Annie McEwen is…On the Writing Block!

Sherry Ickes
Dec 16, 2025
4 min read

Christmas is just around the corner…already?! Well, here to add a little twinkle to those early dark evenings, is a mystery author who has a NEW holiday-themed mystery. But first, allow me to introduce Annie McEwen…

Annie McEwen is the author of the Northwoods Mysteries, set among the pines and lakes of northern Wisconsin, where she spent childhood vacations and now visits her sister and family, who live in the area she writes about. A former farm kid, Annie and her husband are empty nesters living in their rural Indiana home. Their grown children and two young grandsons live nearby, so they enjoy as much family time as possible. They have four fur babies, and two of them are in her books! When Annie isn’t writing or tackling trash-to-treasure projects, she works as a radiological technologist.

Who are two authors that have inspired your writing?

I always say Laura Ingalls Wilder is one, but I think she made me fall in love with reading. When I think about authors who have shaped how I write, I honestly have to say the inspirational historical fiction author, Janette Oke—whose books I devoured as a tween and teen and gave me so many cozy feels. I wanted to do that for people. Then there’s the fabulous Ellie Alexander. I’ve been a fan of hers for a long time, and the way she draws you in, and you feel like part of the story. Now I can say she’s my mentor, teacher, and friend. I’m very blessed. Readers are always telling me that my books make them feel warm and comfy, and they are right there at Cooper’s Cove. It makes my heart happy!

Do you have a writing schedule, or do you write whenever you can squeeze it in?

I’d love to say that I’m ultra-organized and have dedicated writing times... but that’s not my life! (I’m literally LOL-ing!) Between my job as an X-ray technologist and helping babysit my grandsons, my writing time is squeezed in more than my tummy in my jeans.

How much is based on real life versus made up?

I love this question because my whole family and my friends who’ve known me for a long time will text or call after reading something in my books and say, “I love that you put the tetherball story in there!” or “It’s a good thing you changed her name!” Haha! Even the whole concept of Cooper’s Cove Resort and Lake Covington is based on where we vacationed every year when I was growing up. Some of my book world is fictional, such as the lake and Covington, but other places are real, including the surrounding towns and landmarks. There are even real people (and animals) in them. One of my favorite stories to tell is about two servers who became friends at a favorite restaurant in Tennessee. I was plotting Resort to Murder, and my husband and I were on a trip to Franklin. Long story short, they found out I was writing a mystery, and the guy asked if he could be in it and even said to use his name in a specific way—“Marcus with the mullet.” I told him I would. I planned to have him just be a server in Covington...but he took on a life of his own and is now one of my favorite characters to write, as well as a fan favorite!

What is your favorite food to eat?

This question should be: What don’t I like to eat? Ha! My absolute favorite thing to eat is seafood. For someone who lives in the Midwest, it’s not always easy to get the good stuff. When we go on vacation, I tend to go a little overboard.

What is Yule Regret It about?

It’s Christmastime in the Northwoods, and Emmy Cooper is ready to deck the halls, frost the cookies, and enjoy Covington’s biggest event of the year—the annual Christmas Celebration. Visitors flock to the festive lakeside town, where Emmy's family runs the Cooper's Cove Resort, for holiday treats, handmade crafts, and the beloved tree-lighting ceremony, led by none other than Santa Claus himself.

But when Emmy stumbles across a very dead Santa, the season takes a chilling turn.

With Emmy's boyfriend, Officer Dean Erickson, trying to keep the investigation under wraps, Emmy and her best friend Whitney find themselves more tangled in this mystery than in last year’s Christmas lights. Between town gossip, a Scrooge of a new health inspector, and long-buried secrets rising to the surface, Emmy’s holiday cheer is draining faster than Ol’ Robert’s eggnog. Unraveling the killer’s identity might take a Christmas miracle—and Emmy’s running out of time. If she’s not careful, she just might be the next one sleighed.