Guest- Kate Curran - My Voice, My Perspective

 

What makes my work different from other books in my genre? I think it’s my voice that’s unique to me. It’s just like my fingerprint. No one else has it. I have a perspective on life, and love, and relationships that’s unique to me. It’s not that the stories are that different, i.e., a small town with character and quirky characters, a hero and heroine I root for to fall in love and become better people because of this new person in their life.

I like writing about ordinary people under extraordinary circumstances­–the loss of a child, estrangement from a family member, a fall from grace–and show how they resolve these issues and improve their relationships. Perhaps not perfectly, but better and deeper than they were at the beginning of the story.

Before I ever start a book I create a story board. My story board is two sided.  On one side I have pictures of people that remind me of my characters. On the other side is a map of my fictional town, streets and businesses, and pictures of plants and animals in the area. My board is nearby whenever I’m writing.

My writing process varies because of my day job as a photojournalist. It’s rare I get large blocks of time to just write fiction, so when I find an hour or two I jump on it, whether it’s first thing in the morning (my preference), mid-morning or late afternoon. I don’t have the luxury of choosing when I get to write these days.

When I write a new book, I write a rough draft from start to finish first, then the real work begins. I go through many, many edits before I finish the book. During this process I search for stronger words and turns of phrase that are new and fresh. I also add more depth to the characters, and I flesh out the setting.

This is the longest part of the process for me by far. Once this is done, it’s ready to go to the editor, then more edits when I get it back. It goes back to the editor a second time, I make the final edits and it’s finally ready to publish. Nothing leaves my desk until it’s the absolute best I can make it.

With every book, I strive to give my readers a few tears, some laughs, romance and an ending that warms the heart. 

Leave Me Breathless is my third book, and it is set on the northern California coast.

What does an inquisitive reporter, a dedicated cop, and a band of geriatric mystery sleuths have in common? The desire to see justice done!

Tossed from her position at a prestigious San Francisco newspaper, C. J. Pulaski returns to her hometown of Conspiracy in disgrace. She's hit rock bottom and will do anything to find her next big story and get her career back on track. In desperation, she even joins her father's Trench Coat Brigade, a wacky group of seniors with a penchant for solving mysteries.

Nate Cole has left the LAPD after his partner is killed in the line of duty to take the job of police chief in Conspiracy. Small town living suited him just fine and he was content until he has to solve a thirty-five year-old murder, keep the Trench Coat Brigade in line and deal with a spunky, outspoken reporter. Now, Nate suspects there might be something missing from his life—C.J.

Leave Me Breathless just got a new cover, and in celebration, I’m giving away a print copy of the book. To get your name in the drawing, all you have to do is comment on this blog.

Other books by Kate:

She's Out of His League

Falling For You...Again

Come join Kate Curran's Beauty Bowl group on Facebook to keep up with her.

You can also find her at:

www.katecurran.net

www.facebook.com/katecurranauthor

www.twitter@Katecurran3Kate

www.goodreads.com/KateCurran

Kate Curran has spent long hours behind the lens of a camera, wading through cow manure, rice paddies and orchards over her twenty-year career as a photojournalist specializing in agriculture. One day, leaning on corral fence, ankle deep in cow manure, Kate paused to consider if this was the life she’d envisioned when she’d been young and idealistic. Definitely not, and while she enjoyed her career as a photojournalist, she was ready to spread her wings and make a leap into something new—contemporary romances. Ironically, her books still carry an agriculture thread in them, some more than others.

Kate’s favorite things: cuddling by the fire, ice cream, fresh baked scones, mochas, and finding outdoor activities for every season, whether it’s swimming, skiing, mountain biking or a quiet stroll through the woods. 

Happily married for over thirty-five years, she and her husband have two grown sons, a new granddaughter and a menagerie of animals—a black lab who thinks she’s human, a house cat that looks part bobcat, and half a dozen cottontails roaming freely on her property. Kate loves—and writes—deeply emotional, feel good stories. She gets her inspiration from movies like While You Were Sleeping, Return To Me, music, and from her own happily-ever-after. Her favorite place to plot out novels is swinging in a hammock on a warm spring day. 

Also writing under Kathy Coatney, Kate has written a series of children’s books, From the Farm to the Table and Dad’s Girls.