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J.C. Keough

Goodreads Author

Born

in Texas, The United States

Website

http://jckeough.com

Twitter

jckeough

Genre

Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery

Influences

Stephen King, Elizabeth Peters, Charlaine Harris, Gail Carriger, Nora ...more

Member Since

November 2019

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/jckeough

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J.C. Keough is the creator of The Laramie Harper Chronicles and the Cheese Louise Cozy Mystery series. Dying in Dallas and The Blood Will Tell, the first two books in the Laramie Harper Chronicles are available in ebook and paperback. Cheese Louise will be released spring 2022. It combines honey, cheese, a cat, and a psychic whose gift is on the fritz.

Jamie is a born and bred Texan who, at her husband’s insistence, pulled up stakes and moved lock, stock, and dogs to Ireland.

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Popular Answered Questions

Have you always been a writer? If not, when did you start?

J.C. Keough No, I’m not one of those authors you read about who has always written. But I’ve always been a reader and, like most readers, always thought, “I could…moreNo, I’m not one of those authors you read about who has always written. But I’ve always been a reader and, like most readers, always thought, “I could do that.”

In my twenties, I dabbled in poetry. Very cringeworthy poetry. Around that time, I also made several false starts on writing novels. I quickly realized that I didn’t know how to keep going past the first few pages. I’m going to age myself here and say that this was before the Internet really took off. Which means I had to go to a bookstore and buy several how to write books. Unfortunately, they were drier than century old bones. I’ve never been big on forcing myself to muddle through misery, so I didn’t finish any of them.

Life and my career got in the way, but I always thought “someday.” Then, one day I read an interview with one of my favorite authors, Mary Higgins Clark. She said, and I’m paraphrasing here, that if you are a writer, you write. You’ll write any time you get a chance. If you say, “someday I’ll write,” you’ll never write. Since I didn’t personally know any authors, I took her words as gospel and packed away my author dreams with my drier than the Sahara writing books.

Despite believing that I wasn’t a writer, I jotted down random story ideas for the next couple of decades that would keep me awake at night. I even had a sports blog for a while because I convinced myself that it would be easier to write a novel if I could get into the writing habit. Still, I couldn’t start a novel or even a short story. I almost even quit whispering “someday” to myself.

After I retired, I had a magical moment. A total stranger told me I should be an author and write mystery novels. It was exactly what I’d always wanted to do but had been too scared even to articulate it to anyone else. Because I’m not a writer, right? Mary Higgins Clark said so. But someone had given me permission, so I started thinking “now” instead of “someday.” Still, something (Y’all, it was totally Mary Higgins Clark) was holding me back, and I couldn’t sit down and start. Then I read a book that had very little to do with writing, but there was an entire chapter about creative people who love what they do but still have to use all types of tactics to make themselves actually do it. Around the same time, I read Gretchen Rubin’s book, The Four Tendencies, which I highly recommend. And finally, I realized that people have different motivators. That freed me from the “I’m not a writer” mindset. A few months later, in November of 2016, I started the book that would become Dying in Dallas, and I’ve never looked back.
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Can you tell us a two-sentence horror story?

J.C. Keough The doorbell rang. My guests were early.
…moreThe doorbell rang. My guests were early.
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J.C. Keough’s books

Average rating: 4.17 · 66 ratings · 26 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	Dying in Dallas (Laramie Harper Chronicles #1) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 23 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cheese Louise 4.33 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2022 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dinner with the Delaneys 4.13 avg rating — 15 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Blood Will Tell (The Laramie Harper Chronicles, #2) 4.50 avg rating — 8 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dying in Dallas 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cheese Louise: Cheese Louise Cozy Mystery Book One by J.C. Keough (Goodreads Author), Virtual Voice (Narrator) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Blood Will Tell: A Laramie Harper Halloween Novella by J.C. Keough (Goodreads Author), Virtual Voice (Narrator) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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J.C. Keough's Blog

Five Reasons Sunny Days and Cozy Mysteries are the Perfect Pairing

Hey Y’all!

Greetings from Texas! It’s one of those beautiful days that makes you want to grab a book, pour a glass of wine, and soak up the sunshine. But as much as I’d love to be outdoors, I couldn’t resist taking a moment to share why cozy mysteries are the ultimate companion for a sunny day.

1. Sunshine Calls for Escapism
There’s nothing better than letting your mind wander to a charming, mysterio

Series by J.C. Keough

Laramie Harper Chronicles (1 book)
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J.C. Keough (Goodreads Author)

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 23 ratings

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In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)

by Tana French (Goodreads Author)

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Jan 11, 2024 01:33PM

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Murder at the Festival (Read Between the Wines Cozy Mystery #1)

by Dani Simms (Goodreads Author)

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Jan 08, 2024 06:26AM

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Death on the Dunes (Seaglass Shores Cozy Mystery, #1)

by Claire Harlow (Goodreads Author)

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Jan 08, 2024 06:13AM

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J.C. Keough wrote a new blog post Five Reasons Sunny Days and Cozy Mysteries are the Perfect Pairing Hey Y’all!Greetings from Texas! It’s one of those beautiful days that makes you want to grab a book, pour a glass of wine, and soak up the sunshine. B Read more of this blog post »
Jan 20, 2025 05:42AM · like