What is the title of your latest release?
THE KEY TO A KILLER
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I love the vibe of Boston. On one hand, it’s a modern metropolitan city but on the other, it’s rich with history and old buildings. It’s the perfect place to set a contemporary ghost story.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Ruby’s so sweet but I don’t know that we have much in common. Cordelia, on the other hand, is a lot more like me but with her being dead, it might be difficult to hang out with her. Either that, or I already do hang out with her but I don’t realize it because she’s a ghost.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Ruby’s kind. Compassionate. Naive. Cordelia is snarky. Wounded. Protective.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned that ghost tours are mostly a lot of walking and learning about the history of a city, and they’d be a lot more interesting if an actual ghost tagged along with you.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I write first and edit later. As I write, I leave myself a ton of comments and notes or highlight sections I think need more work or research. That especially comes in handy when you’re writing a series and you don’t want to break the flow by going back and cross referencing something from a previous book.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
My favorite fluctuates depending on my mood, but often what I’m craving seeps into the story. For example, I was really in the mood for cookies but we didn’t have any in the house and I didn’t feel like baking, and then somehow, cookies showed up in the scene I was writing when Penny the reporter snagged a box of Ruby’s cookies and started offering them to people to get them to open up to them.
Describe your writing space/office!
I’m lucky enough to have a dedicated room to write in, with a door I can close when I need to reduce distractions. Then, of course, I realize that I need distractions, so I fill the space up with plants, old typewriters, and toys like little ghost figurines and LEGO sets.
Who is an author you admire?
I seriously can’t pick just one! I’m an author but also, I’m an avid reader and I totally fangirl when I’m around other authors.
Is there a book that changed your life?
KILLER CONTENT, my first published novel. Putting a book out in the world is a surreal experience, and writing about Brooklyn from Odessa’s point of view was such a joy.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
The pitch for what would become A NEW LEASE ON DEATH got sent to an editor and, knowing that it can take months (or even years) to sell a book, I ended up taking a mostly off-grid vacation while I was on submission. My wonderful agent actually apologized for interrupting my vacation with the amazing news that the Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries had found a home with Minotaur. Best vacation ever!
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I read widely (my last two reads were time travel and horror), but I generally read mystery/thriller the most.
What’s your favorite movie?
It’s hard to pick a single favorite movie, but a line from Heathers did inspire an inside joke that made it into THE KEY TO A KILLER.
What is your favorite season?
I love fall! Halloween is my favorite holiday, and the weather is perfect, especially after a long, hot summer.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I give myself permission to do whatever I want to do, even if it’s not the responsible or adult thing to do. I take off from work and sleep in instead. I have margaritas at lunch and chocolate cake for dinner. And if possible, I stop by a local bookstore and treat myself to a new book (or three).
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
A recent movie that took me by surprise was Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die. It was nothing like I expected, and it was so well cast and written that this totally nonsensical plot made perfect sense.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I’m a vegetarian, so I’m a big fan of any place that can make a good vegetarian-friendly meal.
What do you do when you have free time?
I read a lot. I enjoy puzzles and games: jig saw, LEGO, DnD. I’m not a big outdoorsy person, but I do love to kayak and scuba dive. And pretty much any time I can spend with my dog (a completely spoiled puggle named Baileycakes) is a great!
What can readers expect from you next?
Right now, I’m focused on enjoying the launch of THE KEY TO A KILLER. I’ve got a couple of short stories coming out soon and a new (top secret) project in the works, so keep an eye on my socials for more information about upcoming books and appearances.
The Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries #3
A woman and her ghost roommate investigate their most personal case yet in Olivia Blacke’s The Key to a Killer, the next book in the Anthony Award winning Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries.
When Ruby Young discovered that her Boston apartment was haunted, she did what any reasonable person would do: befriend the ghost. Their relationship overcame a shaky start—Cordelia Graves never wanted a roommate in life, she certainly didn’t want one in death. After working together to solve a few murders, the two are close friends, but there’s a lingering question neither of them have been able to answer: what led to Cordelia’s death?
Lately things have been adding up that suggest foul play. And when Cordelia’s memories of that day start to come back, the roommates can’t ignore it anymore: Cordelia was murdered. Ruby and Cordelia are going to have to piece together what Cordelia’s final days looked like—otherwise a killer could go free.
Read Less
Mystery Amateur Sleuth | Mystery Paranormal [ Minotaur Books, On Sale: October 20, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9781250336736 / eISBN: 9781250336743 ]
OLIVIA BLACKE (she/her), author of the Record Shop Mysteries, beginning with Vinyl Resting Place, and the Brooklyn Murder Mysteries, finally found a way to put her Criminology degree to good use by writing quirky, unconventional, character-driven cozy mysteries. Olivia is a little nerdy, a lot awkward, and just the right amount of weird. She is a recovering ex-Texan who resides with her husband, Potassium, and Baileycakes, their roly-poly rescue puggle. When not writing, reading, or spending way too much time on social media, Olivia enjoys Amigurumi crochet, scuba diving, collecting tattoos, watching hockey, and baking dog cookies. She wants to be a unicorn when she grows up.
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