A US woman accused of fatally shooting her husband is a self-published romance writer who once penned an essay titled 'How To Murder Your Husband'.

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Nancy Crampton-Brophy, 68, was arrested last week on a preliminary charge of domestic violence murder over the death of her husband of 27 years, Daniel Brophy.

Police said Mr Brophy, a 63-year-old chef, was found shot at his workplace, the Oregon Culinary Institute, on June 2. Officers were unable to save him.

A day later, Mrs Crampton-Brophy wrote a Facebook post announcing the death of her husband and saying she was "struggling to make sense of everything right now".

The affidavit filed by police in support of her arrest remains under seal, so many details of the case have yet to be divulged.

Authorities have not publicly suggested a possible motive for the killing.

'I spend a lot of time thinking about murder'

Ms Crampton-Brophy published the 700-word paper in 2011 on the website See Jane Publish, local newspaper The Oregonian reported.

Romance author Nancy Crampton-Brophy has been arrested over the shooting death. ( Supplied: Facebook )

"As a romantic suspense writer, I spend a lot of time thinking about murder and, consequently, about police procedure," she wrote.

"After all, if the murder is supposed to set me free, I certainly don't want to spend any time in jail."

In the same essay, Mrs Crampton-Brophy discussed several potential motivations for wanting to kill a spouse, including infidelity, abuse or greed.

"Divorce is expensive, and do you really want to split your possessions," she asked in a section about financial motives.

"I find it is easier to wish people dead than to actually kill them.

The 63-year-old murder victim speaks about his work as a chef in an online video from 2010. ( Supplied: Oregon Culinary Institute/YouTube )

"I don't want to worry about blood and brains splattered on my walls. And really, I'm not good at remembering lies.

"But the thing I know about murder is that every one of us have it in him/her when pushed far enough," the author wrote.

The post is no longer public, but archived versions are available online.

She has also written titles such as 'The Wrong Husband' — a 2015 novel about a woman who escapes an abusive spouse during a shipwreck in the Mediterranean and falls in love with one of the men sent to find her.

AP