Frazier, Kit 1965- [A pseudonym] (Cyndee Katherine DuHadaway)

PERSONAL:

Born October 6, 1965. Hobbies and other interests: Spending time at the lake, hiking with her dog.

ADDRESSES:

Home—TX.

CAREER:

Writer and journalist. Has also worked as the managing editor of a regional magazine. Volunteer for Search and Rescue.

MEMBER:

Texas Press Association.

AWARDS, HONORS:

First place award for romance manuscript, Writers' League of Texas, and Emma Merritt award, San Antonio Romance Authors, both for Scoop: A Cauley MacKinnon Novel.

WRITINGS:

Scoop: A Cauley MacKinnon Novel, Midnight Ink (Woodbury, MN), 2006.

Dead Copy: A Cauley MacKinnon Novel, Midnight Ink (Woodbury, MN), 2007.

Also author of the blog Kit Frazier: Unleashed.

SIDELIGHTS:

The oral tradition of storytelling coupled with the rich environment of the southern United States influenced Kit Frazier's childhood and, in turn, fills her writing with a colloquial finesse. Frazier, a pseudonym for Cyndee Katherine DuHadaway, grew up in a military family. Her participation in Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Austin Police Department research and training opportunities as an adult illustrates her adventurous nature, which translates into much of her fiction. Kit Frazier currently resides near Austin, Texas, on Lake Travis with her canine companion, Tahoe. She maintains a lifelong love of writing, teaching at various writing workshops She is also the recipient of the San Antonio Romance Authors Emma Merritt and Writers' League of Texas awards. In an interview with Ernest Lilley, Frazier explained her motivation for writing her fiction series as an attempt to "give people a break and make them stop and smile."

Cauley MacKinnon, the heroine of Frazier's novels Scoop: A Cauley MacKinnon Novel and Dead Copy: A Cauley MacKinnon Novel, is described as "smart-mouthed, witty and deprecating" by Fresh Fiction Web site reviewer Tanzey Cutter. In Scoop, Frazier introduces Cauley as a fledgling Austin journalist who becomes entangled in a murderous plot that results in the death of her childhood friend Scooter Barnes. During her investigatiion, Cauley discovers secrets, as well as a little romance, while using her charm and wit to achieve her goals. Scoop is, according to a Mysterious Reviews Web site critic, "a solid mystery that should appeal to a wide range of readers." The reviewer also credits Frazier with creating "a smart, independent, strong-minded woman to be the heroine of her series."

In Dead Copy, Frazier's sequel to Scoop, Cauley's innate curiosity places her in dangerous situations while she pursues information regarding the murderer of an FBI witness and his missing sister for her story. Cauley has several supporting characters to help her, including an attractive FBI agent. Connie Payne, in her review for the Once upon a Romance Web site, credited Cauley's "sense of justice" and her "empathy for the underdog" that translates into action, adding that Frazier "knows how to create characters and a puzzle of a story that leaves the reader wanting more." Moreover, a Fresh Fiction Web site contributor called Dead Copy "a fast-paced murder mystery" and "great follow-up" to Scoop.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2007, review of Dead Copy: A Cauley MacKinnon Novel.

ONLINE

Fresh Fiction,http://freshfiction.com/ (July 20, 2007), Tanzey Cutter, review of Dead Copy.

Gumshoe Review,http://www.gumshoereview.com/ (June 1, 2007), Ernest Lilley, interview with Kit Frazier.

Josie Brown Web site,http://www.josiebrown.com/ (January 7, 2008), Josie Brown, interview with Kit Frazier.

Kit Frazier Home Page,http://www.kitfrazier.com (January 7, 2008).

Mysterious Reviews,http://www.mysteriousreviews.com/ (January 7, 2008), reviews of Dead Copy and Scoop.

Once upon a Romance,http://www.onceuponaromance.net/ (January 7, 2008), Connie Payne, review of Dead Copy.