Kaye George, author of Choke: An Imogene Duckworthy Mystery, Talks Writing

My guest today is Kaye George. An Agatha nominated short story writer, Kaye is the author of CHOKE: An Imogene Duckworthy Mystery (Mainly Murder Press), as well as A PATCHWORK OF STORIES, a collection of a few of her previously published stories. Her stories appear in print and online magazines as well as anthologies, such as ALL THINGS DARK AND DASTARDLY, GRIMM TALES anthology, and FISH TALES. She serves as President of the Guppies chapter of Sister in Crime, reviews for "Suspense Magazine", and writes for several newsletters and blogs. She, her husband, and a rescued feral cat named Agamemnon live together in Texas, near Austin.

Anne - Welcome, Kaye. I’m excited to talk writing with you, so let’s get started. Do you have a fear, phobia, or habit you’d rather no one knew about?

Kaye - I sure have a phobia I wish I didn't have. Public speaking. Since writers are called upon to give readings and presentations in order to sell books, I wish I were much, much better at this! I'm told that it gets better if I do it more. I'm trying that. And, to be honest, the events where I speak are the ones where I sell books.

Anne - How long does it take you to write a book?

Kaye - That depends on the book. I think I worked on my first (still unsold mystery) for about ten years, but only by fits and starts between raising kids, moving around the country, and holding down lots of different jobs. I wrote another one, then another. That third one took about ten years, too. That's the one I seriously queried, well over 100 agents, to no avail. I wrote its sequel and queried the heck out of that one, too. Then I decided to write a book that had been bugging me for a long time, a Neanderthal mystery. I REALLY queried the heck out of that one, but those last two took only a year or so to write. Then I wrote CHOKE (my now published novel), which took less than a year. I think I'm learning how to write mysteries!

Anne - Describe your home office as appears right now. Is this a good or bad thing?!

Kaye - Not tidy. It's useless to straighten it up. I can do it, but that only lasts a few days. It's all right. I know where everything is. Mostly.

Anne - What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Kaye - Time is the hardest part. I could use a lot more hours in each day. I'm convinced we evolved from beings that came from a planet with at least 30 hours in each day. That's what we could all use.

Anne – I agree. I always feel like I could use another six hours per day. Are you a glass half-empty or half-full kind of person? 

Kaye - Glass half-full! My question, though, is what's in the glass? If it's Diet Dr. Pepper or Scotch, half full, a good thing. If it's something yucky, like vegetable juice, let's call it empty and pour it out.

Anne – LOL! For me, it’s half full of chardonnay! Any words of advice for struggling, unpublished writers?

Kaye - If any writer is reading this that doesn't have a writing friend, I hope you know that you are not alone. There are others like you. I'd advise you to seek them out either online or at home. The journey is easier with company. And persist. Persist well past the point where a sane person would quit. You are not sane. You are a writer. You are not like other people.

Anne - Outside of writing, what accomplishment are you most proud?

Kaye - My children and my grandchildren. I thought I was a free spirit in my late teens and early twenties. My goal was to have a career interpreting and to jet around the world. I didn't really want to get married because that would tie me down and my life would be nothing but dishes and laundry, or so I thought. If I got married at all, I didn't want kids, but would maybe want to end up marrying a diplomat or an ambassador. That was a good plan because I like to travel and like having lots of money. Instead, I got married to a fellow scholarship student during finals week. And those kids I didn't think I wanted? What would I do without them? I can't even imagine.

Anne - Where can readers find you online?

Kaye - At my website, my solo blog, and All Things Writing blog.

Anne – You’re giving away one ebook (international) and one paperback (US resident only) copy of CHOKE to two readers who leave a comment below. Do you have a specific question for them?

Kaye – I do. I think being a writer is great because I can try on lives I never lived. My life plan would probably have been fun, but I've learned that what happens, happens, and it doesn't happen according to my plans! Readers, do you have plans that never materialized? Are you still planning on fulfilling them someday? Or is it just as well they didn't happen and are you content to follow the path you carved, however unintentional and offbeat?

Anne –Thanks, Kaye, for dropping by and chatting. Just a quick reminder for readers, please include your email address, (Example: annekalbert AT gmail DOT com) with your comment. The winner of CHOKE will be selected at random and announced here on May 18.

Last, but not least, to ensure you receive every Anne K. Albert post, interview or giveaway, become a follower on either GFC (Google Friend Connection) or NetworkedBlogs. It’s as easy as a click of the mouse. Thank you, and until next time, happy reading!

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ATTENTION READERS: My apologies for the problem, but Blogger is giving us grief today. If you try to leave a comment and cannot, please send me an email at annekalbert AT gmail DOT com and your name will automatically be added to Kaye's Giveaway Draw. Again my apologies... :(