Award-winning author Kierstin Marquet graduated Cum Laude from Weber State University with a bachelor of science in criminal justice and a minor in psychology. She worked in law enforcement but eventually left crime fighting to her husband, a federal law enforcement agent, when they started a family. They have two fantastic kids ready to strike out on their own and three furry toddlers they’re trying to keep at home: a massive, lop-eared German shepherd, his smaller but smarter mom, and Loki, the cat, who lives in the basement, lording over his domain.

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When Kierstin is not hovering over the keyboard trying to work or fall asleep (sometimes it’s hard to tell which), she is spending time with her family. She enjoys target shooting, Nerf gun or laser tag battles with her family, hiking, camping, traveling, practicing sign language, and conducting book research. That’s right, research! (Her husband says there’s probably a medication for that.) She also likes editing—weird but true. She’s addicted to making her work stronger and admits she’s a comma catastrophe looking to happen.

Stories in her Mason Family Mysteries Series were inspired by experiences growing up as a deputy sheriff’s daughter, such as getting pulled over with lights (thankfully, no siren) in the church parking lot and going to crime scenes in her nightgown. Kierstin admits she was too young to understand why she got to sleep in the back of the state’s first mobile crime lab while her dad processed crime scenes, but a love of sleuthing was born through those interactions with him.

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Her favorite type of stories are clean, but twisty and keep you on the edge-of-your seat with suspense/mysteries, action/adventure, and must possess a touch of romance (hold the sap). Also essential is a happy ever after ending because real life is dark enough.

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Her favorite genres are unsurprisingly: suspense/mystery—some thrillers, fantasy/sci-fi, dystopian, action/adventure and YA in those genres. She’s a romantic at heart and enjoys stories where the heroes and heroines find their soulmate as part of that HEA ending.

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Kierstin won 1st place in the suspense category at the LDStorymaker’s First Chapter Contest and then Soul Mate Publishing offered a contract on her debut novel, Three Reluctant Promises. SMP also snatched up the sequel, Three Stupid Lies sight-unseen.

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She went on to retrieve her rights to those books, switch their genres from romantic suspense to mystery/suspense, and struck out on the independent author trail.