Lynn Slaughter
Author Interview - Lynn Slaughter
Author of Leisha's Song and Death at the End Zone
About Death at the End Zone:
Homicide detective Caitlin O’Connor is once again faced with a puzzling case: the murder of two star football players whose bodies are discovered in a compromising position in the end zone of their high school’s football field. While Caitlin identifies several suspects who might have had reasons to want to harm the boys, no clearcut evidence points to the culprit. She’s worried that she may get pulled off the case if she can’t figure out who killed the boys.
About Leisha's Song:
Leisha knows something’s wrong. Her beloved vocal coach at boarding school would never have resigned and disappeared like this in the midst of preparing her prize students for a major vocal competition. Leisha’s determined to find her, make sure she’s okay. Cody, a sensitive cellist, insists on helping her. Sparks fly, clues multiply, and romance blossoms, despite the disapproval of their families. Leisha’s desire to be with Cody and pursue music rather than medicine puts her on a direct collision course with her African-American grandfather, the only parent she’s ever had. But an even more immediate threat looms—because as Leisha draws closer to the truth about her teacher’s disappearance, she puts her own life in grave danger.
Author Interview - Lynn Slaughter
Author I draw inspiration from:
2026: Judy Blume, patron saint of YA fiction! Favorites include: Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret and Forever.
For adults, I adore the Jesse Stone series by Robert B. Parker. Not only do I love mysteries, but Parker created a flawed but extremely likable character in Jesse Stone.
2021: Sarah Dessen- wonderful YA author whose books are emotionally moving with characters you can't help but root for. I'm a huge fan of contemporary realistic YA fiction, which is her wheelhouse.
Author Interview - Lynn Slaughter | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
2026: Anywhere and everywhere!
2021: Armchair by our fireplace!
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
2026: Siderova from Lori Robbins’ award-winning On Pointe Mystery Series.
Leah and I could swap stories about all the goings-on from our dance company days!
2021: Eleven-year-old Isabella in Sharon Draper's Blended. Loved her voice and her love of music, Her struggles as a kid with divorced parents, one of whom is black and the other white, really resonated with me as the grandparent of a beloved grandson whose Black mom and white father are also not together.
Author Interview - Lynn Slaughter | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
2026: In seventh grade, I wrote a profile of my favorite sports writer, John Tunis. I actually wrote to his publisher and got a letter back from the author which was so thrilling! My teacher wrote on my paper, “The only thing this paper lacks is publication.” It occurred to me then that it would be very cool to become a published writer!
2021: I always loved to write, although I spent much of my career as a dancer and dance educator. I didn't try my hand at fiction until a hip replacement led to retirement from dance and it was time to invent a new dream. I do remember that in seventh grade, I wrote a paper on which my teacher wrote, 'The only thing this lacks is publication." I thought that sounded pretty cool!
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
2026: Hardback- love the smell of a new hardback and the size of the print.
Paperback- great for putting in your purse for travel.
Ebook- don’t read them. I don’t like reading on a screen and prefer the tactile feel of a book in my hands.
Audiobook- love them for car trips and even put them on when I’m supposed to be going to sleep!
2021: Paperback and ebook
The last book I read:
2026: HROWAWAY KIDS by Jeanette Pope. I really enjoyed it. It’s an inspiring take on what a dedicated school counselor can do to help hurting kids.
2021: Love, Jacaranda by Alex Flinn-- an updated version of Daddy Long legs- I loved the character, a musically gifted foster kid. She writes emails to her mysterious benefactor who's provided her with a scholarship to a boarding school to study musical theater. Loved the setting and loved the character's voice. Absolutely delightful!
Author Interview - Lynn Slaughter | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
2026: I mainly write on my computer, but when I’m in the planning and thinking stages, I often make notes with pen and paper. As for my writing process, after I get a starting idea for a novel’s premise, I spend lots of time on character development, and out of that comes numerous plot ideas.
2021: Computer mostly- occasionally pen and paper for brainstorming
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
2026: Probably the above mentioned Leah Siderova in the On Pointe Mystery Series (Murder in First Position, etc.) because we are both passionate about dance and I admire her feistiness, snarkiness, and perseverance both dance-wise and as an amateur sleuth.
2021: I loved Tessa, an aspiring writer, in Elise Bryant's HAPPILY EVER AFTERS- she loves writing romance and has all my insecurities as a writer! Of course, we're in very different generations!
Author Interview - Lynn Slaughter | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
2026: If I weren’t an author—well, I loved my first career as a dancer and dance educator. I think I would also have enjoyed being a therapist. I have a strong helping orientation and I’m a pretty good listener.
2021: Therapist and work with teens and families
Favorite decade in fashion history:
2026: I love the 1940s and all those old black-and-white movies!
2021: I love the 1930s-- must be all those all Fred Astaire movies I watched over and over as a kid!
Place I’d most like to travel:
2026: Hawaii. I’m a beach person, and I’ve heard so much about how beautiful it is there.
2021: Hawaii- I'm a beach person!
My signature drink:
2026: Coffee- lots and lots of coffee!
2021: Coffee during the day/a glass of white wine at night
Favorite artist:
2026: Chopin. I’m a music lover and love the Romantic period.
2021: Musically- love the American Songbook- Cole Porter, etc. And I adore Ella Fitzgerald as a singer.
Number one on my bucket list:
2026: Several readers have told me they think my novels would make great films, so I’ve been thinking that at some point, I’d like to learn how to write screenplays.
2021: Hug my grandchildren- haven't been able to do that for over a year!
Anything else you'd like to add:
2021: My characters tend to be about teens involved in the arts because that's the world I know and love, having taught at a performing arts school and served as a counselor at a summer residential program for teens gifted in the arts. They've always been my favorite age group to work with, so I guess it's not surprising that I was drawn to writing about them.
About Lynn Slaughter:
Lynn Slaughter is addicted to chocolate, the arts, and her husband’s cooking. Her family tree is peppered with musicians, and like Caitlin, she’s a huge jazz fan. Music has always made her want to move, and she ended up becoming a professional dancer and dance educator. When injury meant it was time to find a new dream, she earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University.
Her previous young adult novels include: Missing Mom, published by Fire & Ice/Melange Books, which is a CIBA, Agatha, and Imadjinn Award finalist and an Independent Press Award winner; Deadly Setup, published by Fire and Ice/Melange Books, which was a Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards silver medalist, a Chanticleer International Awards finalist, and an Imadjinn Award finalist; Leisha’s Song, also published by Fire and Ice/Melange Books and an Agatha nominee, Moonbeam bronze medalist, Imadjinn Award winner, and Silver Falchion Award winner; It Should Have Been You, a Silver Falchion finalist; and While I Danced, an EPIC finalist. The ridiculously proud mother of two sons and grandmother of five, she lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where she is at work on her next novel and is an active member and former president of Derby Rotten Scoundrels, her local Sisters in Crime chapter. She loves hearing from readers and hopes you’ll visit her website, https://lynnslaughter.com
