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 6th 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 5thand 6th 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 8th 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
PINTEREST: http://www.pinterest.com/otherwisecat73/
Trish Jackson, Author 