,
Lolli Powell

year in books

Lolli Powell’s Followers (383)

member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
Crystal
11,563 books | 916 friends

J. Schl...
549 books | 2,066 friends

Susan G...
110 books | 460 friends

Lyra Sh...
300 books | 213 friends

New App...
1,241 books | 3,739 friends

Cindy
137 books | 63 friends

Rustemacl
0 books | 14 friends


Lolli Powell

Goodreads Author


Born
The United States
Genre

Member Since
October 2014


I'm retired from the nine-to-five life and live with my husband and two cats on private land inside Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky. (The handsome dog with me in the picture went to the Great Dog Park in the Sky March 1, and we miss him a lot!)

I have loved fiction since before I could read (Mom said I made up stories based on the pictures in books). Now that I no longer have the excuse of not enough time, I'm fulfilling my lifelong dream of writing novels.

Over the years, I've paid the bills by being a dancer, a bartender, a police officer, a registered nurse and a technical writer. Now I'm drawing on that life experience and my two English degrees to create stories I enjoy writing and hope readers will enjoy reading.

My Top Shelf
...more

To ask Lolli Powell questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

Lolli Powell To borrow from Nike, just do it. That's the main thing. The more you write, the better you'll get.

But there are other things, of course. Read, read, …more
To borrow from Nike, just do it. That's the main thing. The more you write, the better you'll get.

But there are other things, of course. Read, read, and then read some more--especially in the genre you write in. And study the craft of writing, whether it be formal study as in college or informal through webinars and reading books/magazines about writing. Identify your weak spots and focus on improving those. For example, when I was much younger, I had trouble with dialogue. So, I wrote a story almost entirely in dialogue--guess it could have been considered a scene from a play, although I didn't format it that way. That really helped me.

Go easy on the adverbs, don't let dialogue tags get too fancy and interrupt the flow ("said" works quite well and only when it's needed so you know who is talking), and be VERY moderate in your use of semi-colons (if you can, don't use them at all). And when you're satisfied with your work, hire an editor. If you can't afford that, then ask a friend or relative who aced their English classes to read it for you.

Also, ask reader friends to read it and critique the story itself (not just your grammar and spelling). They may be able to find holes, inconsistencies, places where the action slows for too long, poorly drawn characters, etc. Just make it clear you want the truth and listen to it when they give it to you. You don't necessarily have to follow all their advice, but you should consider it carefully.

Then--WRITE! And write some more. You can do it.(less)
Lolli Powell I'm currently working on the first book in a new cozy mystery series. The series will be titled Spirit of the Law, and the first book will be titled T…moreI'm currently working on the first book in a new cozy mystery series. The series will be titled Spirit of the Law, and the first book will be titled The Ghost Wears a Badge. It is set in the small town on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River that Ricki Fontaine and the other inhabitants of Waterton in the Top Shelf Mysteries can see when they look across the river.(less)
Average rating: 4.55 · 2,186 ratings · 311 reviews · 16 distinct worksSimilar authors
The Body on the Barstool (T...

4.51 avg rating — 664 ratings3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Whiskey Kills (Top Shelf #2)

4.54 avg rating — 318 ratings2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Name Your Poison (Top Shelf...

4.59 avg rating — 197 ratings2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Double Shot (Top Shelf #4)

4.76 avg rating — 182 ratings2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Bottoms Up (Top Shelf #5)

4.78 avg rating — 140 ratings2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
On the Rocks (Top Shelf #6)

4.73 avg rating — 121 ratings2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Ghost Wears A Badge (Sp...

4.57 avg rating — 122 ratings — published 2022 — 4 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Boy Next Door

4.24 avg rating — 102 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Gift

4.40 avg rating — 93 ratings2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Dead Men Don't Retire (Spir...

4.59 avg rating — 80 ratings — published 2023 — 2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
More books by Lolli Powell…

JANUARY NEWS

Well, 2021 didn't start off the way we would have liked. The world is pretty depressing right now, so what better time to escape into a fictional world for a little R & R.

I'm offering Death Notice, the first in my Kisses and Killers Thriller series FREE from January 16 through January 20. The second in the series, Undercover, is on pre-order at the special price of 99¢. The release date for Under Read more of this blog post »
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on January 13, 2021 16:36
The Body on the Barstool Whiskey Kills Name Your Poison Double Shot Bottoms Up On the Rocks
(6 books)
by
4.59 avg rating — 1,633 ratings

The Ghost Wears A Badge Dead Men Don't Retire
(2 books)
by
4.57 avg rating — 202 ratings

Whiteout
Lolli Powell is currently reading
by Laurel Heidtman (Goodreads Author)
bookshelves: currently-reading
read in October 2021
Rate this book
Clear rating

 

Lolli’s Recent Updates

Lolli Powell rated a book it was amazing
Ghost With the Most by Mallory Pierce
Ghost With the Most
by Mallory Pierce (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
Lolli Powell rated a book it was amazing
So Transparent by Mallory Pierce
Rate this book
Clear rating
Lolli Powell rated a book it was amazing
That's the Spirit! by Mallory Pierce
Rate this book
Clear rating
Lolli Powell rated a book it was amazing
The Last Door by Sheila Lowe
Rate this book
Clear rating
Lolli Powell rated a book it was amazing
A Display of Deception by Brook Peterson
Rate this book
Clear rating
Lolli Powell rated a book it was amazing
A Collection of Secrets by Brook Peterson
Rate this book
Clear rating
Lolli Powell rated a book it was amazing
The Girl Who Was Taken by Charlie Donlea
The Girl Who Was Taken
by Charlie Donlea (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
Hard to put down!

I can usually figure out who the villain is in books like this—or at least narrow it down—but the villain in this one was a complete surprise. Love it when that happens! I also liked the way the author told the story in two timelines
...more
Lolli Powell rated a book it was amazing
The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger
The New Couple in 5B
by Lisa Unger (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
Lolli Powell rated a book it was amazing
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
Rate this book
Clear rating
Lolli Powell rated a book it was amazing
Finders Keepers by Stephen  King
Rate this book
Clear rating
More of Lolli's books…
Quotes by Lolli Powell  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“siccing”
Lolli Powell, Dead Men Don't Retire

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
Genre Specific Re...: This topic has been closed to new comments. Romance Review Group 2 (Closed) 47 55 May 16, 2016 07:05PM  
Genre Specific Re...: Romance Review Group 7 (reviewing) 49 54 Jun 15, 2018 01:35AM  
Genre Specific Re...: Mystery Review Group 2 (closed) 44 23 Jul 02, 2018 01:49AM  
Genre Specific Re...: This topic has been closed to new comments. Novellas (17k > 40k words) (CLOSED) 126 62 Jul 13, 2018 03:06PM  
Review Group: This topic has been closed to new comments. Group 187. General - Mod. L.N. 168 88 Jul 22, 2018 03:24AM  
Genre Specific Re...: This topic has been closed to new comments. Novella Review Round - (REVIEWING) 103 72 Mar 26, 2019 04:47AM  
Genre Specific Re...: Romance Review Group 8 (reviewing) 49 56 Jun 16, 2019 09:44AM  
78683 Review Group — 5765 members — last activity 15 hours, 50 min ago
Reviews are very important for Self-Published (SP), and Indie authors, just as they are for others. Unfortunately, though, many SP/Indie books don't g ...more
60534 Cozy Mystery Corner — 5206 members — last activity May 28, 2026 08:48PM
Cozy Mystery Lovers! If you enjoy lighthearted cozy mysteries, please join us to read the featured monthly books, play some games, and participate in ...more
220 Goodreads Librarians Group — 325667 members — last activity 0 minutes ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more
26989 Goodreads Authors/Readers — 56743 members — last activity 1 hour, 12 min ago
This group is dedicated to connecting readers with Goodreads authors. It is divided by genres, and includes folders for writing resources, book websit ...more
799440 Indie and Self-Published Author Support — 1119 members — last activity May 15, 2026 12:20AM
Breaking into the world of writing through the self-publishing gateway can be daunting and overwhelming. This is a support group where indie and aspir ...more
More of Lolli’s groups…
No comments have been added yet.