1. What inspired you to become an author?
I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but it wasn’t
until 1997 that I attempted to make that dream a reality. I wrote a book, The Cats that Surfed the Net. I tried to have it published in the
traditional way, but I could wallpaper a room with the number of rejection
letters. Publishers said I needed an
agent; agents said I needed to be published.
Big Catch 22. My favorite was an
agent who said my book was too high on cats.
You gotta laugh, because my readers love the cats in my books. Last year, I was inspired by my sister, Indie
author Alexa Grace, to rework the book and submit it on Amazon. It took most of 2013 to shorten, polish, and
update it to the modern age. In the
smartphone era, I couldn’t have my main character running to the phone booth to
make a call. Thus, with my first book, The Cats that Surfed the Web, The Cats that . . . series was born.
2. Do you have a specific writing style?
I love to write fast-paced mystery novels with a
sprinkling of clues to make the reader wonder who did it. I insert some red herrings along the way so
when you finish my book, you’ll think, “Really?
I would have sworn such-and-such did it.” I’ve been told by readers and reviewers that
they clear their schedules so they don’t have to put the book down, which to an
author is among the greatest of compliments.
I always begin with an exciting preview of a suspenseful scene set later
in the book to get the reader’s blood flowing.
Then the first chapter is set a month earlier.
3. How did you come up with the title for your
latest book?
I knew the book was going to have a charismatic financial
advisor as a key character. I found a stock photo of Wall Street ticker tape
machine from the 1930s. I knew then I’d
use “played the market” as one of the book titles in the series.
4. Is the book, characters, or any scenes based on a
true life experience, someone you know, or events in your own life?
I have many cats, so it’s easy to observe their
antics and write about them. Some of my
cats do the Halloween dance where they arch their backs and bounce up and down
— usually when they are trying to get me to play with them. One of my cats hides behind the books on the
bottom shelf of my bookcase. He used to
push books out and I’d trip over them.
Then I realized he just wanted an opening to get behind the stack when
he’s afraid. My cats have distinctive
voices, and not one of them says “Meow.”
My ginger cat, Redmond, opens latched doors. It’s not surprising that the cats in my books
do these same things.
I grew up in Indiana and currently live here in a
Queen Anne Victorian built in 1897, so I like to include a bit of Hoosier
flavor in my books by visiting places, such as covered bridge festivals in The Cats that Told a Fortune or the cake
auction in The Cats that Played the
Market. In The Cats that Chased the Storm, I mention an actual bank robbery in
Greencastle where John Dillinger stole a then-record sum of money.
5. If you had to choose, which writer would you
consider a mentor?
Stephen King.
I love the way he pulls the reader into the story from the first page. I admire the way he writes dialogue. His characters are so believable, even in
fantastic settings. My favorite books by
him are The Shining and The Dead Zone. I almost flunked out of graduate school
because of King. I was supposed to be
studying for a final exam, but I couldn’t put The Shining down. My fond
memory is lying in the sun, on a faded blanket, reading King when I should have
been studying. Fortunately, I finished
the book and passed my final.
6. What book are you reading now?
I’m notorious for reading two or three books at a
time and taking a long time to finish either one of them. Since several reviewers compare my books to
the late Lilian Jackson Braun’s The Cat
Who . . . series, I’m reading her
first book, The Cat Who Read Backwards,
Thomas Tryon’s Harvest Home, and
Stephen King’s Gerald’s Game.
7. What is your current “work in progress” or
upcoming projects?
I’m eighty pages into the fifth book of The Cats that . . . cozy mystery series.
I haven’t given it a title yet. My routine is to write the middle of the book
first, then the ending, and write the first four chapters last. Just something that happens. Just my style.
I want to write a holiday novella for December of
2015. I’d like to write a book about the
cats’ previous lives before Katherine (Katz) came into the picture.
8. Can you
share a little of your current work with us?
Just a tiny bit.
Jake’s mother will try to cause problems between her son and Katz. Katherine will inherit her full fortune and be
active in deciding what kind of charitable causes she wants to fund. Katherine will have some remorse about
something she’d done. A former love
interest will show up out of nowhere. She’ll want to escape Erie for some quiet
time, so she’ll have to hire a pet sitter.
9. Who
designed the cover of your latest book?
I have a wonderful, very talented graphic cover artist,
Christy Carlyle. I storyboard the cover,
find the photos, and she does the magic.
For the first three books, I’ve used actual personal photos somewhere in
the cover art. The fourth book cover is
entirely from stock photos. Abby is a
cat character in my books; she lives with four Siamese, so I wanted her to be
on the cover of The Cats that Played the
Market. She plays an important role
in this book. The picture of the
Abyssinian is exactly how I image Abigail.
10. Do you
have any advice for other writers?
Read, read, and read. Find your genre and read everything you can
in that category. Read non-fiction
occasionally, such as current events or history. Find someone to brainstorm with. My hubby and I talk about plot points over
dinner. Once you’re published, don’t
obsess about your reviews. Write to make
yourself happy and to bring joy to your readers.
The Cats that . . .
Cozy Mystery Series
Book 4
Karen Anne Golden
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Date of Publication: November 25, 2014
ISBN: 13:978-1503033276
ASIN: B00Q71LBYA
Number of pages: 296
Word Count: 37,384
Cover Artist: Christy Carlyle of Gilded Heart Design
Book Description:
They’re back! Scout, Abra, Iris, Lilac and Abby — the cats you’ve grown to love — are once again caught up in intrigue and mayhem.
A blizzard blows into Indiana, bringing gifts, gala events, and a ghastly murder to heiress Katherine “Katz” Kendall. It’s Katherine’s birthday, and she gets more than she bargains for when Colleen and her mum visit the Victorian mansion to celebrate. Handsome boyfriend Jake adds to the joys of the season.
After all hell breaks loose at the Erie Museum’s opening, Katherine and her five cats unwittingly stumble upon clues that help solve a mystery. But has Scout lost her special abilities? Or will Katz find that another one of her amazing felines is a super-sleuth? With the cats providing clues, it’s up to Katherine and her friends to piece together the murderous puzzle . . . before the town goes bust!
Available at Amazon
Series Reading Order
Book
1
The
Cats that Surfed the Web
Book
2
The
Cats that Chased the Storm
Book
3
The
Cats that Told a Fortune
Book
4
The
Cats that Played the Market
Excerpt:
Prologue
LATE
DECEMBER
Katherine ran to
her car, opened the door, and jumped in. Nervously fumbling with the clasp on
her crossover bag, she extracted her cell and called Jake. “I’ve got an
emergency,” she said breathlessly. “Chief London wants me out of town.”
“Why?” Jake
asked in disbelief.
Katherine turned
the ignition, floored the accelerator, and peeled out on Main Street. “I’m
heading to the pink mansion now. I don’t have time to explain.”
“Katz, I’m not
far. I’ll meet you there and help corral the cats. We’ll decide later where to
go.”
“Colleen’s with
Daryl, but her mum’s home. Park in back and use your key to the basement. I’ll
see you in a few.”
Driving in front
of the house, she was shocked to see a red pickup blocking her parking spot.
Surely that’s not the stolen vehicle, she thought.
Quickly getting
out of the car, she rushed up the steps to the front porch landing. She was
startled when Colleen’s mum opened the door.
“Hello, Katz. I
was just headin’ to the kitchen to make a bit of tea,” she slurred.
Katherine took
one whiff of Mum’s breath and knew she’d been drinking. “Is everything okay?”
she asked worriedly.
“Why do you ask,
dear? You look like you’ve been touched by a banshee!”
“Whose truck is
that?”
“I’ve been
talkin’ a bit of treason with your friend from the library. They’re waitin’ for
you in the living room. I’ll fix some tea.”
Katherine took
Mum by the arm. “Come with me,” she insisted. She directed her to the
stairwell.
Mum resisted.
“Whatever ‘tis the matter?”
Katherine said
firmly, “Shhh! Lower your voice. Go to your room and lock the door. I only have
one friend from the library, and Michelle doesn’t drive a red pickup with out
of state plates.”
“Oh, it’s
somebody else. I didn’t catch their name. What’s goin’ on?”
“I beg of you.
Just do as I ask,” Katherine implored. “When you get to your room, call Colleen
and tell her to not come back to the house until she hears from me.”
“In the name of
all the saints,” Mum said, as she staggered upstairs.
Katherine
sprinted past Mum to her back hallway bedroom. She was alarmed to see the door
standing wide-open. She had specifically shut the door so the cats wouldn’t
bother Colleen’s mum while she was away.
“Dammit,” she
said, surveying the room. The cats were not there. She pulled the Glock out of
the gun safe and joined Mum outside her door.
“You’re not
goin’ to use that thing, are you?” Mum said frantically. “Why don’t we call the
police?”
“I’m going to
call the police! Please relax,” Katherine reassured and then, with rising alarm
in her voice, “Where are the cats?”
“The last time I
saw them, they were toastin’ their buns on the kitchen register.”
“Hurry! Get in
your room.”
Mum finally went
in and locked the door.
Katherine yanked
her cell out of her bag and called Chief London. “I think the stolen vehicle is
parked in front of my house,” she said anxiously. “It’s a red pickup.”
“Katz, stay in
your vehicle. Do NOT go inside,” the chief ordered. “I’ll be there in a few
minutes.”
“That’s a
problem because I’m already inside.” She disconnected the call and tapped
Jake’s number. It rang and rang, then went into voice mail. “Don’t come.
Chief’s on his way.” She put the cell in her back pocket.
Gripping the
Glock with both hands, she cautiously walked downstairs. Suspecting the person
in the living room was armed, Katherine swiftly searched downstairs, leaving
the living room for last. She had to get to the cats in the kitchen, and shut
that door so they wouldn’t run into the living room. Entering the kitchen, she
was shocked to find the cats weren’t on the register or on the window valance.
Oh, my God. They’re in the living room with a murderer.
About the Author:
Karen Anne Golden released her first book, “The Cats that Surfed the Web,” in December 2013. In one year, she added three other books to The Cats that ...Cozy Animal Mystery series. “The Cats That Played the Market” is the fourth book.
Karen received a bachelor’s degree in History/Education from Columbus College, Columbus, Georgia. She obtained a master's degree in anthropology at Purdue University, and then conducted ethnographic field research (all-but-the Ph.D. dissertation) in Brighton Beach, New York.
When she decided that an academic career wasn't for her, she worked for a major computer company, riding the subway from Brooklyn to mid-town Manhattan. But her heart wasn't in the big city. Karen saved for years until she was able to buy a Victorian house in Indiana.
Now she lives in a Queen Anne built in 1897; it's a "painted lady" with four colors in the paint scheme. She’s spent many hours restoring her beloved house. With the house finished, she has time to do what she’s passionate about — writing. She has opened her house to many cats, mostly "rescues.”
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1 comments:
Great interview! I love cozy mysteries and this series sounds really good. Thanks for the giveaway
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