I've been asked why I'd chosen to write mysteries about an ambulatory skeleton. I blame that old adage: Write what you know. After all, we're all skeletons under the skin. And flesh, and tendons, and all that other messy stuff.Seriously, I'm not sure why I decided to write about a walking, talking skeleton named Sid. All I remember for sure is that I can track the idea back to May of 2004. I told my husband about Sid, then wrote a few pages and sent to my beta-reading pals to see if they thought there was a book in it. All three of them seemed to think it would work, and I did some initial research and planning, but other projects intervened and I didn't pick it up again until 2011. That's when I was pitching ideas for a new series to my agent and editor, and I put together a packet of eight. Both the agent and editor them zoomed in on Sid's story. I guess they're skeletons under the skin, too.As you might guess from the idea of a walking, talking skeleton, the Family Skeleton series are paranormal mysteries. I was inspired by old TV shows like Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir to write about a world that's pretty much like the real one, with one key difference. In this case: Sid.Though there are only three Leigh Perry books so far, I've written a lot more than that. Under the name Toni L.P. Kelner I've published eleven novels and twenty-somthing short stories, and have co-edited five urban fantasy anthologies with New York Times best seller Charlaine Harris. I adopted a pen name because this was a new series, and because paranormal novels were a departure for me. But it's still me! So if you like Toni L.P. Kelner's books, you might like the Family Skeleton series, too. If you don't like Kelner's books, forget I said anything-I never even heard of that Kelner woman.Though I was born in Pensacola, FL and raised in Charlotte, NC, I've been living north of Boston, MA for 26 years or so. I share the house with my husband, two daughters, two guinea pigs, and a ludicrous selection of books. While the population of people and guinea pigs remains constant, the number of books is on an ever-rising curve.