Mystery author once kept writing hobby a secret

After spending more than 20 years working around lawyers, Finch has branched out into the field of writing, and she has now authored three novels, two involving fictional Houston private investigator Corie McKenna and one about a professional organizer-turned-detective, Poppy Cartwright.

Finch first developed a love for reading and writing while growing up on a farm in Allentown, Pa. When she was not helping around the farm, she would hunker down in her room and read mystery novels. Eventually, she started writing her own stories.

“My mother didn’t even find out that I did that as a kid until my first book got published because I kept it all a secret to myself,” Finch said. “I didn’t want anyone to know, and I was too shy for anyone to read anything I wrote.”

Although she would continue writing off and on for years afterward, Finch did not truly focus on the craft until she moved to the Houston area and began working in the law office of Richard “Racehorse” Haynes. When she was working on a particularly grisly case, an idea came to mind, and Corie McKenna was created.

Finch has now published two books in the McKenna series, “Final Decree” and “Final Cut,” each focusing on the crafty investigator’s knack for solving difficult cases.

In the meantime, Finch heard a friend talking about a job called “professional organizer,” and the idea that there could be such a profession set her wheels turning. Finch, who has an innate talent for organizing, briefly contemplated changing careers, but then had an even better idea.

“I thought, 'I could write about a professional organizer,' and that would be the best of both worlds, to have my character go and organize things,” Finch said.

With that realization, the Klutter Killer series was born, starring a professional organizer who happens upon a crime scene and sets out to solve the case.

Finch might have never expected to have such a broad readership when she was secretly writing mysteries as a child, but now that she is working on her fourth novel, she is unquestionably a success, a fact that her husband is especially excited about.

“My husband will say that when I make a million dollars writing, he’s going to retire and play golf,” Finch said.

About Kay Finch
Age: 58
Occupation: Legal assistant/author
Community Connection: Lives in Missouri City
Fast Fact: Member of Mystery Writers of America

Chris Marshall is a freelance writer. He can be reached at neighborhoods@chron.com.