The Radio Murders by Kelly Marshall

Attention crime readers. Here’s an author whose books you might want to get to know, including The Radio Murders, which has just been re-released. Here is her story behind the story.

Writing is a lonely profession. We authors often sit up late in the night while our spouses, children and, in my case, grandchild have all gone to bed. Frequently tired after a day full of activity, it’s the quiet time when we can think, imagine, and write without interruption. It was my desire to connect with my reader that prompted me to start a blog. I fought the idea for some time. I kept thinking, how in the world will I ever find the time to add one more thing to my exploding schedule? My decision to write a blog was prompted by that need to reach out and connect with those individuals who inspire me and share their thoughts with me—just like they did on my radio shows.

It’s been a few years since I sat at a microphone and communicated with listeners on my radio show Lights Out in Seattle. Back then I worked for KLSY for several years. Another radio station wined and dined me and wooed me away, and I went to work for Warm 106.9, also in Seattle. Management named my new show Love Songs. I thoroughly enjoyed the magic of nighttime radio. The lights in the studio would be soft and low; I could look through my studio windows and see the city lights sparkling in the dark waters of Puget Sound. The real magic though was the conversations with my listeners. I treasured their stories of love and devotion and yes, even their tales of painful losses. One conversation sticks in my mind with crystal clarity. The caller was from Vancouver, BC. Her family had been in a horrific car accident that night and she was waiting to hear whether they were going to live or die. She called my show to ask for support from my Lights Out listeners. I was humbled that she thought of us to help her through her desperation.

I left radio in 2002 and decided to get a “real” job. You know, one of those with fantastic benefits. It was a difficult transition because I missed the heartfelt sharing I had in radio. I decided to write in my spare time to ease some of the boredom I felt with the job that paid my bills. From the time I could barely read, I had a feeling I would communicate in the world with the written word. I started writing and haven’t stopped. I have written four novels: Black Phoenix, an apocalyptic thriller, The Chair, a sweet romance for the mature set, The Radio Murders, the first in a series of crime mysteries set in Seattle, and 6 White Roses, the second in that series. Currently, I am very close to finishing the third Seattle murder mystery, Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die.

I recently changed publishers and am very pleased to announce that I am now with White Bird Publishing. The transition from one publisher to another can be complicated, so all of my books had to be taken off the Internet and reformatted. The freshly edited, new edition of The Radio Murders debuts August 16th.

Kelly’s Bio:

I always thought I would communicate in the world as a writer. As a child I was a voracious reader, and knew someday I would pen a great novel. It was my calling. But life sometimes takes left turns and I went to broadcasting school instead of a four-year college.  I did spent thirty years having fun, spinning records, interviewing people, doing love song dedications. I had a ball until…Congress passed a law in 1996 allowing broadcast corporations to own multiple radio stations in one market. Well, the gobbling began and soon behemoths corporations ate up radio stations like locusts in a wheat field. Radio announcers like me were axed on bloody Fridays with surgical precision. I left radio, went to work for the US Federal Government, and in my private hours, began doing what I really loved doing—writing.  

Thank you for the gift of your time. I look forward to hearing from you.

Here’s the link to Amazon and click here for Kelly’s blog.

Is it Really Necessary to Create an Outline for Your Novel?

James Patterson, most successful author of our time is so struck on outlines that he devotes two chapters to them in his online writing class.

The problem is, I’m a pantser. I write by the seat of my pants. In other words, I sit down at a computer and start writing, and the characters tell me the story.

I do not plot and I do not outline.

But James Patterson. He’s not someone one should ignore, right? After listening to what he had to say, I went back to my novel, Virgo’s Vice,  which was in the editing phase with my publisher, and created a belated outline. Surprisingly (to me), it helped me see more than one flaw with my story and I was able to make big improvements.

I stopped working on the next novel, Scorpio’s Sting, which was in my pre-submission editing phase, and went back and created an outline. It helped me to see several problem areas. In particular, the timeline. The outline made it easy to find events that were in the wrong order.  It also helped me to identify (and delete) chapters that did not move the story forward, because we all know every chapter must do that or it isn’t needed.

Next, I started writing “Fat Girls Rock,” the fourth book in my Redneck P.I. Mystery Series. I tried to start with an outline. I swear I gave it a lot of thought, but nothing came. No inspiration. Zilch. It stayed unwritten. I ended up writing a one-page synopsis, and allowed myself to start writing the story. The lack of an outline nagged at me, and the writing dragged. The dreaded unmentionable thing loomed. Writer’s Block.

This past Monday I had some time on my hands and I told myself “To hell with it, I’m just gonna write.” And guess what? The story was all there in my head and today, Friday, the entire first draft is completed. Now I can create an outline.

I guess we’re all different and what works for one, just doesn’t do anything for another. That’s what I tell myself, anyhow.

Here’s the rough draft of my first few paragraphs. I still have to go back and make changes, add more emotion, and enhance the descriptions, but it is such a blast to write this kind of stuff.

FAT GIRLS ROCK

Trish Jackson

CHAPTER 1

Big Bart stomped his feet on the mat and strode in through the door with his brindle Pitbull, Sadie, and Benjamin, the dog he rescued from the dog fighting ring. He wore leathers, and a red, white and blue bandanna wrapped around his head. His biker boots made a loud clipping sound on the old wooden floors.

Several of his biker gang members trudged in behind him, all wearing their leather jackets with ‘Justice Enforcers’ on the back. They nodded at us and headed for the bar.

My dog Stretch stood up from under my legs, stretched, and stuck his nose into Sadie’s ass.

Bart stopped at our table. “Well, if it ain’t the fat girls’ club.” He clamped an oversized hand on my shoulder and I stared at the cut-off black leather glove before I glared at him through narrowed eyes.

“Who are you calling fat? I’m not fat, and neither is LaMercy or Ena.” Fat is a word that’s always made me bristle, and if it was anyone other than Bart, I would probably have done something physical to him.

He held up his hands, palms facing me. “Oh, no. Don’t get me wrong, Twila. Fat is good. What man doesn’t like a little padding? I meant it in a good way.” His gaze strayed from my boobs, to Ena’s and then to LaMercy’s. “You ladies all got curves where women are supposed to have ’em,” he growled in his deep bass voice. “Fat girls rock, man.”

I was at a loss for words. Luckily, Stretch took the attention away from us when Sadie snapped at him and he whined and licked her face.

“Yeah, good girl. You don’t need anyone sticking their cold nose there, do you?” Bart rasped. He turned toward the bar. “What’s a man got to do to get a drink around here?” he said to Gasser, who was standing behind the counter serving the others, with an annoying grin on his face.

“Coming right up,” he said, and slid a 24 oz glass of draft beer across the pitted wooden counter top. Bart grabbed it and swallowed half of it down in one gulp. 

As usual, Jimmie Lewis, the town drunk stood in the corner propping up the bar, and Lilly Belle Groat, the town mattress, who looks like the back side of a bus, sat beside him.

“Maybe we have put on some pounds,” LaMercy, always the practical one said. She was staring at me.

“Yeah, but fat. That’s a big word,” Ena said. 

I took a hard look at my two companions. They actually had put on some weight, and I hadn’t really noticed before.

We all stared at Bart’s ass as he crossed the room to join the others at the pool tables.

“That is one heck of a man,” Ena, the only one of us who was truly single said. “No fat there.”

I knew LaMercy was thinking it too, and so was I. He was one hell of a piece of male flesh.

Gasser, with his coffee-colored skin and dreads stepped around from behind the bar, pulled out a chair at our table, and dropped into it. He still had that irritating grin on his face that meant one of two things. Either he had just farted or he thought something was amusing.

I sniffed, and didn’t detect anything. “What do you think is so funny?” I asked.

“Fat girls’ club,” he glanced across at Bart to make certain he couldn’t hear, and burst out laughing.

Chocolate, Romance and a Little Wine

Valentines Day is here once more. A time for romance, chocolates, wine and roses. And how about a good romance novel?

In Virgo’s Vice, Lexie King and cowboy Billy Murphy find themselves among the players in a Survivor type of reality show.

Talk of a monster makes Lexie glad she has the protection of chocolate lab, Jake, who parachuted into the remote part of Zimbabwe, Africa with all of the contestants and the two camera operators. Billy romances her with sunsets and stargazing, and then everything goes to hell . . .

But today is for romance, and these pictures tell a little bit of the story. You can read more at my website at www.trishjackson.com where you will also find free downloads of a few fun short stories.

So Happy Valentines Day to y’all. 

Virgo’s Vice Cover Reveal

I just received my cover for the next story in my Zodiac Series, Virgo’s Vice. As always, Soul Mate Publishing’s artists did an amazing job and captured the essence of the story, which is a romantic suspense thriller set in Africa. 

Lexie King can’t believe she did this to herself — she signed up to work as a camera operator in Allan Dockery’s new survival type reality show.

She wanted to prove she could break her reliance on anti-anxiety meds, and make something of herself. But she had no way of knowing he would be there. The monster.

Now all she wants is to get away–as far away as possible. But how? They’re one stop past nowhere in Africa.

When shocking events start to happen, she draws comfort from Jake, the producer’s chocolate lab, and cowboy contestant Billy Murphy, who makes her laugh at the darkest of times, and heats up more than her heart with his touch…

Scheduled for release in October 2015.

Outlines are Essential, Says James Patterson

When I found out that James Patterson, the most prolific and successful author of our time, was holding a writing class, I was all in. 

The outline is the most creative part of writing your novel, and sometimes, James says, he writes several different outlines for the same story before he decides how it will all work out. He can be working on an outline for months before he is happy with it.

Before you start the outline, you need the raw idea. This is a one-paragraph summary of your story, and if your story is to succeed, the idea has to be something more than a little disparate, create tension and conflict, and should grab readers’ attention from the start.

Here’s the idea for my upcoming novel, ‘Virgo’s Variant’:

Cinematographer Lexie King is determined to break free from the drugs, and psychoses that haunt her as a result of the sexual abuse she suffered as a child. She signs up as one of the camera operators for a new reality show set in Africa, knowing that it will be totally out of her comfort zone. It is too late for her to quit the assignment when she discovers that one of the contestants is the man who abused her, The producer has dropped her and the other camera operator, with the twelve contestants, in a remote region somewhere in Africa with no means of communication. The producer dies, and the only person who knows where they are is the pilot who dropped them there, who is away on his honeymoon. Rumor has it that all the local inhabitants have abandoned their villages because a monster roams the region. Then the murders start, and the only person Lexie trusts is the cowboy, but could she be wrong? He is certainly physically strong enough to be the murderer.

So my next task is to write an outline. This is a summary of each chapter, with one or two paragraphs per chapter. Every chapter is a new scene, and should contain something that propels the story forward and adds a new twist.

Once the outline is all written up — and typing it out in Word works for me — you can go back over the scenes and experiment. Add new twists, reorganize the order of events, make notes for future reference, add something to create more suspense, and make a note of how the events affect the personal lives of each character.

Here you will edit, edit and edit again before you go any further.

The one thing I did notice about the outline is that, without dialogue or the internal conflict and thoughts of the characters, it’s pretty blah, but that all comes later, and James goes over the do’s and don’ts of dialogue and creating conflict in some detail.

Only when you are completely happy with your outline should you start the novel, which will flow easily now that you know how the story progresses. I used to be a pantser, but now I know better.My greatest problem with this particular novel was that I had already written it before the classes with James, and it was with my publisher, Soul Mate Publishing. I received the first edit from them soon after completing the course. I found that with the outline, I was able to do a lot of editing that I probably wouldn’t have done before. I cut out a lot of unnecessary explanations and changed some of the events. (Show don’t tell). I also ended up with double the number of chapters I originally started with, because short one-scene chapters make the story move at a faster pace, and if your story drags, your readers will lose interest.

If you are interested in taking the class, here is a link: James Patterson Teaches Writing

Goodreads Giveaway — Capricorn Cravings

Capricorn Cravings was published in print format 10 months after it first hit the Kindle market, and with two new books being released over the holiday season I am only just now scheduling a giveaway.

Riley Shaughnessy has the perfect life. Her veterinary practice is thriving, and she loves living in the small town in the Colorado mountains, where no one knows the shocking secret of her past. She loves to gallop her palomino mare across the vast expanse of public land bordering the town, and after a long period of self-denial, she has even committed to a date with handsome horse wrangler, Randy Hansen. But now, she knows her assistant, Jamie, would never willingly abandon her child, so why has she disappeared? Something dark and sinister is taking place, and it all started on the day hunky Powell Stewart, with the piercing blue eyes, came into her life in a strange and unexpected way. Her inner voice tells her to stay as far away from him as she can…

Here are the details of the Giveaway:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Capricorn Cravings

by Trish Jackson

Giveaway ends March 20, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/widget/127467

Aquarius Addiction – Review by Joan Ellis

UK psychological thriller author Joan Ellis just sent me this wonderful review for Aquarius Addiction. I am thrilled with it. 

Tight, taut and thrilling, Trish Jackson at her best.

Trish Jackson can tell a tale. Birth, death, love and hate form the bedrock with a generous helping of Voodoo, kidnap and murder thrown in to spice things up. Trish Jackson deals as expertly as ever with all the elements in this fast, sexy romance. Her fans will love this book and the gutsy story-telling is guaranteed to garner her even more readers.

Meet FBI Psychic Arlette Xylander. No ordinary agent.

When she discovers she’s terminally ill, far from buckling under, she behaves like a typical Aquarius, telling no-one, fighting back and vowing to beat the disease.

What a time for her to meet the gorgeous Andre who needs her help finding his sister who has been missing for four years. She feels an electric connection with him and puts him first on her Bucket List. Just one problem – his fiancée.

Of course, nothing is quite what it seems and there are plenty of twists and turns along the way.

Trish Jackson does what she does best, expertly leading the reader through a maze of events before finally, wrapping up the loose ends as neatly as any good cop.

To give more clues to the story would spoil the plot.

If you like your romances tinged with danger, told tight and taut, this one’s for you.

Get it now from Amazon

Aquarius Addiction Cover Reveal

I;m getting excited about my next novel in the Zodiac Series, Aquarius Addiction, now that the cover is done.

FBI psychic Arlette’s Xylander’s life changes dramatically when her mysterious Aunt Lucie, whom she has never met, dies, and bequeaths two things to Arlette–her country home on the banks of Bayou LeGue, and an ancient spell book. 
Then, on the same day she meets hunky Andre Rossouw, her doctor tells her she’s suffering from a terminal disease. 

The house holds many mysteries, including the ghosts she hears meeting in her dining room in the dark hours of the night, and why is there a gris-gris — the talisman of a voodoo curse — outside in her yard? Could it be something to do with the mysterious, cloaked woman she sees at her aunt’s graveside?

She displays all the character traits of her star sign, Aquarius, being feisty, eccentric, freedom-loving, flirtatious, rebellious and unpredictable, and she determines two things; to beat the odds of the disease, and to have wild and passionate sex with Andre.

Then she finds out he’s engaged.

Get the prologue, Arlette’s Story absolutely free here.  

Interview with NZ Author Claire Plaisted

Claire Plaisted is a multi-talented author from New Zealand, who has written several books in different genres and for totally different audiences. Just looking at a list of the titles can tell you a lot — Garrett Investigation Bureau – Malachy’s Unit, Rosetta’s Lot, Joseph’s Story, Ryan’s Madam.  And still to be published — Mascosta’s Dreamgirl & Renegade Jones.  Other titles. – Zoe’s Journey, Charlie Girls First Summer Christmas, The Diary of a Psychotic Killer.

It’s great to have you here on my blog, Claire. Could you give us a little more info about the various genres do you write?

Historical Romance Mystery, Mystery Romance, Sci Fi Young Adult, Children’s. I haven’t settled into any one Genre, and probably never will.

Are you a pantser? (You write by the seat of your pants and the story is all there in your head.)  

I’ve always wondered what to call myself!  My fingers do the talking. I open a word document and write whatever is there.

How about plotting? Have you ever tried it?

I sometimes chuck ideas around with friends if I get a bit stuck. I have never really plotted anything,

Do you think it’s important to write a detailed list of your character’s habits, likes, dislikes and family members? Why?

I did try this once at a suggestion of another friend who is also a writer, it didn’t really work for me.  These days when I write a book draft I sometimes open Notepad to write their names down and what they look like.

Writing in first person, present has been controversial in the past, but now it seems to be the trend for best-selling authors. (I look into the closet and recoil when I see what looks like a dead body.) Do you think it is more powerful than other tenses?

Is it more powerful?  No I don’t believe it is.  Some people enjoy reading a book as if they are doing the deed; others enjoy reading a book as if they are watching a movie.  I do have one draft where one character is in first person and all the others are in third.  It can get complicated, though it’s been fun to do.

What do you think today’s readers want and how does it differ from readers of the past?

In many books I read I must admit to getting bored from all the descriptive writing.  I like to read a book which has twists and turn, lots of dialogue.  Entertaining, taking you out of your own life and into another world.  As a writer I want you to see what is happening.  My readers wanted sex scenes, so I gave them what they wanted.  Going back even fifteen years and those types of scenes were not acceptable.  The English language has also change a lot over the years, especially with the different types of English used in different countries.

I totally agree with you and I think it’s something a lot of authors don’t seem to get. Readers today don’t have time for long-winded passages that don’t advance the storyline. What book are you going to feature in this post? Tell us its genre and write a short paragraph about it.

“Girlie and the War of the Wasps.” This is a young children’s story which I wrote for a friend’s grandchild.  Since then I have had young beta readers who have been enthralled with it. 

 Girlie is a bright blue Ladybug who sees her best friend Grassi the Grasshopper kidnapped by nasty wasps.  Girlie follows them to their hive where she finds all different types of insects been used as slaves to look after the Queens and her babies.  Girlie has to find a way to save all the insects and stop the war. She goes on a quest to find a healthy diet for the Queen so her worker and drone wasps behave and do their own work.  Along the way she meets Sammie the kitten, Pedi the Centipede and many more.  She even drops in at an orphanage where there are many different coloured ladybugs. (The book cover below is a concept drawing and as you can see, it hadn’t been completed yet.)

Can you tell me about your ideal reader? You probably have a few different ones.

Yes. With writing all different types of genres, my market is quite wide.  My children’s books have been well accepted by 6 – 10 year olds so far.  Parents saying to me “They won’t put it down, it’s amazing.”  One parents has a daughter who dislikes reading, I gave her a copy of my book “Zoe’s Journey,” her daughter read two chapters every night, and loved it.  ‘Zoe’s Journey’ is about myths and legends, strangely enough, the young girl’s class at school had studied this topic a few months prior.  

My adult books are suitable for anyone who wishes to read about murder, mystery and mayhem.  Suitable for anyone over 18 years.

Also, romance readers want steamy love scenes. Do you agree? Do you think your books meet their expectations?

Well you can certainly get steamy love scenes in my adult books.  The first time I was so embarrassed, it took a while to pick up the courage to self-publish one of the books.  I can however, write without steamy sex scenes as well.  Yes my books met the expectations of those who have read them so far.  All I get is – “I want more!”  Though I think that is more to do with the twisted plot rather than the sex scenes.

Children’s books usually include pictures. How did you find an illustrator/photographer?

For my first little children’s book, which I hope to publish by Christmas, I have done my own drawings and with the help of a local Artist enhanced them, at present he is doing the colouring.  I met him at a networking meeting for local businesses.  Another idea I have looked at is helping art students at the local college and schools to build their portfolios, helping to build their experience.

Do any of your books have a message? 

The only books which will have messages in them are my little children’s books.  The first story called “Girlie and the War of the Wasps, is about eating healthy and playing nicely with others.  The second in the series is about biting and kicking and how unkind it is.  They are both adventure stories in the garden world of insects.

I like that. If you could choose one character from the book, what would he/she say to you if he/she was to meet you?

Out of all my characters I would like to meet Yuri.  I have no idea why, he is a good man caring for his boss and his staff.  I’d like to hug him and thank him for all his hard work.  What he would say to me?  I’m not sure he would, I thinks he’d just smile and salute with a twinkle in his eye.

Did you self-publish or query and hope a publisher would accept your work and how did that work out for you?

With my very first book, I did try and find an agent and get it published the old fashioned way, without any progress.  It taught me a lot about setting my work out; it didn’t help with my English or Grammar due to the fact they give no feedback whatsoever.  They never tell you why your book is not acceptable.   Since that time I have taught myself how to format books for eBook and Print versions.  It has been a hard road though enjoyable.  I no help other local authors get their books online.

What do you do to promote your writing?

I mainly use social media, Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Smashwords.  I will be adding a few more sites as I gather experience.  I also have a Writers Website, Blog and a Business Website.   On a local base I contact the local reporter and ask if they are interested.  I have participated in one article this year though my name has been in four articles with various clients.

What advice do you have for your fellow writers/authors?

Don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t write.  Find someone who will help you perfect your writing, use a program like “StyleWriter” to help with grammar and sentence length.  I have seen some great stories, though they needed a lot of work to get them publishable.  Be it the flow or grammar.  YOU CAN WRITE.  Get positive feedback and feed forward.  I dislike negativity it is not needed.  Read “On Writing” by Stephen King.  It is great.  It certainly helped me a lot.

Tell us about your next project.

I have several projects on the go at any one time.  I don’t concentrate on any one story unless I am in the mood to do so.  My fingers do the talking.  I have around 20 drafts on the go.  My aim though is to finish my little children’s book, “Girlie and the War of the Wasps,” and publish my next book in “Garrett Investigation Bureau” (GIB) series, called “Mascosta’s Dreamgirl.”  Hopefully by Christmas time.

Wow!! Prolific is not enough to describe that! But why should we buy your books?

I write a good book, with a good storyline; they tend to twist and turn when you least expect it.  They finish with a reader usually wanting more.  I’m good at keeping people on the edge of their seats.  This is with my adult book series (GIB)  They are interesting to read, you can learn a few things from each book even though they are fiction I try and get my facts right.  They are entertaining, romantic and in some cases horrifying.  They are also well priced in print and eBook versions.

They kind of sound like mine. Perhaps readers who like my books would also like yours, and vice-versa. Thank you so much again for this wonderfully entertaining interview. I hope readers will go to your sites and check out your books.

CLAIRE’S BIO

My name is Claire Plaisted.  I am married with three children and live in Rotorua, New Zealand.  I have been writing novels since 2011 and have self-published 7 in that time.
 I fell into writing whilst waiting for Family History Research information from a client.  I wrote a Regency Romance which is still to be published.  Since then I’ve not stopped writing.  At first I was writing for me, I first published for my own satisfaction.  The feeling of having your first printed book in your hands is amazing.  It was only at friend’s insistence that I published for everyone. Hobbies can vary these days.  I love to spend time with my family and two cats.  I like to garden in the summer and reading is a must.  I like to cook and bake, crochet and knit.  It depends on my mood. In the past I have supported.  Heart Children New Zealand, Parent to Parent and I was a Trustee at a local school for 6 years.  Today I write a community newsletter and volunteer a half day in a local charity shop.

Where can we find out more about you and your work?

WEBSITE http://claireplaisted.wix.com/author

BLOG    http://myjourneyintowriting.blogspot.co.nz/

TWITTER   https://twitter.com/rotosis1

FACEBOOK   https://www.facebook.com/Rotosis

OTHER http://www.pinterest.com/rotosis/

              http://plaistedpublishing.wix.com/self-publish-service#

             https://www.linkedin.com/pub/claire-elizabeth-plaisted/6a/481/605

                    

Interview with Thriller Author Cat Connor

Do you like crime and techno-thrillers? You may want to take a look at Cat Connor’s books. 

Cat, it’s so good to have you here on my blog. Please tell us about your writing. What genre/genres do you write?

I write predominately in the thriller genre. Mostly crime thrillers with a bit of a horror edge at times. My latest book, Databyte has a techno-thriller edge.

Are you a pantser? (You write by the seat of your pants and the story is all there in your head.)  

Yep, I’m a pantser. The story isn’t all there in my head though. I see it as a series of movie clips and write what I see as the scenes are shown to me. I have no idea when I start a story what it will be about, who will be involved or how it will end. I always start with a question that seems to pop into my head. It can be anything. With databyte is was, “Whose hand is it?” and from that a story grew.If I knew the entire story from the moment I started writing I wouldn’t bother writing it at all … for me to write, I need to discover the story as I go – keeps me entertained and let’s face it, it’s all about entertaining ourselves first and foremost.
Ironically though I host a writing group at our public library and teach plotting! I have tried in the past to plot out a story – but got bored.

So please tell us more about the book you are featuring in this post.

DATABYTE – the 6^th byte book is a thriller. SSA (Supervisory Special Agent) Ellie Conway has had better days and none of them started with her being on the run from the FBI with an actor. She discovers that protecting the actor from a stalker might be the easiest part of the week and if she can’t clear her name before the FBI catch her then life as she knows it will end. 

When information becomes misinformation how much of what you see should you believe?

Choose one character from the book and tell us what he/she would say to you if he/she was to meet you.

   SSA Ellie Conway is my main character and I’ve often thought she’s someone I’d love to hang out with.Our meeting might go something like this:

   ‘I looked up to see a tall woman with long blonde hair wearing cowboy boots, jeans, and a black long sleeved button down shirt crossing the floor toward me.
She sat on the bar stool next to me, leaned on the bar and spoke, “Cat?”

“Yeah. Ellie?” She nodded glanced at my glass and ordered a drink. “I’ll have the same,” she said to the bartender.

“Another cowgirl’s prayer, coming right up.”

Moments later she was sipping on her drink. “You have good taste.”
“Thanks. Why are you here?”

“We need to talk.”

I frowned, that didn’t sound good.“We do?”

“Yeah.” Her head swiveled and her dark blue eyes scrutinized me.

I arched an eyebrow. “So talk …”

“Don’t let Mitch die,” she said quietly. “We have a chance at a normal life. Let us have that.”

“I only write what you show me, so don’t show me his death.”

She finished her drink, set the glass on the bar, and stood up. “Don’t let him die,” she said as she walked away.’

  

And I guess the only we’ll find out if you listened to her is to read the book. Tell us, did you self-publish or query and hope a publisher would accept your work, and how did that work out for you?

I queried. It’s a slow process and at times frustrating. I did find a publisher and I’ve been with Rebel ePublishers since February 2009. They’ve published all the byte series so far.
In the last few years I’ve also self-published collections of short stories, a byte series novella (which goes between the 5^thand 6^th books) and a poetry book. My main character in the byte series writes poetry – the poetry book is a book that is talked about within the series. That was a lot of fun to put together.

Wow! You are so talented to be able to write poetry as well. It sounds like you have a lot of projects going at the moment. Which one is due to be published next?

The next book in the byte series is ERASERBYTE, it’s due out next year – probably June or July. Eraserbyte was a really fun book to write and quite different for me. My Admins wanted me to write a book based on some of the things we did in Washington D.C. So for the first time ever I had a bit of an idea how some of the story would play out … or so I thought. Turned out I really had no clue and it grew into something quite unexpected. It was a helluva ride and I enjoyed every second. (The Admins haven’t seen it yet, can’t wait until they read it!) I’ve recently finished writing the 8^th book in this series, Psychobyte. I’ll be sending that off to my publishers early next year. I’m working my way through it at the moment, tweaking sentences and adding detail then it’ll go to a few trusted readers before it lands on my editor’s desk at Rebel.

Your books sound amazing. Is there anything you can say to convince us to buy them? 

This is what others have said about them:

 “Cat Connor’s Databyte, a techno-thriller cum murder mystery, hits the spot and then some. Even if we’d never heard of the NSA, Eric Snowden, and Julian Assange, this book would be worth the price of admission just to eavesdrop on the internal dialogue of Supervisory Special Agent Ellie Conway.”

                –Reed Farrel Coleman, three-time Shamus Award-winning author of The Hollow Girl “From the first page, with multiple plots and twists, Databyte grabs tight and doesn’t let go till right to the end.” -– Eric G

CAT’S BIO

Cat Connor lives in Upper Hutt, New Zealand with her youngest two children (The Girl Wonder and Breezy), a retired racing greyhound – Romeo, and a fat grey cat – Missy.

She is the author of The _byte series published by Rebel ePublishers, USA, an FBI thriller series about the life of SSA Ellie Conway. Cat’s short stories have appeared in anthologies, collections, ezines, and journals in the USA and UK. Cat hosts a fortnightly writing workshop at the Upper Hutt City Library: A Writer’s Plot. 

A coffee addict and a lover of red wine and Jose Cuervo tequila, she’s been described as irresistible, infectious, and addictive. Cat believes music is as essential to life as breathing. When she’s not writing Cat enjoys decoupage, tie-dying, walking with her kids and hound, hanging out with friends, and themed dinners with the Admins and The Oracle.

Thank you again, Cat, it’s wonderful to have someone from the other side of the world here, and such a talented writer. Where can we find out more about you and your work?

WEBSITE www.catconnor.com

 BLOG www.catconnor.blogspot.co.nz

TWITTER  @catconnor

FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cat-Connor/76140493745?ref=hl

AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Connor/e/B002DP3JCQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

PINTEREST: http://www.pinterest.com/otherwisecat73/

 Attach a picture of you and your book cover.