When seventeen-year Chattanooga resident Katherine Ladny Mitchell started writing a clean murder mystery set in her own city, she had no idea where the road to publication would take her.
"What I love about murder mysteries is they remind us that no matter how clever the bad guy is, evil cannot hide forever," Ms. Mitchell said. "But sometimes it's hard to find a series which isn't gruesome or sexually-explicit. I wanted to write something I wanted to read."
Ms. Mitchell based the plot of her novel "Not to Be" on her own theater experience and relationship with her artistic sister.
In the book, newswriter Kathy Waters suffers from an anxiety disorder and joins a local theater company to help get her mind off her job. But when the lead actor of Shakespeare's Hamlet fails to rise for curtain call - and his Epipen turns up in Kathy's purse - Kathy must combine her way with words with her artsy sister's eye for detail to catch the killer.
Having once performed at the Tivoli theater herself, Ms. Mitchell decided to stage her cozy murder mystery there. "The Tivoli is truly a magical setting for a mystery, blending both local history and architectural elegance," she said. "I also love that my crime-solving duo consists of two sisters working together with their complementary strengths."
Once Ms. Mitchell completed her manuscript, she started submitting to over 50 publishers and literary agents. After dozens of rejections, she paired up with an agent, but the agent could not find a suitable publisher. After a year, she and her agent parted amicably. "Of course, I felt discouraged. But I kept writing and finished the sequel to "Not to Be" a year later."
Ms. Mitchell went on to write another sci-fi novel, which she endeavored to publish as well. While pitching this manuscript, she also submitted her two completed mystery manuscripts. Although the publisher was not seeking mystery novels at the time, Bandersnatch Books offered her a book contract for her murder mysteries and released "Not to Be" to the public in July 2025.
On Feb. 28, "Not to Be" won the 2025 SCWC Notable Book Award for Traditionally Published Fiction. "I am both humbled and thankful," Ms. Mitchell said. "It's God's grace that the mystery which couldn't get published years ago has just won an award. I'm deeply encouraged, and so thankful for my husband, Jason Mitchell. He kept cheering me on, even when I was receiving so many rejections."
You can find "Not to Be" online and order from the Bandersnatch Books website.
Ms. Mitchell will also be teaching novel-writing workshops on March 14 and 28, as well as at the Chattery on April 25. Contact katherine.ladny.mitchell@gmail.com for more information.