About Me
Many of my readers assume that Katy McKenna is me. Let’s just say she’s bits and pieces of me—woven into a younger, taller, slimmer package.
We both love dogs and cats, good wine, and fattening food. Katy is a pescatarian who believes ice cream is the staff of life. I’m a vegan who still misses real ice cream.
I live on California’s Central Coast, and so does Katy. I was a graphic artist, and so is she.
I find gardening therapeutic; Katy considers it drudgery. I love Pilates and yoga—Katy doesn’t get it.
My husband and I own Klondike Pizza in Arroyo Grande and Santa Maria. Katy’s favorite pizza just happens to be Klondike Pizza. What a coincidence.
Katy McKenna is divorced and searching for the perfect man. I’ve been happily married to Mike for over fifty years (I was ten when we married). We have two wonderful sons, two terrific daughters-in-law, and five brilliant grandkids.
Before my keeper-husband, Mike, I had a “practice marriage.” At nineteen, while playing guitar and singing on the streets of San Francisco, I joined a rock band—and at twenty, married the lead guitarist. Twenty is far too young to make lifetime decisions. Looking back, I realize I married the boy because I adored his parents.
I’ve been writing on and off for years. My first book—a young adult mystery—caught the attention of Bantam Books, but before I could submit another manuscript, my fourteen-year-old son Spencer became disabled and unable to attend school. My focus shifted entirely to getting him well.
At sixteen, Spencer had back surgery at UCLA. After rehab, he returned to golf and eventually competed in the U.S. Amateur in New York. By then, my opportunity with Bantam had passed.
A few years later, a friend in Hollywood asked if I’d ever considered writing a screenplay. I hadn’t—but I jumped in, taking screenwriting classes, attending workshops, and working with a UCLA Film School instructor who became my mentor. Hollywood is three and a half hours from my house, so I logged a lot of miles.
After learning the genre, I wrote a family comedy—but just as I was ready to submit it, my industry contact left Hollywood for a sabbatical and later landed in reality TV (yes, Housewives).
I eventually had the screenplay read at Fox and received encouraging feedback. Then came 2008 and the recession. Hollywood stalled—especially for spec writers. No movie. That’s the reality for most screenplays. Still, I gathered some great experiences I plan to weave into a future Murder Blog Mysteries book.
A few years later, my husband Mike was diagnosed with Stage Four throat cancer. It was a long, brutal battle—and during that time, I began writing again. That’s when The Murder Blog Mysteries were born. Mike survived, though he lost most of his sense of taste. He still loves sweets.
Life seems to throw us a curveball with every book. One of the toughest came when Mike needed a quadruple bypass—and the day after he came home, I had a heart attack. We became cardiac-rehab buddies. All of that happened while I was writing Was It Murder?
Then the pandemic hit while I was writing While She Slumbered. Being in the restaurant business during that time was brutal, and I’m still amazed we weathered the storm. We’re incredibly lucky to have wonderful crews, caring managers, and a phenomenal general manager, Tami, who came into our lives at exactly the right moment. That, however, is a story for another day.
These days, I endure Pilates (torture!) three mornings a week, practice yoga twice a week, handle Klondike Pizza business in the late mornings, take a lunch break, and then write. It took me far too long to get The Maiden Lane Murders out into the world. Clearly, I need thirty-hour days.
Now I’m working on the seventh book in the series. Fingers crossed everything stays calm
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Tami, a sweet rescued goose, and me.
One of the greatest rewards of being in the restaurant business is the chance to give back. Since 1988, Klondike Pizza has supported local elementary schools, youth sports teams, special education students, and animal rescues. A few years ago, we proudly added Greener Pastures Farm Sanctuary to that list. The rescued animals there are incredibly lucky to have landed on such a wonderful farm owned by a wonderful, and incredibly giving couple.
