#ThisorThatThusday Author Interview with J. C. Kenney

I’d like to welcome the wonderful J. C. Kenney to the blog today.

A few of your favorite things: My cat Maria, my electric scooter that I use to get around town, my recliner with power heat and massage functions. It is amazing!

Things you need to throw out: Well, I’ve lost 25 pounds so I have a lot of clothes I need to donate. Not quite ready to pull the trigger on that, though. I’m gonna miss some of those items!

Things you love about writing: I love being surprised by what my characters do when I’m writing. Even though I use an outline as a guide, the characters are always in control!

Things you hate about writing: The publication schedule. I’m super excited about a new series I’m writing, but the first book doesn’t come out until September of 2024. I don’t want to wait that long! lol

Things you never want to run out of: Caffeine! Give me all of it, as long as it comes in the form of tea or soda pop. I’ve tried but can’t seem to develop a taste for coffee.

Things you wish you’d never bought: Years ago, I bought a desk cycle. It’s a contraption that was supposed to let me pedal like a bicycle while working at my desk. I found out pretty quickly that I can’t work on my computer, aka write stories, and pedal at the same time. Darn the luck!

Favorite foods: Mexican food and pizza! Yeah, I love my carbs.

Things that make you want to gag: Not a fan of seafood. I can’t get past that fishy smell.

Favorite music or song: There are too many great ones to pick a single song. “One” by U2 is fantastic and took on such more meaning in the aftermath of 9-11. I also love “I’m Yours” from Jason Mraz. It helped me get through my wife’s cancer treatment in 2009. Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” is another one that I adore.

Music that drives you crazy: I’m not a big contemporary country music fan. Same with thrash metal.

Something you’re really good at: I excel at providing a warm lap for my cat Maria to nap on.

Something you’re really bad at: Golf. I’ve tried to learn about and get better at the game mutiple times but am simply awful and gave it up for good about ten years ago.

The last thing you ordered online: A copy of the “Orange Blossoms” CD by JJ Grey & Mofro. Nothing against streaming music, but I love having something I can hold.

The last thing you regret buying: Last December, I bought a Chromebook because it was on an insane sale price. I really didn’t need it. In retrospect, I should have saved my money, but it’s so hard to resist a sale!

Things you’d walk a mile for: A mojito. The combination of rum and fresh mint cannot be beat!

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Six-legged bugs. It’s weird, but spiders don’t freak me out. Creepie crawlies with only six legs make my skin crawl. Like I said, I’m weird.

Things you always put in your books: Cats. I’m a total cat dad.

Things you never put in your books: I to avoid profanity. It doesn’t fit with the tone of my books.

Things to say to an author: “I loved your book” and/or “I just posted a review of your story that I loved.” The more positive reinforcement from readers, the better!

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “No offense, but I only read serious literature” or “

Favorite places you’ve been: I’m in love with the sugar sand beaches of the Florida Panhandle. I go every chance I get. The sun is hot, the drinks are cold, and the atmosphere is great for research for a new series I’m writing.

Places you never want to go to again: Not so much a place, as a thing. When my wife and I were younger, we did a lot of camping. We still love nature, and tip our hats to folks who like to camp, but we’re old enough that we like our creature comforts like a real bed and a hot shower.

Favorite books (or genre): I love traditional mysteries and sci-fi.

Books you wouldn’t buy: I’m not a big fan of non-fiction. I’ll read a biography evey now and then, but I will totally pass on true crime.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Asking my wife, Nancy, to marry me. We celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary a few weeks ago. And we still like each other!

Biggest mistake: That time I stood up in the back of a moving pick-up truck wasn’t my best move. I fell out of the truck (while it was still moving at 50 miles per hour), spent three days in the hospital, and the next ten weeks trying to save a finger that had snapped off during the fall. Like I said, not my best moment!

About J. C.:

J.C. Kenney is the Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo bestselling author of The Allie Cobb Mysteries, The Darcy Gaughan Mysteries, and The Elmo Simpson Mysteries. He's also the co-host of The Bookish Hour webcast. His debut, A Literal Mess, was a finalist for a Muse Medallion from the Cat Writers' Association in mystery fiction. When he’s not writing, you can find him following IndyCar racing or listening to music. He has two grown children and lives in Indianapolis with his wife and a cat.

Let’s Be Social:

You can find him at www.jckenney.com or by visiting his Linktree at https://linktr.ee/jckenney.