I’d like to welcome the amazing Carol Pouliot back to the blog and congratulate her on her 2026 Agatha nomination!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Deleting a paragraph/page/chapter that I worked on for days, when I realized that it had to go.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Getting lost in the book I'm currently writing.

Things you need for your writing sessions: My comfortable chair with special cushions for my back.

Things that hamper your writing: Stress.

The last thing you ordered online: All the books in Jennifer Ashley's Below Stairs Mysteries. I love them!!

The last thing you regret buying: A living room chair that has the perfect color combination. Sadly, I got sick of the pattern too quickly. I've been looking for a chair to replace it for the past two years.

Things you always put in your books: I always put some kind of reference to art in the books.

Things you never put in your books: I never put graphic sex or vulgar language in my novels.

Favorite places you’ve been: My current favorite place to go is England. I really love the villages and towns in Cornwall, Devon, and the Cotswolds. I've been about a dozen times and can't wait to go back.

Places you never want to go to again: I didn't care for Mexico and won't go back there.

Favorite books (or genre): I’m hooked on British mysteries. They're always my first choice, whether they take place in a contemporary setting or a Victorian one. I love getting lost in London as well as in the enchanting small town.

Books you wouldn’t buy: I always read the first few pages of a book before I buy it. If it's badly edited, I won't read or buy it.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: I moved to France by myself when I was 22. I had the name of the school where I supposedly had a job, but I didn't have an address, a place to live, or a plan. I didn’t care because I just wanted to go to France!! This was in 1973, so no cellphones or computers to help. I called my mother from the airport in New York right before I left. Thank goodness a letter had arrived with the address of my school. That was all I had when I took off.

Something you chickened out from doing: I was a gymnast from eighth grade until my junior year of college. At that time, the even parallel bars were available for girls and that was my equipment. I was practicing for a meet and chickened out of a very tricky, scary dismount.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: I was invited to speak at a book club shortly after Doorway to Murder, book one in my series, came out. After my talk, a woman raised her hand and said, "I've read a lot of time-travel books but this is the first one I ever read where I thought it could really happen.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: I was at a book festival, standing behind my table which was filled with copies of all of my books. Someone came up to the table and asked where my books were available for purchase. My answer was: “Right here, right now.”

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: Chapter one of book one, Doorway to Murder, actually happened to me and was the inspiration for the time travel part of my mystery series. I wrote the chapter exactly as it happened.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: Although I did give Olivia some of my interests and a couple things in my background, she's not me.

The first 8-track, record, cassette, or CD you ever bought: The first record I remember buying was an EP by Sam Cooke with the song "You Send Me" on it. We're talking vinyl here!

A type of music that’s not your cup of tea: I've never cared for folk music or the James Taylor style of music.

My favorite book as a child: I adored The Boxcar Children, by Gertrude Chandler Warner. I loved the way the kids furnished the railway car, and how brave and resilient they were.

A book I’ve read more than once: I always reread favorite books. I’ve reread all of Martha Grimes’s Richard Jury series, Ann Cleeves’s Vera and Jimmy Perez books, Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks novels, as well as all the Agatha Christie mysteries. I’m sure I will read them all again at some point.

About Carol:

Agatha-nominated author Carol Pouliot writes the acclaimed Blackwell and Watson Time-Travel Mysteries, traditional police procedurals with a time-travel twist and a seemingly impossible relationship between Depression-era cop Steven Blackwell and 21st-century journalist Olivia Watson. With their fast pace and unexpected twists and turns, the books are known for their attention to historical details, rich atmosphere, and multi-layered plots. Carol is the former President and Program Chair of her Sisters in Crime chapter, Co-Chair of Murderous March, and a founding member of Sleuths and Sidekicks. Carol teaches a workshop for beginning mystery writers titled What’s So Great About Agatha? She enjoys speaking to groups interested in reading and writing, and loves talking with book clubs. You can find her email address on the Contact page of her website. When not writing, Carol can be found packing her suitcase and reaching for her passport for her next travel adventure.

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