What is the title of your latest release?
DEATH AT THE DOOR
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
When death knocks, they answer. The odd couple of crime-solving from Anthony Award-winning A NEW LEASE ON DEATH returns in DEATH AT THE DOOR, where a ghost and her living roommate find another supernatural mystery on their doorstep and must navigate the fine line between the dead and the living to bring a killer to light.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
Boston is the perfect setting for a ghost story. It’s a modern city with old (for America) roots. It’s also a city of contrasts—old and modern, urban and suburban, posh and gritty at the same time.
Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Which one? Ruby, one of my protagonists, is very much the cozy mystery heroine. She’s sweet and has way too much energy for me to keep up with her. Cordelia, the other protagonist, is more like me. She’s a little rough around the edges. She’s also a ghost, which makes hanging out problematic.
What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Ruby is young, sweet, and perky. Cordelia is jaded, snarky, and dead.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That if you’re going to write from the POV of a ghost, you get to make up all the rules. But you can’t make them too easy, and you have to be consistent—especially over a multi-book series.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
If I edited as I drafted, I’d never finish! I write straight through, but I leave myself lots of comments and highlights as I go, such as checking consistency or looking up a bus route, so I can address them later without going down too many rabbit holes during the drafting process.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I like to make what I’m writing about. If there’s a food scene, it’s almost always vegetarian friendly so I can indulge in it during my break.
Describe your writing space/office!
I’m fortunate to have my own room as a writing space. It’s got a comfortable desk, two distracting windows, my growing typewriter collection, a shelf of my books, and lots and LOTS of ghosties (mugs, statues, plushies, lights, and other toys).
Who is an author you admire?
I admire anyone who can write a book! There are lots of authors on my auto-read list, almost too many to name.
Is there a book that changed your life?
Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite was a debut novel, and it was the first time reading a book that I realized that normal people (not just the Big Name Authors) could write extraordinary books that wind up in the hands of readers. And that if they could, I could too.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
DEATH AT THE DOOR is the second in the Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries series. I’d developed the concept for the series (starting with A NEW LEASE ON DEATH) several years earlier, but no one was buying ghost stories at the time. When publishing started getting interested in paranormal mysteries again, I was elated that it was picked up.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I read a lot of genre fiction, and I try to follow the #EveryFifth book challenge, which encourages readers to try something new and different by making sure that for every fifth book you read (at least), read something different (a new to you author). It’s a great way to find new, underrepresented authors.
What’s your favorite movie?
That’s a tough question, because it depends on what kind of mood I’m in. I’m more likely to binge a season of The Great British Baking Show than want to watch a movie.
What is your favorite season?
Hockey season
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I like to take the day off and be lazy until it’s a socially acceptable time to go out for Margaritas and veggie enchiladas.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I’m really enjoying Crime Ink: Iconic right now. Anthologies are a great way to find new authors.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Anytime I find a restaurant that has really good vegan or vegetarian fare, as opposed to just a salad, I’m happy. For example, Bar Botanical in Crozet, VA has the best vegan crabcakes I’ve ever eaten.
What do you do when you have free time?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Oh wait, you’re serious? Between writing and the day job, I don’t have a lot of free time. If I’m not reading on my time off, I’m usually watching hockey.
What can readers expect from you next?
DEATH AT THE DOOR, the second in the Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries, comes out October 21, 2025, and I’m working on the yet-unnamed sequel now.
DEATH AT THE DOOR by Olivia Blacke
The odd couple of crime-solving returns in Olivia Blacke’s Death at the Door, where a ghost and her living roommate find another mystery on their doorstep.
Ruby Young is slowly adjusting to her new life in Boston. A big part of that is her unexpected roommate—the ghost of the woman who lived there before. For Cordelia Graves, she may no longer be breathing, but it’s still her apartment and Ruby is the somewhat unwanted houseguest. They’re both happy they’ve managed to become friends, which is a miracle considering they struggle to communicate with each other. Cordelia even set Ruby up with her old job.
When Ruby discovers the body of a delivery guy at work, the new life she’s been building hangs in the balance. The last time Cordelia dragged Ruby into a murder investigation, it was almost two ghosts living in the apartment, not one. Determined to protect Ruby, Cordelia tries to shield her from the investigation, but Ruby has other ideas. It will take both of them working together to navigate the fine line between the dead and the living to bring a killer to light.
Mystery Woman Sleuth [St. Martin’s Press, On Sale: October 21, 2025, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781250336705 / eISBN: 9781250336712]
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About Olivia Blacke
OLIVIA BLACKE (she/her), author of the Record Shop Mysteries, beginning with Vinyl Resting Place, and the Brooklyn Murder Mysteries, finally found a way to put her Criminology degree to good use by writing quirky, unconventional, character-driven cozy mysteries. Olivia is a little nerdy, a lot awkward, and just the right amount of weird. She is a recovering ex-Texan who resides with her husband, Potassium, and Baileycakes, their roly-poly rescue puggle. When not writing, reading, or spending way too much time on social media, Olivia enjoys Amigurumi crochet, scuba diving, collecting tattoos, watching hockey, and baking dog cookies. She wants to be a unicorn when she grows up.
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