3 new Klepto Cat Mysteries and our first Audio Book.
Patricia is offering Catnapped - Kindle version - Free this week - from the 19th through the 23rd.
Guest
Post
I am an author. After 44 years of
writing for publication—having published thousands of articles, and 65 books—I
can stand tall and proud and admit that I am an author! What I still feel a
little hesitant to say in a public place is that I’m a novelist. I write
fiction—something I never thought I would do. Why? I was so in love with the
process of article-writing. I was fascinated by the fact that there are so many
different ways to present a topic, an issue, or a view. I loved the challenge
of coming up with a wide assortment of article ideas for such a varied array of
publications and I delighted in creating dozens of new articles—even books—for
new audiences. That was my life for 39 years. That’s how I made my living.
So
what caused me to flip abruptly to the other side and decide to write fiction?
Well, it all started during my annual life-evaluation. Each year, around my
birthday month (June), I stop and assess my life—in particular my business
life. One question I ask is, “Am I still having fun?”
For
years, the answer was a resounding YES! And I’d continue on the path I was
on—with a few tweaks here and there. I might set higher goals, create new
challenges for myself, and so forth. Well, in June of 2012, I realized that I
wasn’t as quick to shout out that YES. Yes, I wanted to continue
writing—absolutely! But I was starting to burn out. The nonfiction topics just
weren’t as exciting as they’d been in the past. So during my birthday week that
year, I decided, “I’m going to try writing fiction.”
Of
course, my stories would involve cats. My own reading comfort zone was with
light mysteries. I didn’t learn until later that this type of fiction fit into
a new sub-genre called Cozy Mysteries. Sure, I knew about Lillian Braun
Jackson’s The Cat Who series and I’d
read all of James Herriot’s books. But I was surprised to discover that there
was a swiftly growing movement of cozy mystery books—those with cats, quilting,
libraries, cooking, baking, etc. as a
theme.
Okay,
so it would be a cozy mystery—light and fun reading—and it would include cats.
But in what way? One morning when my cat, Lily, dropped a stuffed toy at my
feet and I looked down at the tiny teddy bear, baby owl, little furry lamb,
hedgehog and other toys she’d brought me that day, it occurred to me. What is
more charming and captivating than a kleptomaniac cat—one who steals things—a
cat burglar of sorts. I would feature Lily and create stories around her cute
little habit. Shortly, I realized that Lily didn’t have the personality my cat
character needed in order to carry out some of the things I had in mind. She’s
too soft. But I knew a cat who could pull it off—Smokey, my mother’s part
ragdoll cat (who looks nothing like a ragdoll, by the way). He has the
confidence my fictitious cat needed. And he actually does bring gifts to my
mother, much to her chagrin. She’s always trying to catch a lizard or save a
bird from his clutches.
Okay,
I had my theme and my star. Now I had to think about the storyline. Then I
remembered a true story my daughter had told me—something that was going on in
her neighborhood. Someone was stealing pet cats. I decided that could develop
into a good story and I was off and running writing my first novel, Catnapped, book one of the Klepto Cat
Mystery series.
As I’ve added to
my series, I’ve learned a lot and I’ve since rewritten Catnapped. It’s now available as a print book, formatted for your
Kindle, and NEW—it is also an audio book.
Learn more about all 23 of the Klepto
Cat Mysteries (and counting) here: http://www.KleptoCatMysteries.com
and at Amazon.com.
It’s
June—time to reevaluate and reassess how I’m spending my time, what my
priorities are, what I’d rather be doing. Well, my mother is thoroughly
enjoying reading the stories her cat has helped to inspire. Lily expresses her
support for the books by continuing to gift me with her favorite toys. Rags and
his human characters have a large following. But am I still having fun?
Absolutely. I love what I’m doing. I
wake up with a smile each day eager to delve into the world I’ve created in the
Klepto Cat Mystery series. And my voice is getting stronger when I say, “I
write darn good fiction!”
Interview
Welcome to my blog Patricia. Thank you for taking the
time to answer a few questions about yourself, your books, and your
business.
Q. Tell us about your latest
work—title, genre, etc. — and why you wrote it?
A. I just published the twenty-third in my Klepto
Cat Mystery series; Cattywampus Travels. Some refer to my fiction as “revved up
cozy mysteries.” After 40 years of writing nonfiction, and years of editing
fiction for clients, I decided to finally follow one of my dreams—to write
fiction. It was a birthday gift to myself—to break away from the rigid world of
fact and dabble in a more creative vein. I started writing my first Klepto Cat
Mystery five years ago this month and I’ve produced an average of 6 books per
year since.
Q. What
draws you to your genre(s)? Why is this type of story compelling to you?
A. Writing
has been my life—my way of earning my living—for over 40 years. When I finish
an 8 or 12-hour day in my office, if I choose to read, I want it to be
something relaxing. I typically select a light or cozy mystery. If it involves
animals, all the better. And when I decided to write a novel, this was the
style I wanted to pursue. I’m particularly fond of cats and wanted them to be a
big part of my novels; hence I created Rags the kleptomaniac cat who always has
a paw in solving the mystery.
Q. What is
your writing process like? Do you map the whole thing out or do you just let it
unfold?
A. I’ve been surprised at my process as it
shifts a little with each story. Generally, I have a theme in mind and I just
start writing. Of course, I later spend hours and hours fleshing out the story
and logging times, dates, activities, etc. to make sure the flow is logical.
With the first in the series, “Catnapped,” I spent a lot of time working kinks
out involving the characters. I’ve edited numbers of books where the author
hasn’t defined his characters enough for the reader—perhaps two characters use
the same type of language and phrases, for example. So I will even log common
phrases used by each of my characters to make sure I don’t do too much crossing
over of personalities.
Q. What
kind of research was involved in writing your book?
A. Some of my stories so far are loosely based on
actual occurrences. One of my daughters, for example, saw someone snatch her
cat and run off with it. She stopped him and got her cat back. Later, another
one of her cats went missing. So the story I tell in Catnapped is based on
something that was going on in her small town. However, I am a real stickler
for research. I tell my family, if my computer is ever confiscated for any
reason, and I can’t speak for myself, be sure to tell the authorities I’m a
writer. Some of the strange and frightening things I research could cause
serious suspicion—what can you use in place of chloroform, for example, does a
dead body bleed?…things like that.
Q. How much of YOU makes it
into your characters?
A. I’m not sure that
you’ll find me in my characters (my family may beg to differ). But I sure do
enjoy plugging some of my experiences, my values, my perspective, my
observances into my stories in various ways. As you have noticed, cats are a
big part of my mysteries. While the cats don’t talk—I represent them as
cats—some of them have some interesting and entertaining habits and
personalities. I’ve known and cared for numbers of cats over the years and I
certainly write many of them into my stories. But I also use these stories to
educate people about cats—hopefully subtly, but successfully.
Q. How
do you balance the need to have time to write with the needs of family,
society, etc.?
A. I’ve tossed balance out the window. I admit
it, I’m a workaholic. Or you might say a write-a-holic. I don’t have trouble
finding time to write. I have a problem stopping the writing. I have 65
published books—23 of them in the Klepto Cat Mystery series. I work with other
authors on their projects. As you can see, my life is deeply embedded in
writing. My outlets are photography—in particular birds and cats, helping out
my 95-year-old mother and enjoying outings with my daughters and their
families. Another great pleasure, of course, are my own cats.
Q. Is
there a story you want to tell behind or about your work(s)?
A. I’m truly amazed at
how quickly these stories come together and how real some of the characters
(including the cat characters) are to me. One thing I tell authors is to keep
your reader in mind as you write—whether it is fiction or nonfiction. When you
do that, you are more apt to write with appropriate continuity—your reader can
follow along—the story flows and the characters are believable.
Q. What
other projects are you currently working on or about to start?
A. I am putting the finishing touches on the
twenty-fourth Klepto Cat Mystery—Cats in the Belfry. And I have the bare bones
of book number twenty-five documented. I’ve just come out with my first audio
book. Catnapped is now in audio, print and formatted for Kindle.
Q. Could
you share some of your marketing strategies? Which ones are the most
effective in your opinion?
A. Marketing is the biggest part of publishing.
And the marketing strategies that work for books in one genre or theme might
not be effective for another. I find promoting novels way more fun than
promoting books for authors. And there are more opportunities. You’re more apt
to run into novel-readers and cat lovers in line at the grocery store, at the
doctor’s office, while shopping at the mall, in restaurants, while socializing,
etc. so I always have a supply of bookmarks promoting the novels to hand out wherever
I go. I do a lot of Internet marketing and I keep adding to my emailing list so
I can inform my fans and reviewers when a new book comes out.
Q. What
would be the top five, (or 3 or 1 or however many) things you would tell
aspiring authors?
A. 1: Study the publishing industry before
getting involved—before writing the book.
2: Build promotion
into your book—hooks you can use to promote the book. (In my case, I’ve written
a cozy mystery that involves cats—my audience consists of both mystery readers
and people who enjoy cats. I also have a delightful character with Downs, and
I’ve included horses in some of the books…)
3: Start planning your
marketing strategy before you finish that book.
4: Hire a good book
editor—not a retired professor or a friend who is good with words.
5: Do not go with the
first pay-to-publish company that compliments your book. Do your homework.
Never be so eager to publish that you sabotage your success.
Q. Do you
have a favorite line or scene from the book?
A. I rather enjoyed the scene in Sleight of
Paw where Detective Craig Sledge takes liberties with a possible suspect in the
murder while searching his person for evidence that he had, indeed, come in
contact with Rags, the Klepto cat on at least one occasion.
Q. Tell us
about the inspiration for ... What part of the book came to you first?
A. The premise of Catnapped and Sleight of
Paw are based loosely on true stories. I just took the idea and ran with it. As
with all of my Klepto Cat stories, there’s a romance running alongside the
mystery and sometimes a secondary story. In the case of Sleight of Paw,
Michael, Savannah’s husband and local veterinarian, is attacked by an angry
client. When the client turns up dead, Michael is a suspect. At the same time,
Michael and Savannah discover that their house may have been cursed by gypsies
many years earlier. Horse lovers will enjoy meeting Peaches, Savannah’s new
ride.
Q. Please
open your book at a random page and tell us the first paragraph…
A. To Gonzalez’s surprise, Craig reached over and began rubbing the fabric of Ramirez’s lapel between his thumb and fingers.
A. To Gonzalez’s surprise, Craig reached over and began rubbing the fabric of Ramirez’s lapel between his thumb and fingers.
“What do you want?” Gus said, slapping at the detective’s
hand and taking a step back.
“Just settle down, Gus,” Sledge said. “I want
to check you out.” He looked the man up and down with a wide smile on his face
and said, “Yep, you look mighty fine tonight. Just the way I hoped to find
you.” He thought for a moment and then said, “Let’s go in the restroom, shall
we?”
“What? Are you some sort of pervert? No, I’m
not going in any john with you guys.” He looked from one to the other and began
backing away.
Craig reached out, grabbed the man, and bent one arm behind him.
Pushing him along in front of him, he asked, “Where’s the bathroom in this
place?”
“In the back,” Gonzalez said, himself somewhat perplexed by his partner’s actions.
“In the back,” Gonzalez said, himself somewhat perplexed by his partner’s actions.
“Is there a back entrance?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah.”
“Good, let’s go around back.”
“Sledge, what are you doing?” Gonzalez asked in a hushed tone.
“Sledge, what are you doing?” Gonzalez asked in a hushed tone.
“You’ll see, Gonzalez. Just stay with me here.
In just a minute, you’ll see this guy’s true colors.”
Again, thanks Patricia for taking the time to share your
knowledge with us. We appreciate you and your work.
Good luck with your current and future publications.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your valued comments