Mysteries

Guest Post: Laura Jensen Walker

We are delighted to have author Laura Jensen Walker visit us on Chicks today . . . please join us in giving her a warm welcome!

Confessions of a Genre Butterfly

Thanks for having me. It’s always fun to be back with the Chicks!

Recently, a writer friend called me a “genre butterfly because I flit from one genre to the next. That flitting has resulted in four books coming out in 2026. Yes, four—a first for me—and all in different genres. Another first.

My latest cozy mystery, The Alphabet Sleuths, released in February. My WWII historical, The Postmistress of Puddlington which I wrote in 2020 during lockdown when I longed to escape to England and which my publisher calls “a must-read for fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,” (words that made me weep since Guernsey is one of my favorite books) came out in early August.

The Pilgrimage of Primrose Honeychurch (Oct. 2026) my book club fiction debut is now available for preorder. I wrote Primrose after discovering in my mid-sixties that I’m neurodivergent. Suddenly, everything made sense. And thus, my solitary seventy-year-old odd-duck curmudgeon with sensory issues was born.

My final book of 2026 is Comfort for Those Who Grieve (Nov. 2026) a non-fiction gift book I wrote after losing several people I love in a short period of time.

Here’s the thing: I’m a planner at heart, but I did not plan my writing career. I never set out to write humorous non-fiction (my first books published a few decades ago) they just came out organically. I didn’t plan to write chick-lit either and although I love reading mysteries, I never planned to write one. Mysteries are all about plot and I am not a plotter.

I also never set out to write historical fiction—the research required seemed daunting. Turns out I love research. I certainly did not plan to write “women’s fiction” (now called Book Club fiction.) That was the province of authors like Kristin Hannah, Elizabeth Berg, and Jodi Picoult. But when the muse speaks, I listen. And the muse spoke loudly to me about Primrose who grabbed hold of me with both hands and wouldn’t let me go.

Do you flit from one genre to the next in your reading/writing? What’s your preferred genre to read? Answer for a chance to win an ARC of The Pilgrimage of Primrose Honeychurch.

BIO:

Author Laura Jensen Walker

Genre butterfly Laura Jensen Walker is the award-winning author of 25-plus books, including the Agatha-nominated Murder Most Sweet, the Lefty-nominated Death of a Flying Nightingale, and The Pilgrimage of Primrose Honeychurch (out Oct. 2024.)

Laura lives in Northern California where she drinks tea and dreams of England.

37 thoughts on “Guest Post: Laura Jensen Walker”

  1. I do flit from one genre to another. I read cozies, traditional mysteries, thrillers, and non fiction. My preferred genre is cozy mystery. Congratulations on your releases this year! That is quite a feat.

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  2. My goodness, Laura, that is quite an accomplishment, four books (in different genres) in one year! It makes me exhausted simply thinking about it.

    So far, I’ve written in the cozy/traditional mystery genre, as well as my memoir about cooking dinner for RBG. And who knows? I may write in yet another genre, someday. Never say never, right? And I definitely read in a variety of genres besides crime fiction, including sci-fi, literary fiction, and what’s now called book club fiction.

    Thanks so much for visiting the Chicks today, dear Laura, and congratulations! I’m especially excited to read The Postmistress of Puddlington.

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    1. Thanks, Leslie. I actually wrote THE POSTMISTRESS OF PUDDLINGTON six years ago in the early days of lockdown, and THE ALPHABET SLEUTHS a few years later, it was just serendipitous they both came out this year. Then I wrote THE PILGRIMAGE OF PRIMROSE HONEYCHURCH two years ago, and the grief book last year, never expecting they’d all come out in 2026. That was the publishers’ call. But I’m grateful they did. I hope you like Puddlington–I’m delighted by the lovely reception it’s been getting here and in the UK.

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  3. I love the term genre butterfly! Describes me perfectly. My favorite is mysteries of all types, but I also read historical fiction, thrillers, literary fiction, book club fiction and many more.
    Congratulations on your latest release and kudos on 4 new books out in a year!

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    1. Thanks! I love the term too. My writing pal and favorite Scot Catriona McPherson is actually the one who dubbed me that. Thank you, Catriona!

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    1. Thanks Liz. I flit around in my reading as well, but confess horror and sci-fi are not my jam. I also can’t read crime fiction that’s too dark and disturbing.

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  5. Congrats, Laura! Wow, four books!!

    I read a little bit of everything except horror. For writing, I usually have mystery elements or secrets but have dabbled with fantasy, science fiction, young adult, and a touch of romance…

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    1. Thanks, Dru! I know mysteries are your favorite, so I appreciate your having me on Dru’s Book Musings for my historical, The Postmistress of Puddlington, and also my upcoming The Pilgrimage of Primrose Honeychurch–thank you!

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    1. Thanks for commenting, Deborah. Have you ever read any Jenny Colgan books? She’s a Scottish author and I think her books are categorized mostly as romance, but they always feature a woman starting afresh after a failed job or relationship and building a new life, usually in gorgeous Scotland or Cornwall. She’s my favorite comfort read.

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  10. Laura provided me with an ARC of The Pilgrimage of Primrose Honeychurch and I loved it! I highly suggest everyone preorder a copy of this charming book. Laura is truly a gifted storyteller. 🙂

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  11. Thank you for your kind words, Karen. I’m so glad you loved my women’s fiction debut about my neurodivergent senior (loosely–very loosely–based on me 🙂 Writing in a new genre is always scary at the start, so it’s a huge relief when people love it.

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  12. Huge congratulations, Laura! This is definitely a bountiful year for you. LOL! Best wishes for continued success. And thank you so very much for stopping by to share your exciting news with us.

    Like you, I’m a bit of a genre butterfly. I’m so glad Catriona McPherson gave us that term. It’s so much nicer than “confused.” LOL!

    I also love reading in a variety of fiction and nonfiction genres.

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    1. Thanks, Susan! And even sixty-plus 🙂 Since I’m so technologically impaired I realized a few years ago I couldn’t write contemporary stories featuring women under forty and keep up with all the apps and modern technology they use. I decided if I write younger characters again, it will be historical fiction before the Internet and email 🙂 (Something I’m doing at the moment, actually.)

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  14. Congrats on all the books this year. I tend to stick to mysteries, but I do enjoy it when I venture outside the genre. (No need to enter me in the giveaway.)

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  15. I flit between writing careers – plays, journalism, tv, books – but I’m pretty true to one genre. I have written a stand-alone suspense with historical elements. But I don’t think I’ll be writing another one. Not enough humor for me!

    Congrats on all the releases, Laura! It was great seeing you in Granite Bay.

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    1. Thanks, Ellen. You are the humor queen. (You and Catriona 🙂 So nice to see you again at Old Haunts in Granite Bay.

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  16. Laura, huge congrats on publishing (and promo-ing) FOUR books this year–amazing! You are an inspiration. So far, I have stuck close to cozy mysteries writing-wise, but I do often add elements from other genres. Lately I have been particularly enjoying rom-coms as a reader, but I am always up for all mystery genres, non-fic, and book club fic as well! (They often include historical elements, too.)

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    1. Thanks, Lisa. I’m delighted to have all these books release this year (especially considering 3 of them were rejected multiple times by agents I queried over a two-year period.) Querying is not something I ever want to do again. Thankfully, I now have a fabulous agent I adore.

      Have you ever read any Jenny Colgan? As I said above, she’s my go-to comfort read and writes wonderful contemporary romances set in gorgeous places in the UK–often Cornwall or Scotland. Makes me want to move there and run a bookshop.

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  17. I’d forgotten the Jenny Colgan books I’ve read and loved, Laura! I’m a reader only and enjoy cozy mysteries, sweet/clean romance, biographies, police procedurals (Who else devoured John Creasey’s Cdr. Gideon series?), wacky humor a la P. G. Wodehouse, upper grade juvenile novels (some for the younger set, too – any Gordon Korman fans here?)…

    Thanks for running the giveaway.

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