Publishing World Wisdom from Saralyn Richard

Welcome to the March 2022 Author Series where a published author shares what they wish they’d known before they published their first book and what they’d go back and tell their pre-published self.  

Saralyn Richard’s award-winning humor- and romance-tinged mysteries and children's book pull back the curtain on people in settings as diverse as elite country manor houses and disadvantaged urban high schools. Saralyn’s most recent release is Bad Blood Sisters. A member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America, Saralyn teaches creative writing and literature at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and continues to write mysteries. Her favorite thing about being an author is interacting with readers like you. Visit Saralyn on her website, on her Amazon page, or on Facebook.

If I could go back and talk to my pre-published self, what advice would I give?

I’ve been a wannabe writer for as long as I can remember. My high school English teachers nurtured my craft and forced me to enter writing contests, so I had a glorious start, followed by several decades during which I worked as a teacher, administrator, and school improvement consultant, having no time to write. The flame still burned inside me, but only on pilot. I finally published my first book, Naughty Nana, in 2013, and I’ve been on fire ever since. The advice I would give my frustrated, impatient, pre-pubbed self would be this:

When a writer is experiencing life, observing people, and collecting stories, that is writing. The time will come when you’ll be able to commit those experiences to the page. You’ll write, you’ll publish, and you’ll share the writer’s journey with many remarkable readers. And the wait will be worth it!

What do I wish I had known before publishing my first book? 

Having taught creative writing for many years, I came to writing and publishing with a wealth of knowledge and experience, so there haven’t been many surprises in my publishing journey. Still, I’ve learned a few valuable lessons along the way, not the least of which is that the publishing industry is constantly changing, and authors need to adapt, pivot, rebound, and recover, using the same creative wellspring that generates our stories.

Learn more about Saralyn's wonderful books below:

Quinn McFarland has grown up around dead bodies…

Quinn’s always joked about death, but this summer, death stops being funny. For one thing, her brother finally undergoes transplant surgery. For another, Quinn’s estranged BFF, her “blood sister,” is brought into the family mortuary, a victim of violence. Quinn’s haunted by the past, her friendship gone awry, and the blood oath she’s sworn to keep secret. Quinn is the only one who knows enough to bring the killer to justice, but what she’s buried puts her in extreme danger.

Fans of Lisa Jewell, Shari Lapena, and “Six Feet Under” will stay up late reading BAD BLOOD SISTERS. (Available March 9, 2022 - Order HERE.)

When someone sets fire to Lincoln High and kills the new principal, chaos threatens to overtake the urban school. Assistant Principal Sally Pearce, hired to help the deceased principal revamp the culture, vows to carry on the mission. In so doing, she locks horns with her fellow assistant principal and gets caught up in gang threats, racial tensions, grievances, sexual harassment complaints, and murder.

Sally never dreamed she’d be faced with solving a mystery and returning the school to order. The odds are against her—a woman in a man’s job, a minority in a tough position. Her strong moral compass and commitment to students bolster her as she meets challenge after challenge. When a second murder happens on campus, Sally realizes she’s trapped in a cycle of violence that must be stopped--now. (Buy A Murder of Principal HERE.) 

The Detective Parrott Mystery Series

Set in the lush, elite Brandywine Valley equestrian and artist communities of Pennsylvania, these mysteries pull back the curtain on income inequality and class differences, even as they offer fun and challenging intellectual and emotional puzzles for the reader to solve. Outsider, Detective Parrott, is undaunted by the rich and powerful residents and suspects, and his determination to find the truth takes readers through twists and turns, guaranteed to surprise. 

These books are being re-branded and will be re-released soon. The third Detective Parrott mystery will be published in August 2022.

Nana, the sheepdog pup who “just wants to have fun,” narrates this delightful children’s picture book. Sensitively written and vibrantly illustrated by Rebecca Evans, NAUGHTY NANA has become a classic for youngsters to learn the importance of being nice. The book comes personally inscribed, autographed, and pawtographed, when purchased new from http://palmcirclepress.com on the bookstore page.