Rachel Sharpe, Southeastern alumna, recent published the first of her mystery series novels, "Cold Ambition."
Courtesy of Rachel Sharpe

Alumna Rachel Sharpe had her debut detective novel “Cold Ambition” published in June.

Sharpe has plans for a book series, and “Cold Ambition” is the first of these stories.

“‘Cold Ambition’ is the first book in the Jordan James, PI series,” said Sharpe. “It’s about a girl from New Orleans who moves to the Northeast for college, and after graduating, decides to become a private eye. With her first case, she has to tackle a 20-year-old unsolved murder that Boston’s finest couldn’t crack, a case that puts her own life in danger.”

Though Sharpe’s original goal was to attend law school after graduating, a job in a local courthouse made her realize that was not what she wanted to do with her life. She abandoned those plans, decided writing was her true calling and signed on with Soul Mate Publishing.

“I have always loved writing. I graduated with an English degree because English is my favorite subject,” said Sharpe. “Once I was out of school and no longer had papers to write, I decided I wanted to write something for fun. That’s when Jordan James was created. I like to say she lives the life I might have led had my own life taken a different turn. ‘Lost Distinction,’ book two of the series coming Fall 2014, has her searching for the missing son of a U.S. Ambassador in London.”

During her time at Southeastern, Sharpe found inspiration in her English classes which nurtured her storytelling skills.

“My degree is a B.A. in English with a secondary concentration in psychology,” said Sharpe. “All of my English teachers here were amazing. I would have to say two of my favorites were Dr. Joan Faust and Dr. Christine Mitchell. Scholastic literature isn’t always the most fun to read, but good teachers can bring any story to life.”

Though her focus is the Jordan James, PI series, Sharpe plans to branch out with others in the future. Regardless, Sharpe is eager to see how readers will react to her characters. 

“The most rewarding part of writing, to me, is the reaction from readers,” said Sharpe. “To have people tell you they loved your story, they loved the character and even talk about her as if she’s a real person, that’s what makes it worthwhile.”

“Cold Ambition” is currently available for Kindle download for $2.99 on the Amazon website.