Cooking up a Mystery: Author Interview with Katherine Brown

What drew you to writing cozy mysteries? 
My dream to write began as a kid. I literally wrote newsletters about my "life" and sold them to my parents for fifty cents. I had no idea of genre when I set my heart on that career but as I grew as a reader, I simply gobbled up mysteries. Nancy Drew, Mandie and the Secret Tunnel, Hardy Boys - all of them. 

So, when I finally came back around to wanting to write (after years of burnout in an office job "adulting") I felt like mysteries would be a good start. Cozy mysteries specifically because while I read and eclectic amount of things, I wanted to write clean books that my family, parents, children, could all read and enjoy without worrying about inappropriate content.

Did you read a book that made you think, I could do that?
As far as thinking I could...well, I didn't know if I COULD write a whole book but I knew I had always been complimented on my writing skills and storytelling ability so I jumped on board a NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) one November and challenged myself to knock out 50,000 words and prove I could do it. Thus, Rest, Relax, Run for Your Life came about.

Several of your mysteries are based around food and baking are you an avid cook or just like to write about baking?
I thoroughly enjoy baking and rarely follow the recipe directions all the way LOL. I enjoy cooking meals as well but cookies, brownies, etc, those are my comfort foods. Mixing, stirring, "tasting" the batter...they all relax me and when the baking is complete: voila, a snack for writing!

Are you active in any critique groups? If so, how has that helped you with your writing?
I have had one to two critique partners but found that our schedules didn't jive well. However, my sister (brilliant plus an equally avid reader) is a wonderful sounding board for ideas and first drafts. My teenage daughter has also been reading my work since she was eleven or twelve and sharing thoughts and favorite characters  with me. So, I would say my family has helped me to believe in myself and also strengthened my writing at times.

How do you write your books? Do you start with the killer or the victim? 
I start with a main character and the things I love about them. Then I decide on a crime or victim. I rarely know the killer or culprit. Sometimes, I think I know almost at the end only to find out I'm wrong.

In case that didn't sum it up, I am not a strict plotter. I brainstorm. I jot. I outline possibilities. I WANT to plot to make my writing faster - but my best ideas never seem to come that way. So, I begin with creating a few characters and setting that I love, add in humor, throw in the murder or kidnapping etc, amp up the confusion, and then see what happens. Usually with brownies and plot-related stress somewhere in the middle.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? 
Raising the stakes, I think might be the most difficult. I get too into where I'm taking the character and while I may create tension, I have to remind myself to make it harder or riskier for them.

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
Readers who gush about characters or praise the storytelling and how they were drawn into the writing - even if they have a few critiques - encourages me that I am good at this writing thing. It encourages me even when I feel like a complete fraud, or when it isn't paying the bills and makes me feel like I'm not pulling my weight financially in our family. That help me to push on and remember what I, and other authors, create when we write a book isn't a one-time thing. I'm creating the possibility of jumping into this story for anyone for all of the foreseeable future. And really - how incredible is that?

What has surprised you the most in writing/publishing? 
I've been most surprised, and so happily, that other authors LOVE to support other authors. Seriously. In my life, I've never met a stronger community of individuals who could see themselves as competitors but don't.

What frustrated you the most?
As far as frustrations, one of the things I find most frustrating is how difficult it is to reach readers as a self-published author without having a large advertising budget. It is wonderful to swap and share and promote with other authors, truly, but I have found it difficult to reach and grow a large following of readers. However, I'm still in the first few years of this fun business so with time, hopefully I will learn and grow and can change that.

What do you know now about writing you wished you had known sooner?
Keep writing - save money - hire an editor who loves your genre.

What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
See again the keep writing part. Honestly, I wish all of those years I worked at a "regular" job that I hadn't put aside my writing. I wish I had written so many of these stories and saved them up so that when I took the jump of faith into publishing, I had work ready to go and wasn't rushing myself to write the next book before readers grew tired of waiting for it.

What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis?
A short Christmas novella that was previously in an anthology will be coming out in February on its own, followed soon after by the sequel. Here are their details:

Murder Takes the Train - The quaint, mountain town of Riverbend Junction has only one train in and one train out for transportation. The town hasn't been home for Zadie Belle and Darla Belle, two of the three Belle sisters, since they moved away several years ago, but when they return this year for Christmas a theft and a murder derails the train and all of their plans for getting back to their regular lives. Especially when Darla Belle disappears and is accused of the crimes. Stuck in the small town in more ways than one, the sisters must put their heads together to figure out the murderer or else find themselves railroaded into a murder charge themselves.

Murder Takes a Swim - no full blurb yet but I can tell you that the sisters are still stuck in Riverbend Junction and are at the center of another murder scene, this time a body is discovered in the icy mountain river.

That's all for today's interview. If you'd like to learn more about this author's books, here are some links to get you started.

https://www.instagram.com/katherinebrownkatie/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18681694.Katherine_Brown
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/katherine-h-brown
https://www.facebook.com/katherinebrownkatieauthor/
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Katherine-Brown/author/B078J72H8M
Newsletter subscribe: https://www.subscribepage.com/t5x8y2
And here's a special bonus for my readers. Here's a chance for 3 readers to get a copy of her steampunk prequel novella. It's part of her steampunk mystery series with serious Mary Poppins vibe titled,  Let's Go Fly a Kite  Currently this book is not available for sale. Here's the link to enter the giveaway: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/795063774