Kathleen is the author of the Brenna Wickham Haunted Mystery series, book one being "Siblings and Secrets," followed by book two, "Families and Felons." Set in Seattle, these are contemporary murder mysteries with a paranormal twist and a hint of romantic suspense.
Kathleen was born in a small town in southern Iowa from a long line of stubborn Swedes. Her maternal grandfather was the pastor of a small rural church built by Swedish immigrants. His congregants loved him because he could preach in Swedish “the way God intended.”
When Kathleen was five years old, the family moved to Seattle, a burgeoning city full of possibilities. They settled in a suburb just north of town where Kathleen grew up with her three siblings, eventually graduating from Shoreline High School and later, Shoreline Community College.
Kathleen met the love of her life in high school. They married and built a house on acreage in a quiet rural community in the Snoqualmie Valley, east of Seattle near the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Turns out you can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl. There, they raised three beautiful talented daughters, as well as a passel of animals, including cats, dogs, rabbits, goats, and horses. Her first dog was a pedigreed golden retriever which she trained and showed, collecting fistfuls of ribbons. She spent several years as a Girl Scout leader, then transitioned to 4-H where her daughters showed their dogs and horses at the fair. They even raised three golden retriever puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
She has had varied work experience, from insurance claims assistant to school bus driver, and even a stretch at Barnes and Noble as a book seller. She likes to sew quilts and make beaded jewelry. A true denizen of the Pacific Northwest, Kathleen loves deep blue water, tall green trees, and the Seattle Seahawks. On nice days, she can often be found with her husband on their boat cruising the San Juan Islands.
Always an avid lover of books, one of Kathleen’s favorite childhood memories is sitting on her father’s lap while he read Lassie Come-Home aloud. Another pivotal moment in her life was getting her very first library card in fourth grade. Since then, she has read nearly everything she could get her hands on, including every animal book ever written, followed by a wide range of classics, and eventually science fiction and fantasy.
She first whetted her writing skills on fanfic, and self-published three novellas through a fan-run forum dedicated to The Man From U.N.C.L.E. television series.
But it was the enduring works of the great Gothic romantic suspense novelists Daphne Du Maurier, Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, Barbara Mertz, and Phyllis A. Whitney that finally convinced her that those were the kinds of books she wanted to write. Smitten with mysteries, several plot ideas began to rattle around in her head, eventually materializing into the Brenna Wickham Haunted Mystery series.
Kathleen is the author of the Brenna Wickham Haunted Mystery series, book one being "Siblings and Secrets" followed by book two, "Families and Felons." Set in Seattle, these are contemporary murder mysteries with a paranormal twist and a hint of romantic suspense.
Kathleen was born in a small town in southern Iowa from a long line of stubborn Swedes. Her maternal grandfather was the pastor of a small rural church built by Swedish immigrants. His congregants loved him because he could preach in Swedish “the way God intended.”
When Kathleen was five years old, the family moved to Seattle, a burgeoning city full of possibilities. They settled in a suburb just north of town where Kathleen grew up with her three siblings, eventually graduating from Shoreline High School and later, Shoreline Community College.
Kathleen met the love of her life in high school. They married and built a house on acreage in a quiet rural community in the Snoqualmie Valley, east of Seattle near the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Turns out you can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl. There, they raised three beautiful talented daughters, as well as a passel of animals, including cats, dogs, rabbits, goats, and horses. Her first dog was a pedigreed golden retriever which she trained and showed, collecting fistfuls of ribbons. She spent several years as a Girl Scout leader, then transitioned to 4-H where her daughters showed their dogs and horses at the fair. They even raised three golden retriever puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
She has had varied work experience, from insurance claims assistant to school bus driver, and even a stretch at Barnes and Noble as a book seller. She likes to sew quilts and make beaded jewelry. A true denizen of the Pacific Northwest, Kathleen loves deep blue water, tall green trees, and the Seattle Seahawks. On nice days, she can often be found with her husband on their boat cruising the San Juan Islands.
Always an avid lover of books, one of Kathleen’s favorite childhood memories is sitting on her father’s lap while he read Lassie Come-Home aloud. Another pivotal moment in her life was getting her very first library card in fourth grade. Since then, she has read nearly everything she could get her hands on, including every animal book ever written, followed by a wide range of classics, and eventually science fiction and fantasy.
She first whetted her writing skills on fanfic, and self-published three novellas through a fan-run forum dedicated to The Man From U.N.C.L.E. television series.
But it was the enduring works of the great Gothic romantic suspense novelists Daphne Du Maurier, Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, Barbara Mertz, and Phyllis A. Whitney that finally convinced her that those were the kinds of books she wanted to write. Smitten with mysteries, several plot ideas began to rattle around in her head, eventually materializing into the Brenna Wickham Haunted Mystery series.
