Ever wondered what happens when you accidentally fall in love with Key West and turn that obsession into a 16-book mystery series? Meet Lucy Burdette, the mastermind behind the Key West Food Critic Mysteries, who just dropped some serious behind-the-scenes gems in our latest book club interview.

There’s a tarot card reader who’s become family, and a grandmother’s legacy that inspired it all. Oh, and she just finished book #16 (cue the happy dance).

If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries, Key West vibes, or just love a good story about characters who feel like your actual friends, buckle up. This conversation was pure gold.

How a Retirement Trip Became a Literary Empire

Picture this: Lucy’s husband is retiring and starts a website about where baby boomers should settle down. They’re touring Florida, and Lucy suggests Key West—not because they’d actually retire there, but because, you know, research.

Six days later? They’re hooked.

“We were there six days and he loved it, which surprised me because it’s a quirky place,” Lucy laughs. “And I remembered it being kind of crazy, and I loved it too.”

Fast forward through month-long visits that turned into two-month stays, and now they’re official residents splitting time between Key West and Connecticut. But here’s where it gets interesting: while they’re falling for the island, a publisher reaches out looking for someone to write a mystery series featuring a food critic in a tropical setting.

Talk about perfect timing, right?

“I said, that is so me, because here we are in Key West. It’s a wonderful background. And food—I just love to eat and talk about food, and think about food, and write about food. And Key West is very foody town.”

Fifteen books later (with number 16 just turned in), that spontaneous research trip has become one of the most beloved cozy mystery series around.

The Real People Behind Your Favorite Characters

Now, let’s talk about the characters everyone obsesses over—because yes, some of them are walking around Key West right now.

Miss Gloria: The Scene-Stealing Sidekick
Remember Miss Gloria, the tiny powerhouse who steals every scene and makes readers threaten to stop reading if she ever gets killed off? She started as a throwaway character.

“She was living on houseboat row in that first book, and I just put her in there as a stand-in because I needed somebody to get clunked on the head and left for dead. That’s as much as I had thought about her, honestly.”

But then she came alive on the page, and now she’s the heart of the series. Lucy reveals that Miss Gloria is actually a blend of two incredible women from her life: her beloved stepmother and a spunky neighbor, both small in stature but giant in personality.

“The thing that I love about all of it is that people feel like they’re real. And so then I’ve done my job because I feel like they’re real too.”

Lorenzo: The Tarot Card Reader Who Became Family
If you’ve been to Mallory Square, you’ve probably seen Lorenzo reading tarot cards. What you might not know is that he’s become one of Lucy’s closest friends.

“When I wrote the first book, I just put him in there as a character. But then a friend who lived in Key West said, ‘I know him. Would you like to have lunch with him?’ And I said, of course I would.”

Now they have lunch every time Lucy’s in town, and he always reads her cards. “Even though we are really nothing alike, we hit it off. I think he’s a very wise and spiritual man.”

Fun fact: His real name is Ron, but he goes by Lorenzo in the books—and honestly, once you meet him, he’s always Lorenzo.

The Writing Life: From Psychologist to Mystery Maven

Before Lucy became a mystery writer, she was a psychologist—which explains why her character development is so spot-on. Watching Hayley Snow grow from an impulsive twenty-something who chases a guy to Key West (sight unseen, naturally) to a confident food critic and wife has been one of the series’ greatest strengths.

“Some people are very annoyed by Hayley in that first book, and I say, just give her a little time. She’s immature, but she gets there.”

Her writing process is refreshingly collaborative. She works with the same critique group she’s had for 25 years, which means by the time her editor sees the manuscript, most of the major issues have been worked out.

“My husband said, ‘Well, how do you feel about this one?’ I said, ‘I’m happy with this one.’ He said, ‘So you don’t think there are going to be a lot of problems?’ And I said, ‘No, for once, I feel like we really struggled through the problems that might otherwise have gone to the editor.'”

The Key West You Don’t See in Tourist Guides

What makes Lucy’s books so authentic isn’t just the perfect descriptions of walking down Duval Street or grabbing Cuban coffee (though those are spot-on). It’s how she captures the real Key West—the tension between locals and newcomers, the wealthy and the homeless, the old-timers and the tourists.

“There’s so much tension in that little island because everybody loves it. The homeless people are there because they don’t have homes, and it’s gorgeous and there are places to get food and there are places they can sleep. Then there are the people, the Conchs, who have lived there forever, who feel like the tourists and the newcomers don’t really understand the islands.”

It’s this complexity that makes her mysteries work. “It’s just perfect for a mystery because there’s conflict at so many levels.”

Click here to learn more about the Fun in Key West Book Club

Food, Glorious Food (And Where She Actually Eats)

As a food critic mystery writer, Lucy has some rules: If she likes a restaurant, it goes in the book. If she doesn’t like it, it doesn’t.

Her go-to spot when they first arrive in Key West? Clemente’s on Fleming Street, right across from Key West Island Bookstore.

“We go there first, get a pepperoni pizza and a beer. Sit out at a table. That’s probably where we’ll go this year too.”

What’s Next: A Sneak Peek at Book #16

Here’s what we know about the next book (working title: “A Dash of Deception,” though Lucy’s open to suggestions): It starts with something Lucy spotted in a Monroe County Sheriff’s Department announcement about safe custody exchanges.

“They, of course, want nothing to happen, whereas I was imagining all the things that could go wrong, and that’s how the book takes off.”

Classic Lucy—turning everyday Key West life into mystery gold.

The Interview Everyone’s Talking About

This barely scratches the surface of our conversation. We dove deep into Lucy’s writing process, her favorite (and least favorite) things to cook, and her most interesting fun fact: she was part of the only all-girl bagpipe band in the country during high school.

Plus, we talked about her Scotland honeymoon book (yes, Hayley leaves Key West for a bit), her connection to the Women’s Club cookbook, and why she’s determined to finally make it to Dry Tortugas this year.

Ready for the full scoop? Head over to YouTube to watch our complete conversation. Trust me, if you’re a fan of the books, Key West, or just love hearing how real authors bring their characters to life, you’re going to want to see this.

The woman who accidentally created a literary empire while researching retirement destinations has so many more stories to tell—and honestly, listening to her talk about Key West makes you want to book a flight immediately.

Which, let’s be honest, is probably exactly what she intended.

Watch the full Lucy Burdette interview on our YouTube channel and discover why readers can’t get enough of Hayley Snow’s adventures in paradise.