That made it tricky to switch to a different genre and a new cast of characters. I felt like I knew them like I knew a good friend. So I spent 7 years with the same characters. I was working on the third one when my publisher closed in 2018. Even though the Detective by Day series only had two books, I started the first one in 2011. KG: For me, it goes back to writing a series. But since we’re writers, we spend more time on the hard than the fun and easy…what were some of the challenges for you with the book? I think that’s what I got the most from – the realization that readers outside of my network were picking this up, like the book had a life of its own. I went in with some hopes – but the end result really exceeded my wildest dreams, in terms of people reading and responding to the work. Like I’d been working toward it for years, and I was now on a bigger stage and able to show a bigger audience how I’d sharpened my skills. It really did feel like LIKE A SISTER and SECRET IDENTITY were riding along together, and I was really grateful for that, because we could lean on each other during a rollercoaster journey! I’m sure you could relate to this, too, but going from the Pete books to writing something like SECRET IDENTITY felt very much like a leveling up. How was release day for you after spending so much time with the Pete Fernandez series?ĪS: That’s a great point.

You and I have so many similarities with our releases where we both went from series at smaller publishers to standalones with bigger ones. So, in that way it exceeded my expectations. I remembered some things – like the excitement and anticipation – and forgot others – like how nice it is to have so many people excited to finally read your book. There was a four year gap between when my last book was published and when LIKE A SISTER came out, so in a way it felt like a debut all over again for me. KELLYE GARRETT: Hi Alex! So excited to chat with you. I have to ask – how did it all measure up to what you expected? Or hoped for?

Award nominations (an Edgar and a Lefty…so far!), great reviews, Book of the Month, and lots of reader praise and attention. It felt too perfect to pass up, you know? Anyway, let’s cut to the chase – I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say it’s been an amazing year for you and LIKE A SISTER. ALEX SEGURA: Hi Kellye! I’m so happy you agreed to do this.

Kellye garrett books in order