Kathy Lynn Emerson is a prolific American author who has written over sixty traditionally published works of fiction and non-fiction under various pseudonyms. She is perhaps best known for her historical mystery and romance novels, which she writes as Kathy Lynn Emerson, as well as her cozy mystery novels, which she publishes under the name Kaitlyn Dunnett. Emerson has also written historical fiction under the name Kate Emerson and contemporary and time-travel romance as Kaitlyn Gorton.
Emerson's love for writing began at a young age, and she has been honing her craft ever since. As a child, she wrote a newspaper for her dolls and then went on to create a rambling adventure series featuring characters from her favorite television shows. This early interest in storytelling would eventually lead her to pursue a career as a professional writer.
Emerson was born in rural Liberty, New York, and spent most of her childhood there. She later attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, where she met her future husband during her very first week on campus. After finishing college and her husband's service in the U.S. Navy, they returned to Maine and settled there. During the intervening years, Emerson earned her master's degree at Old Dominion University and taught for a time at Tidewater Community College in Virginia. She now lives in Wilton, Maine, with her husband and three beloved cats, where they run a Christmas Tree Farm.
Emerson has won numerous awards for her writing, including an Agatha Award for mystery nonfiction for her book How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries. In 2023, she received the Lea Wait Award for "excellence and achievement." Her work has been praised for its historical accuracy, engaging characters, and compelling plots. Despite her many accolades, Emerson remains a humble and dedicated writer, always striving to improve her craft and tell compelling stories.
Susanna, Lady Appleton Books
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Face Down in the Marrow-Bone Pie
1997
2
Face Down Upon an Herbal
1998
3
Face Down Among the Winchester Geese
1999
4
Face Down Beneath the Eleanor Cross
2000
5
Face Down Under the Wych Elm
2000
6
Face Down Before Rebel Hooves
2001
7
Face Down Across the Western Sea
2002
8
Murders and Other Confusions
2004
9
Face Down Below the Banqueting House
2005
10
Face Down Beside St. Anne's Well
2006
11
Face Down O'er the Border
2007
Treasured Tales Books
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Love Thy Neighbor
1997
2
Your Wish is My Command
1998
Diana Spaulding Books
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Deadlier than the Pen
2004
2
Fatal as a Fallen Woman
2005
3
No Mortal Reason
2007
4
Lethal Legend
2008
Liss MacCrimmon Mysteries Books
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Kilt Dead
2007
2
Scone Cold Dead
2008
3
A Wee Christmas Homicide
2009
4
The Corpse Wore Tartan
2010
5
Scotched
2011
6
Bagpipes, Brides and Homicides
2012
7
Vampires, Bones and Treacle Scones
2013
8
Ho-Ho-Homicide
2014
9
The Scottie Barked At Midnight
2015
10
Kilt at the Highland Games
2017
11
X Marks the Scot
2017
12
Overkilt
2018
13
A View to a Kilt
2020
Secrets of the Tudor Court Books (as Kate Emerson)
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Pleasure Palace
2009
2
Between Two Queens
2009
3
By Royal Decree
2010
4
At the King's Pleasure
2011
5
The King's Damsel
2012
6
Royal Inheritance
2013
Mistress Jaffrey Books
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Murder in the Queen's Wardrobe
2015
2
Murder in the Merchant's Hall
2015
3
Murder in a Cornish Alehouse
2017
Deadly Edits Books (as Kaitlyn Dunnett)
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Crime & Punctuation
2018
2
Clause & Effect
2019
3
A Fatal Fiction
2020
4
Murder, She Edited
2021
Standalone Novels
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Mystery of Hilliard's Castle
1985
2
Julia's Mending
1987
3
Cloud Castles
1989
4
The Mystery of the Missing Bagpipes
1991
5
Winter Tapestry
1991
6
Echoes and Illusions
1993
7
Firebrand
1993
8
Unquiet Hearts
1994
9
The Green Rose
1994
10
Hearth, Home and Hope / The Rapunzel Trap
1995
11
Sleepwalking Beauty
1997
12
Relative Strangers
1997
13
Separated Sisters / Family Lies
1997
14
Sight Unseen / E-Mail Order Bride
1998
15
Tried and True
1998
16
That Special Smile
1998
17
Someday
2001
Short Stories/Novellas
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Blessing Witch
2014
Short Story Collections
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Different Times, Different Crimes
2017
2
The Valentine Veilleux Mysteries
2021
Non-Fiction Books
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Wives and Daughters: The Women of Sixteenth Century England
1984
2
Making Headlines: A Biography of Nellie Bly
1984
3
The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in Renaissance England
1996
4
How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries: The Art and Adventure of Sleuthing Through the Past