About Jane Haseldine
I got hooked on people’s stories when I discovered an important elementary school survival skill: If you ask someone a question about themselves, it can be a good ice breaker.
This trick became vital to me as the perennially new kid in town, since my British father kept us on the move while he tried to cook up his latest grand business deal in hopes of making gobs of cash (which never happened).
Early on, I discovered everyone had a story to tell. Wherever we moved, books were a mainstay in my house. My mother, a writer, named me “Jane Eyre” (which I thought was actually “Jane Air” until I was eight).
While most kids got to hang out in their pajamas watching Saturday cartoons growing up, my mother took my siblings and me to the public library, bright and early, every Saturday, whether we liked it or not. By the time I was eleven, I had read every book in the children’s section and announced that I was done with books. My mom, an immensely bright and resourceful woman, then checked out, “And Then There Were None,” by Agatha Christie for me. From then on, I’ve been hooked on mysteries.
My love of writing people’s stories led me to Syracuse University where I studied journalism. During my career as a journalist, I covered the crime beat and also worked as a columnist and editor at newspapers across the county (one great thing about newspapers-you get to work with some of the sharpest, funniest people around).
At a paper outside of San Jose, I was digging around on a story about alleged corrupt acts made by a police chief. A detective friend of mine — who later would become the inspiration for a recurring character in my book series — confirmed the allegations and handed me a document with proof. Rushing back to the paper to write the story, I was furious when my editor decided I had to work with the political reporter on the piece. Things have a funny way of working themselves out sometimes. The political reporter became my husband, and we now have two little boys.
Through my work as a journalist and later as a deputy director of communications for a governor, I was able to live in some great places: Michigan, Louisiana, Delaware, Pennsylvania and now Southern California where I’m lucky enough to write books these days.
One thing I still know for sure, wherever I’ve lived, and whomever I’ve met, everyone has a story. And stories, whether fiction or true, remain to me the greatest, most wonderful pure-spun magic around.
Jane in the News
Crime Fiction’s Most Unforgettable Crime Scenes
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A Day in the Life
Column on Dru’s Book Musings from Jane’s main character, Julia Gooden
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It Seems Funny Now
Featured guest post on Jungle Red Writers
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Channelling my Inner Nancy Drew
Guest post on Shelf Pleasure Blog
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