This week in The Literary Lounge, Jennifer is joined by bestselling author Nina Simon to talk about her new novel, My Sister Is Going to Kill Me, a warmhearted whodunnit about two sisters whose annual trip takes them rafting through the Grand Canyon—with a murderer in their midst.

Nina and Jennifer discuss writing complicated family relationships, finding inspiration in the natural world, and balancing murder with plenty of heart and humor. Nina also shares how she builds and plots a mystery and opens up about her unexpected path to publishing—from writing a novel simply to make her mother smile to becoming a bestselling author with her debut, Mother-Daughter Murder Night, a Reese’s Book Club pick.

This episode is for mystery lovers and is full of writing advice and craft techniques for crafting a page-turning whodunnit that keeps readers guessing.

In This Episode

• Why Nina is drawn to writing strong women, wild places, and dead bodies
• Writing the love, tension, and complexity within family relationships
• The Grand Canyon: an ideal setting for murder
• Plotting whodunnits that keep readers guessing
• Writing without expectations
• Navigating the publishing journey

Meet Nina Simon
Nina Simon writes crime fiction about strong women. She is the New York Times-bestselling author of Mother-Daughter Murder Night. This big-hearted whodunnit was a Reese's Book Club pick, an Anthony Award winner, and a "best of 2023" selection for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CrimeReads, and Library Journal. Her second whodunit, My Sister Is Going to Kill Me, is out on August 18, 2026 from William Morrow Books.

Before turning to fiction, Nina wore many hats: NASA engineer, slam poet, game designer, museum director, and nonprofit CEO. Her work on community participation in museums, libraries, parks, and theaters has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, NPR, and the TEDx stage. Nina lives off-the-grid in the Santa Cruz Mountains and enjoys weird adventures in wild places.

Connect with Nina

Website

Instagram: @ninaksimon

Books & Authors Mentioned

• My Sister Is Going to Kill Me by Nina Simon
• Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon
• Sue Grafton
• Janet Evanovich
• Faye Kellerman

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Jennifer Cash

Host, Creator, Producer & Editor of The Literary Lounge

Instagram: @readwithjennifer