eventually went from publishing articles in veterinary journals to working in the communications department of an international corporation. She enjoyed her newfound creative freedom (and getting paid to sit at a desk all day instead of wrestling with unmuzzled Rottweilers on ten foot chains), but something was still missing. Fiction.  

More specifically, she wanted to try writing something that someone else would want to read--just for the fun of it. Being a fan of both mysteries and romantic suspense, she thought about the books she loved (Agatha Christie, Mary Stewart, and Barbara Michaels were her favorites) and tried to incorporate some of her favorite elements in her own writing. 

The result was Never Buried (1999), which is chock full of old photographs, rambling old houses, hidden secrets, and junk food. And since she had to justify the money she spent on vet school some way, it's also filled with what she likes to call "animal humor from the veterinary side."

 When she started Never Sorry (1999), she wanted to do something a little different. Scarier feel, more suspense and less emphasis on whodunnit. Having once been in a deserted zoo at night (she was a zoo volunteer for several years) she witnessed firsthand exactly how creepy the setting can be. Add to that a little research on sociopaths and you've got what she hopes is a both a fun and frightening romp through big-cat country.

For Leigh Koslow's third outing, Never Preach Past Noon (2000), Edie decided to shift gears again and move to more of a classical British-style mystery. Lots of twists and turns and people who aren't what they appear to be…is Reginald Humphrey a con artist or isn't he? Was he murdered, or did he just plain keel over? Is he even really dead? Naturally, she’s not telling. 

The fourth book, Never Kissed Goodnight (2001), isn’t a whodunnit at all, but is written in yet another style…straight suspense. Cara from Never Buried is back in this book, and she's in for a real shock when the father she's never met suddenly resurfaces--with serious trouble in tow!

Edie Claire’s first-ever short story, “Never Neck at Niagara,” was published in the Signet anthology And the Dying is Easy (2001). Chronologically, it follows Never Preach by taking the reader along with Leigh on an eventful summer vacation.

The fifth book, Never Tease a Siamese (2002), finds Leigh back in Avalon dealing with Mrs. Rhodis's wayward grandson and some major problems at the Koslow Animal Clinic. The style? Another good old-fashioned whodunnit!

Are there more Leigh Koslow books in the works? Edie would like to know that herself…but at this point it’s a game of wait-and-see. Stay tuned, however—she does have an image in her head of Leigh and Cara running around eight-months pregnant… 

In the meantime, if you like your mystery served with a touch of romance, please check out Edie's Romance/Mystery blends! For more about Long Time Coming (2003) and Meant To Be (2004), click here.

Edie Claire enjoys hearing from readers at edieclaire@juno.com . Please write her--you'll make her day!