Meet Erin Huss | USA Today Bestselling Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erin Huss and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erin, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I fell into the publishing world accidentally. It started when I took a job as an apartment manager when my husband was in dental school, thinking it would be an easy, flexible gig while my kids were little. I quickly learned that property management is anything but easy. People really let their guards down at home, and I got a front-row seat to all the chaos, comedy, and headaches that come with customer service (only inside people’s living rooms). I started a blog called The Apartment Manager’s Blog, where I shared anonymous stories from managers across the industry. That blog inspired my first book, For Rent (later retitled French Vanilla & Felonies), about a young apartment manager who finds herself at the center of all the drama. Since then, I’ve written over twenty novels in the cozy mystery genre.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Writing isn’t easy, especially when you’re balancing real life. I have five kids, so my days are a whirlwind of school drop-offs, pick-ups, and endless practices. Most of the time, you’ll find me writing in the car, jotting down notes in a notebook I keep with me at all times, or squeezing in words during school hours. It’s not glamorous, but it’s how my books get written.

This business is tough. Getting my first novel published was a long, tedious process full of rejections, rewrites, and, yes, plenty of tears. So when I finally got my first offer of publication and landed an agent, it felt like winning the lottery. I still hold on to that feeling every time I sit down to write.

I write fun, twisty mysteries with a dash of romance and a lot of humor, because if we’re going to dive into murder and mayhem, we might as well laugh along the way! My first series, The Cambria Clyne Mysteries, is about a single mom down on her luck who takes a job as an apartment manager in Los Angeles, hoping to turn her life around, only to find herself right in the middle of all the drama and, of course, all the felonies.

I also have a series (10+ books strong!) about a young woman who discovers she’s a medium and solves the murders of the ghosts who show up asking for help. It’s my lighthearted, slightly snarky twist on the spirit world, and it’s a blast to write. On top of that, I have a series about an evil witch out on probation, because being good is really hard when you’re, well… a witch.

I want people to know that my stories are for readers who love a good mystery but also want to laugh, escape, and feel like they’re spending time with a friend. If my books can bring someone a little joy and a lot of entertainment—whether they’re reading on their couch or sneaking pages in the school pick-up line, then I’m doing my job right.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend came to visit and we could sneak away from the family, we’d skip all the tourist traps and do exactly what we love most: relax and read. We’d hit The Last Bookstore downtown and wander the stacks, snap a million pictures. Then head to The Ripped Bodice in Culver City for all the romance reads. After that, we’d book a cozy little place in Malibu, grab food from Malibu Farm Market, and spend the rest of the time sitting on the sand, eating good food, and getting lost in our books. Heaven!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d have to thank my husband, Jed, who supports me through it all, and my kids—Natalie, Noah, Emma, Ryder, and Fisher—who keep life busy and full of stories. I’m also so grateful for my friend Katie Ledesma, who helped me when I was just starting out, and for my author friends who cheer me on every step of the way. Wendi Baker my editor, and Gemma Halliday my publisher.

Website: https://erinhuss.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_erinhuss/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erinhussauthor

Image Credits
I own the images