Book Tour: Interview with Kate Brady (& Giveaway!)

My writing career began in the closet, where--thankfully--my first several novels remain. I worked as a fulltime choral conductor and assistant professor of music education, and writing fiction was a strictly clandestine hobby.  A passing phase, I thought.

Then the needs of small children convinced me to switch to part-time teaching.  For the first couple of years as a mostly stay-at-home-mom, it was all I could do to complete the metamorphosis from domestically-challenged career woman to culinary-queen and housework goddess.  (Okay...Some transitions are never fully realized.)  But later, when the kids got in school, the characters in my head found time to come out again. Murderers, cops, victims, lovers. I wrote down everything they did and said, then finally decided to see if anyone but me wanted to read about them.

Now, I lead a double life.  Some days are spent in the university classroom or at the rehearsal podium; others spent chasing villains on my laptop.

So what do I do when I'm not creating music teachers or psycho murderers? (Two unrelated populations, I assure you.) With a husband, two teenagers, and way too many furry, feathery, and scaly things, there isn't a lot of time left. It's enough to keep up with the jobs, the house, the yard, and the family schedule, and hope no one on my laptop gets murdered when I'm not looking.

Hello Kate! Thank you for stopping by and visiting Stitch Read Cook!

My pleasure!

What is a typical “day” in your writing life?

I have days of different extremes in writing. Some days are dedicated solely to writing.
These are the days when I’m not teaching or conducting rehearsals, not in meetings, not at
appointments, and when I make the conscious decision not to clean house, weed the gardens, do
laundry, or catch up on any of the other things chasing me through life. (I’ll probably still cook,
though. I do love to cook!) I get the kids off to school, dress in the loose comfy sweats-that-I-
would-never-be-caught-dead-wearing, and settle down with my laptop and a cup of coffee in a
recliner or at the kitchen island. And, invariably, as I look at the day stretching out before me, I
think, “Wow! I’m going to get so much done today!” But then I check emails (mistake), answer
the phone (mistake), and look at the dog (who wants a walk) or the cats (who want to be petted)
or the birds (who want out of their cage) or the laundry (still piled up from the LAST dedicated-
writing day)… And I never get as much done as I should.

The opposite extreme is a day when I squeeze writing in between classes, rehearsals,
meetings, appointments, laundry, housecleaning, taxiing kids, etc. These are the times I sit in the
high school parking lot waiting for the kids, with my laptop leaning against the steering wheel,
or sit in the waiting room at the vet, trying to finish a scene. The point is that I’ve learned to do
it both ways–when I have big blocks of time and also when I have to steal tiny moments here
and there.

Why romantic suspense? What drew you to that genre over all the others?

I like cops, plain and simple. I like the mentality of “protector,” I like to watch them
chase bad guys, I like police procedural stuff, and I like to see a villain get what’s due. And, of
course, I like a good romance. I’m a sucker for a woman in jeopardy and a man who—if not
saving her (she may not need him!)—is at least willing to do anything to protect her. Ooh.

If you could be any literary character, who would it be?

No one. My gosh, have you seen what we authors DO to our characters? Even
Cinderella had to go through hell before she found love and happiness, and all the great literary
heroines do the same. Writers torture their heroes and heroines—giving them something big to
overcome is what makes a great story.

“What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” But I don’t want to be that strong, not if I have
to endure what literary characters do.

What author inspired you to write?

It will probably come as a surprise, but I think I’d have to give this to Kathleen
Woodiwiss. She was the first fiction writer I glommed. Mind you, I read reams and stacks and
hoards of professional treatises on choral conducting and aesthetic education (thrillers like that!)
but I was so involved in my career that I never read for pleasure. It usually comes as a shock to
people that I never read a novel in my life—unless it was required for an English class—until I
was close to thirty. Then I discovered the romantic suspense novels of Kathleen Woodiwiss, and
indeed, the first four novels I wrote (which are tucked safely under my bed where they can’t
harm anyone) were historical romances.

If you could have dinner with any author (dead or alive) who would it be? Why?

Shakespeare. I love theatre, I love English history, and the Elizabethan era. I’m
impressed with a writer who could handle both comedy and tragedy so expertly, and who was so
influential that every even moderately educated person who has ever existed since his time,
knows him. Wow.

If Hollywood optioned your book into a movie, who would play the lead characters?

I’m afraid I’d have to leave that decision to people more knowledgeable than I – and
hope that someday it becomes an issue! I’m shamefully ill-apprised of actors and actress…I
almost never watch movies, I watch only minimal TV, and I’m not into the pop-culture world
enough to even name more than a few current stars. My list of known celebrities is limited to
those on Food Network, the DIY network, or HGTV. I’m not sure I can see any of them starring
in WHERE ANGELS REST, though maybe I should give it some thought...

What are you writing at the moment? Can you give us a sneak peek into your current WIP?

WHERE ANGELS REST is the first book of a three-book series starring the Mann
family. In it, Sheriff Nick Mann discovers that his Norman Rockwell community is harboring
dark secrets—and a macabre serial killer living right his nose.

The next two books are on my laptop now. The second, starring Nick’s brother Luke, is
undergoing edits. An undercover FBI agent posing as a drug cartel hit man, Luke is thrown for a
loop when a beautiful assistant district attorney hires him to kill someone: her.

The third book, starring Nick’s and Luke’s sister, Alayna, is my current project. Trying to
get a fresh start in life after a traumatic loss, she unearths the body of a victim of the most
diabolical and Machiavellian serial killer I’ve ever created: The Sandman.

If your book were to have a theme song, what would it be?

“All Night, All Day.” This is the song that would torment the villain in WHERE
ANGELS REST because of its theme, “Angels watching over me.” That won’t make sense
unless you read the book, but if you do, you’ll see why this song would be haunting and
devastating to the villain.

Describe your book in 140 characters (a tweet).

WHERE ANGELS REST - Trying to save her brother’s life, Erin Sims and Sheriff Nick
Mann hunt a killer mounting a macabre display of the murders—right under Nick’s nose.

Quick & Easy:

Book or E-book?

Either. I’ve finally progressed into the digital world.

Day or Night?

Both.

Coffee or Tea?

Coffee, mostly.

Plotter or Panster?

Panster. Nothing stalls me more completely than knowing what’s got to happen next.
You can actually hear the brakes in my mind skid to a halt.

Dark or Milk Chocolate?

Come on. I have to choose?

Wallflower or Belle of the Ball?

Definitely not a wallflower, but “belle” isn’t a term I’ve ever applied to myself…

Laptop or Desktop?

Laptop.

Love at first sight or Second chances?

Love them both!

Angel or Demon?

Angel. Goodie-goodie-two-shoes.

Reality or Fiction?

Fiction, mostly.

Author’s Choice - what do you want to ask the readers?

What makes a romantic thriller really sing? What makes a book stick to your bones long
after you finish reading it?

A RACE FOR SALVATION

For the past decade, psychologist Erin Sims has been helping victims of violent crimes move on with life . . . but the one person she can't save is the one who matters most. In only seven days, her brother will be executed for a murder he didn't commit. Convinced she knows the identity of the real killer, Erin is determined to find the man and bring him to justice.

A COUNTDOWN TO DESTRUCTION

Sheriff Nick Mann moved to rural Ohio hoping to forget the tragedies of his past. When Erin shows up in town, bringing scandal and unwanted media attention with her, Nick knows she's trouble. No one believes sleepy Hopewell could harbor a serial killer . . . until residents begin to disappear. Now as Nick untangles the dark secrets plaguing his town, he can't help falling for the beautiful woman with the warm heart and iron will. And, as the days tick by, the truth becomes clear: Erin is hunting a vicious murderer-one whose only escape is to silence her forever.

GIVEAWAY

One lucky commenter will win a copy of WHERE ANGELS REST!

Open to residents of the US only.
Must be 18 or older.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment answering Kate’s question!

Make sure to leave your email address!
example: emailaddress (at) gmail (dot) com

Ends on November 20th, 2012 (midnight EST)