Kaitlyn Dunnett is the pseudonym I chose to use on my contemporary mysteries because I am better known under my own name (Kathy Lynn Emerson) for historical mysteries, nonfiction, and historical romances. I used a pseudonym once before, for three contemporary category romances I wrote for Silhouette. That name was Kaitlyn (the name I’d have given myself rather than Kathy Lynn) Gorton (my maiden name). I didn’t want to use the same pseudonym again, since these new books are mysteries, not romances, so I kept the Kaitlyn and borrowed the surname of one of my favorite authors, Dorothy Dunnett. I was hoping to reduce confusion by using different names for my contemporary and my historical mysteries, but opinion is mixed on whether this was a good idea or not. In the meantime, just to make things more complicated, I've started using yet another pseudonym, Kate Emerson, to write non-mystery historical novels set in the Tudor era.
I live on a Christmas tree farm in Maine with my husband and assorted cats and although I am not currently involved in things Scottish, I have been in the past.
Below is a picture of me, many years ago now, with the bass drum I once played in a small, rural, bagpipe band that was, sadly, short-lived.
This next shot shows me, my husband (on bagpipes), and my father-in-law (on drum), practicing with the band.
Since those shots were taken, I've gotten a lot older and gave up the drum for the pen. Here I am in a recent candid shot taken at a writers' conference.
In addition to having played the bagpipes, my husband is also a talented woodworker and the real-life source of the projects "Dan Ruskin" works on in the Liss MacCrimmon Mysteries. For more information, click here: 
As I already mentioned, we live on a Christmas tree farm. This year (2009) we invested in a new sign to let folks know where to shop for their trees. That's my husband, Sandy, standing next to it in the photograph below.
Now let me introduce you to the inspiration for the real star of the Liss MacCrimmon Mystery Series, "Lumpkin" the cat. Although described in the books as "a big yellow tom," in reality he is buff-colored. He doesn't weigh quite as much as his fictional counterpart, either, although he's making every effort to reach that point!
to send email to Kaitlyn Dunnett, click here:
Click here to reach the website of Kathy Lynn Emerson, Kaitlyn's "evil twin":
© 2007-9 Kathy Lynn Emerson (aka Kaitlyn Dunnett). All rights reserved.
Last updated 11/14/09