For August, we welcome historical western author Kristine Raymond who has written a range of novels including historical western, cozy mystery, romance, and non-fiction. She also hosts her own podcast called Word Play where authors get together to talk about reading and writing.
Kristine Raymond has written in a range of genres and juggles many tasks (like the podcast), let’s see what insights she can offer us by welcoming her to the blog!
Kristine Raymond, thank you for joining us. Can you give us a brief intro about yourself?
Hi Konn. Thanks so much for inviting me on your blog today.
I never had aspirations of becoming an author, but in 2013, when a friend shared her experiences with self-publishing, I thought, I’ve never written a book. Maybe I should give it a go. Sixteen books and a million ideas later – okay, maybe not a million, but, definitely, more than a few – there’s no end in sight.
I currently reside in Kentucky with my husband of 27 – or, is it 28? – years and our menagerie of furry and feathered critters. The feathered members joined us this past April as tiny chicken and guinea fluffballs, and I’m patiently awaiting that first, freshly-laid egg.
Your Cozy Mystery novel Finn-agled: A Finn’s Finds Mystery, came out in July 2019. What made you want to write mystery?
I’ve always been a fan of suspense and had sorta burned myself out writing romance – I mean, all those happily-ever-afters were getting on my nerves. Figuring some blood, guts, and crime were what I needed to cleanse my creative palate, I sat down to write a thriller. My character, Finn Bartusiak, had different ideas.
From the opening line of Chapter One, Finn’s quirkiness and humor took hold, and a cozy mystery was born. By Chapter Two, I knew it would be the first of many (the writing gods, willing). That thriller idea is still floating around in my gray matter, too.
Do you start writing a story with a genre in mind, or does the story decide?
Usually, I know the genre when I begin writing, though as evidenced by my previous answer, it’s not unheard of for the story to hijack my plans. I think that’s why I’m a pantser instead of a plotter. My thoughts are all over the place when I write, and if I tried to keep to a script or outline, my creative energy would be stifled.
Tell us about your non-fiction ‘write words’ A Year in the Life of an Indie Author Kindle Edition, why did you take a turn into non-fiction?
Ah, ‘write words’ came to me on a whim, much as writing, in general, did. I knew nothing about self-publishing when I began this journey and wanted to document what I’d learned over the course of my first year. The book’s not intended as a how-to, though. It’s more of an honest, sometimes humorous, account of my experiences those first twelve months.
It’s funny to read it now because I’ve learned so much since then (and continue to learn). Recently, a friend suggested I write a follow-up. Maybe at my ten-year mark.
How did you get into recording podcasts?
In my never-ending quest to promote other authors and their works – I’m much better at that than I am promoting myself – I woke up one morning and thought PODCAST.
In a vein similar to writing, I went into my new endeavor blind, knowing nothing about podcasting or recording or even if authors would want to be on the show. I shouldn’t have worried. Coming up on its second anniversary, Word Play with Kristine Raymond picked up a sponsor this year – Creative Edge Publicity – and is going strong. I adore chatting with my guests and hearing about their books, hobbies, and lives, and if the calendar filling up for 2021 is any indication, I think they enjoy it, too.
What’s next for your writing career?
Remember those million ideas I mentioned earlier? Lol. More accurately, I have twenty-two titles written down for books I want to ‘write next’. The one I’m currently working on is the sequel to Finn-agled titled Finn-icky Eaters. No release date yet – my writing has been sidetracked over the past few months with home projects and gardening and chickens and, oh, did I mention the new Beagle puppies?
Any advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors?
Don’t worry about not knowing what you’re doing. If you wait until you’re ready, you’ll never start. It’s okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them, and each book will (or should) be better than the last.
Soak up as much information as you can from other authors, but always trust your gut. Remember – you’re the only one who can write your story.
Thank you, Konn, for having me. It’s been fun!
Let’s thank Kristine Raymond for joining us again to the blog!
You can find her latest work on their website, amazon, and the various links below:
Finn-agled Synopsis
A secret message hidden inside of an antique wooden box, an unidentified dead body, and a mother determined to marry her off to the high school crush whom she hasn’t seen since…well…high school. There’s no doubt about it; Finn Bartusiak’s life in the seaside town of Port New is about to get interesting.
Coming into possession of a 19th-century, bronze and mahogany writing box under somewhat suspicious circumstances, Finn’s accidental discovery of a coded note leads her and Spencer Dane, bestselling novelist and love of her life (though he doesn’t know it yet), on a quest to unravel the mystery behind the jumble of letters. But they’re not the only ones interested in the cryptic message. There’s a con man on their trail, and he’ll stop at nothing, including murder, to claim the ‘treasure’ for himself.
Buy link – https://books2read.com/finnagled
No Comments