Katherine is a Texas girl who has two adorable girls and adoring husband. (Perfect for a romance flavored cozy, right?) She writes cozy mysteries, romantic fantasy adventure and children’s books. You can find all her books on Amazon or her website. And don’t forget to follow her on Facebook.
Charity Basham and her crafting cohorts have decided to give back to the community. The heart-shaped pillows created during craft night at Sassy Supplies Crafts & More are on their way to patients in the breast cancer ward of Becksville’s hospital for a Valentine’s surprise.
But when the heartfelt mission turns into a hostage situation and at least one murder, will Charity panic under pressure?
Will she and Margo be able to find their missing friend Lola and nurse Zuri?
With power out, cells not working, and one stowaway cat underfoot, Charity has her work cut out for her.
Full of intrigue, more of Margo’s odd relatives, and a dash of romance, Hearts & Hostages is a mystery to get all wrapped up in!
Now let’s ask some questions…
Which is more important to your book, the mystery or the love story?
The mystery is the main plot line, but I personally enjoy the fragments of a love story that play throughout the series far more.
What type of love story plays out in your book—friends to love, enemy to love, instant love, or something else?
Enemy to love… this book has the real beginning of the relationship portion of character arc that has been slow simmering for a few books.
Does the love element cause problems for your protagonist?
Somewhat as the main character can no longer hide when she is butting into investigations from the dishy detective love interest.
What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
I would say that my most interesting writing quirk is how much I HATE to know the ending of a book…even those I’m writing! It has been a real struggle to move from a complete pantser (writing from the seat of my pants by scratch) to creating a general, short outline including the bad guy / villain / or relationship progression before I begin writing. I have been working on this portion of discipline in order to write more efficiently. Don’t worry though, I still give myself leave to be surprised or change my mind if it feels needed.
What comes first, the plot or characters?
What comes first… For me the characters always come first. I don’t know if that is good or bad necessarily, it is just the way I’m wired as a writer and even to some degree as a reader. Obviously, if the plot makes zero sense or contradicts itself, I find a problem with that. But overall, what keeps me turning pages (or typing words) is the love of finding out what is going on with the characters personally.
Do you write listening to music? If so, what music inspired or accompanied this current book?
Many authors I know use playlists while they are writing. In fact, some create special playlists that coincides with the mood of their stories. This sounds kind of worth trying maybe in the future, but honestly, I write in complete silence. I write during my daughter’s naptime in the mornings and maybe it is the hard-earned quiet is too good to give up, or maybe it is just that I’ve never had a problem with quiet but I enjoy writing without any music or podcasts or other noise. Now, I will say a good rainstorm is always a welcome background sound when writing as the exception.
Pen In Hand, Words on Page 