I'm pleased to welcome Jacque Rosmanto Cozy Up With Kathy today. Jacque writes the Academic Mom Mystery series. Murder at the Waterfront is the third book in the series and was released earlier this year.
Kathy: In Murder at the Waterfront, Cara Knight gets involved in the investigation when one of her students is arrested for murdering Washington, D.C.’s chief medical examiner. Would you insert yourself in a murder investigation?
JR: I would love to, if I honestly had a role to play and my appeals to the authorities in charge went unnoticed.
Kathy: Cara stumbles into a tangle of city politics and more. Have you ever gotten involved in local politics?
JR: There are social workers who work on the macro side of things, which might mean political social work or community organizing, but I’ve always been a clinical social worker, working with individuals, families, and groups.
Kathy: What first drew you to mysteries?
JR: I liked that there was a plot going somewhere rather than just pretty writing for the sake of it, and I liked working out the puzzle alongside the sleuths.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
JR: She’s mastered the art of work-life balance until murder tips the scales. Cara Knight is a mother of two preschoolers in the D.C. suburbs and an assistant professor going for tenure. She has enough to juggle before adding crime-solving to the mix. If you like clever sleuths, dry humor, and twisty whodunits, you’ll love the Academic Mom Mysteries.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
JR: Cara’s annoying mother-in-law, Barbara, because she inserts herself into the mysteries even though she hates to move.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
JR: Murder in Georgetown was inspired by the Chandra Levy case in D.C. in the early 2000s. I wasn’t even living in the area at the time, but once I moved here, I was intrigued and inspired by being so close to the nation’s capital.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
JR: I do! The Academic Mom Mysteries are traditional mysteries, but I’ve recently branched out. Under the pen name Jacey Lewis, I’ve started a true cozy mystery series involving scone baking and rescue pets. The first book, Scone Cold Whiskers, came out July 16, 2026, as part of a multi-author project called Whiskers and Whisks Whodunits. And under the pen name Camden Gray, I’m writing Forbidden Tides, a paranormal romance series set on the misty California coast, where the sea keeps its secrets and forbidden love is the most dangerous tide of all. The first in the series is a novella, When the Undertow Pulls.
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
JR: I’ve always wanted to publish. Even at seven years old, when I announced my writing dream to my mother, it was because I wanted to create in other people the feeling I got from reading. That hasn’t changed.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite four authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
JR: Definitely Agatha Christie—she’s been a role model for obvious reasons, but I’ve also re-read her autobiography over and over and love the Victorian world she writes about. The other three are trickier. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing many of my favorite authors speak at events, and I do a lot of events with other authors, so it feels like choosing among friends.
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
JR: I’m currently reading Sequel by Jean Koralitz. You’re welcome to join me on Goodreads (goodreads.com/user/show/120990726-jacqueline-corcoran) to see what I’m reading. I usually take on a fifty-book-a-year challenge.
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
JR: My serious hobby, which takes up a lot of time, is writing fiction. Beyond that, tennis and working out.
Kathy: Name four items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
JR: Butter, popcorn, M&M’s, and cheese.
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books, either in your current series or a new series?
JR: Two more books have been contracted for the Academic Mom Mysteries, bringing the total to five. The next one picks up in the fall, right after the summer setting of Murder at the Waterfront. I’ve been through a few title changes with this one. First was Murder at Embassy Row, until I realized how much security embassies have, and I couldn’t find a way to give Cara ongoing access. Then I moved the setting to a museum I’m calling the National Museum of Contemporary Art and titled it Murder at the Smithsonian, only to discover that Margaret Truman already used that title in her D.C. mystery series. So I’m currently looking for the right name as I complete the book.
Kathy: What’s your favorite thing about being an author?
JR: Being able to make more of life than the everyday—weaving my experiences with make-believe and hopefully reaching readers who co-create with me the experience I’ve tried to evoke.
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Murder at the Waterfront (The Academic Mom Mysteries) by Jacque Rosman
About Murder at the Waterfront
Traditional Mystery/Amateur Sleuth 3rd in Series
Setting – Washington D.C.
Publisher: Speaking Volumes, LLC
Publication Date: May 19, 2026
Print Length: 230 pages
She’s mastered the art of work-life balance—until murder tips the scales.
Assistant professor Cara Knight juggles raising two preschoolers, teaching social work, and chasing tenure, with a dean intent on derailing her hopes. When one of her students is arrested for murdering Washington D.C.’s chief medical examiner, and Cara inserts herself into the investigation, she risks far more than her career. Convinced of her student’s innocence, Cara stumbles into a tangle of city politics, grieving families, and secrets someone would kill to keep buried.
Can she diagnose the cause of death before she too ends up in the morgue?
Murder at the Waterfront is Book Three in the Academic Mom Mysteries. If you like clever sleuths, dry humor, and twisty whodunits, then you’ll love Jacque Rosman’s well-plotted puzzle.
About Jacque Rosman
Jacque Rosman writes the Academic Mom Mystery series, featuring Cara Knight, a social work professor whose research instincts keep pulling her into investigations that are decidedly off-syllabus. With wry humor, Jacque mines the absurdity of academia and motherhood for a series that's equal parts twisty and true-to-life, set in the nation’s capital. When she's not plotting murders, Jacque can be found juggling her own version of the academic mom life. Join the newsletter for updates on Cara's next case and the meals that she can get all her family to eat.
Author Links:
Website http://www.JacquelineCorcoran.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JacquelineCorcoranAuthor/
GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/?ref=nav_home
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-corcoran-362b5124/
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