In Conversation with Annie ShawWhat do you do?I write character-led mystery novels set in small communities. I write under a couple of pen names and keep my genres separate, so readers always know what to expect. I’m interested in people as much as puzzles, how they behave, how they interact, and what they reveal without meaning to. I like reading between the lines, although sometimes I probably read too much into things. I do have an overactive imagination, but that’s not a bad thing for a writer.Where do you get your ideas?I usually start with the character, often inspired by someone I might have noticed at the grocery store. I’ll wonder what their life is like, then imagine their worst nightmare and drop them straight into it.For my Corner Bookshop series, for example, the main character, Ellie, has spent years working in a windowless office in a library archive, dealing only with old books. She’s not used to people, so her biggest challenge is being thrown into a situation where she has to interact with a constant stream of them. I like characters who have to overcome something over the course of a series and grow. Like the rest of us, they all have their challenges.Are you a people-watcher?Very much so. I notice how people sit, how they move their hands, and how they react when they’re uncomfortable. Those small details often find their way into my characters.Where do you write?
Often outside the house. I like cafés and restaurants, especially places near the water. Being slightly removed from my own space helps me observe better and I’m not distracted by household chores.Do you write from personal experience?
Not directly. I’m more interested in how people behave when their routines are disrupted, or when they’re forced to see themselves differently. Writing lets me explore those moments and imagine who I might be in a different life, in a different place.What themes do you return to?
Belonging, second chances, and the idea that people are rarely just one thing. Most of us are collections of contradictions, and that’s where stories become interesting.What’s your background?
I live by the beach. I’m a wife, a mother, and a grandmother, and I returned to education later in life. These days, I split my time between writing, traveling, spending time with family, and meeting other writers, both online and in person.What do you enjoy when you’re not writing?
Cooking and baking for my family, traveling, and sitting somewhere with a good view and plenty of passing human behavior. I don’t have pets, but I do have a lot of plants.What kind of reading experience do you hope to give readers?
I want readers to feel curious, to get to know the characters and want to stay with them. If they finish a book feeling they understand what it might be like to live as someone else, then I’ve done my job. Above all, I hope they feel entertained. Writing is my way of making someone else’s day a little more enjoyable.

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[email protected]Last updated: May 2026Contact: [email protected]