INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY

With Author Kathi Daley

Kathi lives in the beautiful alpine community of Lake Tahoe with her husband Ken and dog Echo. When she's not writing she enjoys hanging out on the beach with her children and grandchildren. During the summer she enjoys hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, wakeboarding, and sunset cruises on the lake. 

During the winter she enjoys cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and curling up by a fire with a good book.
Kathi uses her mountain home as inspiration for her books, all which include appearances by the wildlife she shares her life with.

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LKBR: Kathi, you write both the Zoe Donovan Mysteries and Tj Jensen Lake Mysteries. Do you have a favorite of the two? If so, why?

KD: I really don’t have a favorite. I guess I like them for different reasons. While both series have murder plots and endearing characters, the Tj Jensen mysteries are longer and usually contain a more complex mystery which I find challenging, while the Zoe Donovan mysteries are published every six weeks providing me the ability to focus on the antics and love lives of the characters as they work out the details of the murder.

LKBR: How did you come up with the idea of each series?

KD: Zoe Donovan was born on a whim while I was updating my Facebook page. I have a Bernese Mountain Dog, Echo, which everyone knows is my baby. One day I was updating the page and I had the idea of sharing a Facebook Page with my dog. While I didn’t actually do this, the idea took hold and I wrote a single paragraph which started with: “My name is Zoe Donovan. According to my Facebook page, which I share with my dog Charlie, we are ….”

I just kept writing and a week or so later I had a book which I self-published. There are now 7 books in the series with a new one coming every 6 weeks. People who have read the series seem to love it.

The Tj Jensen Paradise Lake series was a bit more deliberate. I knew I wanted to write a cozy mystery and since I live in Lake Tahoe, I wanted the story to take place in a similar setting. Anyone who is familiar with the area knows that Paradise Lake with the small mom and pop town of Serenity on the north and Indulgence on the south shore really is Lake Tahoe but I didn’t want to be limited by the details which can bog you down when you use an actual place. Tj Jensen is a high school teacher and I used to be a middle school teacher. I love teens and really wanted to work them into the story. Tj has a complex family unit since she lives with her dad and grandpa as well as two half-sisters who she is guardian to at a lakeside resort. She has lived in the area all of her life so has close and meaningful relationships with the people in town.

LKBR: What are you currently working on?

KD: I am currently working on a Zoe Donovan mystery called Derby Divas. All of the books in the Zoe Donovan Series have either a holiday or an event in the background. The basic plot of this book takes place during a classic car show and demolition derby held during the summer. It will publish on Amazon July 1. 

LKBR: Do you have ideas for a new series?

KD: I am working on a new series set on the San Juan Islands off of the Washington coast. It will be a cozy mystery series with a strong family element as a traditional Irish family with ties to commercial fishing go through growing pains as the culture of the island transitions from commercial fishing to tourism. While the series will have a family drama element to it, there will also be an animal sidekick, cute small town with quirky residents, and featured romance. My tag line is “Come for the murder stay for the romance” so I always add a strong romance element to my series.

LKBR: When did you know you wanted to be an author?

KD: I guess the idea first took hold a couple of years ago after my husband and I sold our business and I had a lot of free time. I like to read but I really didn’t go the traditional route of taking classes and joining groups. I’ve never even taken an intro to creative writing course. I just sat down and wrote something and people seemed to like it so I kept writing. I love hanging out with my characters. I never plot my books. I just sit down and start typing so I feel that I get to experience the story as it unfolds. My characters never cease to surprise me and I usually never know how a book will end until it does. In many ways my experience with writing a book is similar to reading a book.

LKBR: Do you remember what you did to celebrate when your first book was published?

KD:  I don’t remember doing anything really grand. I was already busy writing the next one but I seem to remember going out to my favorite lakeside restaurant.

LKBR: What was your favorite book/series when you were a child?

KD: When I was young I liked anything with horses. I was totally into them and even managed to talk my parents into letting me have one for a short while. I also liked Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. 

Fabulous recipes from Kathi's books

LKBR: What are three things you would like your readers to know about you?

KD: I live in Lake Tahoe and enjoy all sorts of outdoor sports and activities with my husband, children, and grandchildren.

I love animals and am lucky enough to not only have a wonderful dog who is really a friend but to live in a spot where I have bears, raccoons, coyotes, and other forest creatures in my yard almost daily.

I like to experiment with food which is how I come up with recipes I include in the Zoe Donovan series. 

Coming Soon

LKBR: Is there anything else you would like to share?

KD: I love my readers and truly enjoy getting to know them through Facebook posts, email, messaging, etc.

“Like” me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kathidaleybooks. I post tons of photos, recipes, and other random thoughts and I love to engage with the people who have decided to join my online family.

I also do a weekly newsletter titled The Daley Weekly which includes updates on my books as well as photos, other tidbits, and usually features a recipe.   http://eepurl.com/NRPDf

I'd like to thank Kathi for taking the time to do this wonderful interview, It was a lot of fun!

Speaking of fun.....

GIVEAWAY time!!!

Kathi is giving away to one lucky winner, 

 a package that includes....

1 signed copy of BEACH BLANKET BARBIE

1 signed copy of BIKINIS IN PARADISE

1 Mug with the covers of both books on it!

This giveaway runs until Monday May 12.

(11:59 EST) 

Be sure to come back every day for more chances to enter!

!!!! GOOD LUCK !!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway