Monday, July 7, 2014

Today, I'm pleased to interview Carol Kilgore! You can learn more about her latest releases here. Carol, take it away...

Thanks so much to Mark for hosting me on his great blog. I’m excited to be here.

Mark is a prolific short story writer. Plus, he writes novels. We’re somewhat similar in that regard--when I first began to write fiction, I started by writing short stories.

All my life, characters, premises, beginnings, endings, and sometimes complete stories have lived in my head. I thought everyone was like that. One day, I realized I should try writing them down. I’m a little slow on the uptake about some things at times--don’t judge J

I’ve always read a lot. And I’ve always written a lot, but my writing was totally different from fiction. I wasn’t a technical writer, like Mark, but mostly prepared proposals and marketing-type material.

The stories in my head tumbled over themselves faster than I could write. I wrote this story, that story, bits that fit photos, ideas, what-ifs, until finally a little patch of clutter was cleared.

In my life, I’m happy, upbeat, and optimistic. Imagine my surprise when my stories turned out to feature a dark side I didn’t know I had.

I wrote from the point of view of killers, of people at the end of their ropes, women out for vengeance, and more. There were a few lighter stories, but for the most part, I wrote dark and darker tales. I kept wondering where it all came from.

After I cleared my brain of more clutter, I could take a good look at what remained--and that was my love for novels. So I dug in.

I was pretty much a pantser at this point. I planned to write a dark tale of a female homicide detective on a case involving the rape and murder of a local anchorwoman. That was all I knew.

Imagine my surprise when my detective is on scene where the body is found and who shows up but a handsome on-air reporter who insists on calling her things like cupcake and sugar dumpling. Plus he has a big friendly dog, and she finds herself attracted to both. They share funny banter. I think I was more surprised than the character.

Remember I said I’m sometimes a little slow on the uptake? It took another book or two before I realized I couldn’t stop seeing the humor in most situations. So there it is. I start with the dark, but I can’t stay there for the long haul of a novel. Truth: I don’t really want to stay there for the long haul. Life’s too short not to have a little fun and romance along the way.

And so, I write Crime Fiction with a Kiss. I hope you’ll give one of my novels a try. Except for the one with the homicide detective and the reporter with the dog. That one was practice J

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Life was so simple—until she had to save one.

By the end of a long evening working as a special set of eyes for the presidential security detail, all Kat Marengo wants is to kick off her shoes and stash two not-really-stolen rings in a secure spot. Plus, maybe sleep with Dave Krizak. No, make that definitely sleep with Dave Krizak. The next morning, she wishes her new top priorities were so simple.

As an operative for a covert agency buried in the depths of the Department of Homeland Security, Kat is asked to participate in a matter of life or death—locate a kidnapped girl believed to be held in Corpus Christi, Texas. Since the person doing the asking is the wife of the president and the girl is the daughter of the first lady’s dearest friend, it’s hard to say no.

Kat and Dave quickly learn
the real stakes are higher than they or the first lady believed and will require more than any of them bargained for.

The kicker? They have twenty-four hours to find the girl—or the matter of life or death will become more than a possibility.

Available September, 2014
Kindle and Paperback




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Carol writes grocery lists, texts to her family, new lyrics to old songs for her dogs, love notes to her husband, and novels for herself. And for you. In between, she blogs weekly at Under the Tiki Hut and is active on Facebook and Twitter.

She sees mystery and subterfuge everywhere. And she’s a sucker for a good love story—especially ones with humor and mystery. Crime Fiction with a Kiss gives her the latitude to mix and match throughout the broad mystery and romance genres. Having flexibility makes her heart happy.

You can connect with Carol here:
Monthly Contest: http://www.carolkilgore.net


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