Photo by Thomas Christian
About Jane Kelly
Jane Kelly's Home Page
FAQ
Is this is the same Jane Kelly who:
-  Grew up on Tulpehocken Street in Philadelphia
-  Went to St. Athanasius grade school
-  Graduated from Mount Saint Joseph Academy
-  Got a BA from Chestnut Hill College
-  Received an MS from Drexel' University's School 
   of Information Studies (The iSchool)
-  Is the daughter of Mary and Dick Kelly
-  Is the sister of Rosemary Henderson and
   Rick Kelly
-  Is the grandaughter of Richard and Rose O'Mullen
    Kelly and John and Jean McDonald Bennis
-  Worked at Prudential in Fort Washington
-  Lived in Scottsdale Arizona in the seventies
-  Took film courses at Boston University
-  Studied Japanese and History at the Harvard
    Extension
-   Studied more Japanese and Italian at NYU's SCE
-  Worked as a temp in many companies in 
    Philadelphia including WIP and the 
    Philadelphia Inquirer
-  Worked in the information industry for
    twenty years   (Disclosure, BRS, Cambridge
    and NewsBank)
-  Was chair of the ITE Division of SLA 1986-87
-  Conducted Quantum seminars for Dialog
-  Lived in DC in the early eighties
-  Lived near Gramercy Park in the mid-eighties
-  Lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in the
    late eighties
-  Spent a year in Chicago in the mid-nineties
-  Lived in Boston three times:  once in the 
    seventies, once at the turn of the century and
    once from 2008 to 2011
-   Earned an MPhil degree from Trinity College,
    University of Dublin in 2008
-  Worked for Johnson Controls at theVanguard    
   Group
-  Worked for Johnson Controls at the Harvard 
    Medical  School in the late 2000s
-   Commuted from downtown Philadelphia to 
    New York City for JCI in 2011 - 2014
-   Worked for JLL for the Charleston Area 
    Medical Center 2014 - 2016
-   Served on the board of the Delaware Valley
     Chapter of Sisters in Crime from 2016-2019, as
     President for 2018 and 2019.
-   Served on the Board of the New York Chapter of
     Mystery Writers of America from 2019-2022 and
     worked with the Library Committee from 2016-
     2018.
-    Worked part-time for RecordTrak in King of
      Prussia PA in 2019 and 2020.


Answer:  Yes                                                    


Why are her books set in New Jersey?

When Jane Kelly was a child her mother cautioned her never to own a summer home.  She gave two reasons:

   One, you feel obligated to use the house and 
        won't get to see the world.  
    Two, (assuming Jane would be a housewife), 
         everyone else gets a vacation.  You move your  
         job.

Mrs. Kelly's reluctance to spend summers at the shore during Jane's childhood (she'd spent a dozen or so with the older children) positioned her daughter to write murder mysteries set up and down the Jersey coast.  

Why?  

Jane became a professional friend.  Remember when you were a kid, your mother said you could bring "a friend."  Very often, Jane Kelly was that friend.  Not only did she visit a variety of towns, she even visited a variety of neighborhoods within those towns.  These are the setting for her stories.

And there is one more factor.  Her publisher is based in New Jersey.                                                              
Ordering information
Why are the Meg Daniels mysteries set in New Jersey?

Is Meg Daniels really Jane Kelly?

Jane wishes.  She's been asked to calculate a percentage and has come up the number 35%.  Like all authors, the other 65% is smarter, prettier, taller, thinner etc.   Plus, Meg is aging much more slowly.                                  
Can I stay at the Parsonage B&B?

Not in Cape May.  The bed and breakfast that is the setting for Cape Mayhem is fictional.  The name was appropriated from a inn run by friends of Jane' s. Pam and Julian Beresford-Smith run a small  B&B on St. Agnes one of the Scilly (yes pronounced silly) Isles off the southwest tip of England.  St. Agnes boasts a population of about sixty permanent residents.  Jane spent one of the best months of her life on St. Agnes finishing Cape Mayhem.   Finding it the perfect place to write, hse's revisited the island for two more month long stays.                 
Is Meg Daniels really Jane Kelly?
Can I really stay at the Parsonage B&B?
Are George and Claude based on real people?

Unfortunately, no.  If there were such a couple Jane would want to hang out with them quite a bit.  The proprietors of the Cape Mayhem b&b are popular characters and there has been demand to see them again in future books.  FAQ
Are George and Claude based on real people?
Where did Meg get her name?
Where did Meg get her name?

Meg Daniels is named after Margaret Hannas, who was the Kelly's next door neighbor and friend for years. Margaret died shortly before the book was finished.  To see a picture of her husband John click here.

Meg's last name came from a co-worker, John Daniel -- no "S" -- simply because Jane liked the name.        

Author of the 
Meg Daniels mysteries 
from Plexus Publishing
When are Andy and Meg getting married?

Neither of them is in a hurry.
When will Meg and Andy get married?
When will we meet Andy's family?

plus  
Writing in Times Mysteries
and
Widow Lady Mysteries
 available for Kindle only