Why the two different names?

Long ago, in the distant mists of time, I started writing as my self — Kerry Schafer. My first published books were fantasy novels (the Between trilogy) followed by some paranormal weirdness called The Shadow Valley Manor Mysteries.

And then — my beloved agent, Deidre Knight, suggested that I might try writing Women’s Fiction. That sounded like a fun challenge so I gave it a whirl — and it turned out that my background as a mental health counselor and RN, along with some personal experience with grief and tragedy — provided an excellent mindset for writing psychological and family dramas. Part of the publishing contract for my very first women’s fiction novel was to write it under a pen name — and so Kerry Anne King was born. (A bit of trivia - my middle name really is Anne, and my grandmother’s maiden name was King)

Which brings us to all things kerry

I used to have two websites, one for each author brand, but that was a lot of work. I’m all about simplicity and easy whenever I can find it, so I decided to bring all of the books into one space. To help you keep it straight:

Kerry Schafer writes fantasy and mystery. Kerry Anne King writes family and psychological dramas and bookclub fiction. (She’s also the more successful of my two selves, and has made it onto the Washington Post and Amazon bestseller lists.)

What the two brands have in common

• Strong women, finding their way to the selves they didn’t know they could be

• Some sort of mystery element — because hey, I adore mystery (and I’m writing a new one right now!)

• A romantic subplot — I love romantic subplots, but am not so excited about romance as the main reason for a book

• Quirky characters — in my experience, real life people ARE quirky, and I see no reason why they shouldn’t be that way in books

• Humor — even my darkest tales are laced with humor. I’m that person that you’ll see laughing at a funeral, because no matter how sad and awful a moment might be, there’s almost always something funny.

• Hopeful or happy endings. I might try to make you cry in the middle of a book, but I want you to walk away feeling better for having spent the time with my characters.

• Magic. All of the Kerry Schafer books have magic — and I’ve not been able to resist weaving a bit of magical realism into most of the “real life” Kerry Anne King books.

• Small town settings in the Pacific Northwest. Hey, I’m a small town girl who considers “the middle of nowhere” the “middle of everywhere.”

Connecting with Me

I love hearing from readers, so feel free to drop me an email just to say hi, or tell me your thoughts on one of my books. Sign up for my newsletter to get a free Kerry Anne King short story, and a Kerry Schafer novella — plus you’ll get fun glimpses into my weird and wonderful world and be first to see all the book news.

Part of a book club? I’d love to join you via zoom or phone, and I have a super fun .pdf download for you with some suggested discussion questions and ideas for snacks and drinks. All book club scheduling is done via Novel Network. This is a free service that arranges a 30 minute online visit either by FaceTime, Skype, or phone. The visit is free and so is your membership. There is, however, a small fee for longer, one-hour online and/or in-person visits. Please click here to sign up for your Novel Network membership and to request an in-person or online visit to your book club!

Oh — and of course — check out my book pages to find out all about the books!

Wishing you a little bit of magic in your day,

Kerry