IndieView with Kathy Bennett, author of A Deadly Blessing

I understand the stresses that many of these characters face…if I haven’t personally experienced those pressures, I’ve dealt with the outcome in investigations I’ve handled. I put those feelings and experiences into my books.

Kathy Bennett 19 June 2012

The Back Flap

The critically ill daughter of the governor of California has been kidnapped. LAPD Detective Maddie Divine is assigned to find her before it’s too late. But this high-profile case comes with secrets on every side: cops, politicians, even the innocent.

Maddie Divine: Her marriage hangs by a thread, her SWAT-officer husband has lost it, and almost as bad, she can’t trust her detective partner.

Travis Divine: After the death of a SWAT teammate, he’s a shell of the man he used to be.  He’s lost touch with his work, his wife and occasionally even reality.  Can he regain the warrior mentality needed to support Maddie and do his job?

Preston Truesdale: The California governor’s daughter has gone missing, and so has her only bone marrow donor.  Is it coincidence or something more sinister?

Pilar Luna: The mayor of Los Angeles is a media favorite, and she plays Preston like a Vegas pro would play a Midwestern farmboy…all in hopes of reaching the White House.  Will she hit the jackpot?

Tiffany Truesdale: The brainiac teenager evaded her security team to spend a night on the town with her girlfriends, but can she outwit the man who kidnapped her before time runs out?

A Deadly Blessing is a lightning-paced story of suspense that will keep readers on edge from beginning to end.

**Author’s Note: This book contains commonly used street language.

About the book

What is the book about?

The critically ill daughter of the governor of California has been kidnapped. LAPD Detective Maddie Divine is assigned to find her before it’s too late. But this high-profile case comes with secrets on every side: cops, politicians, even the innocent.

When did you start writing the book?

I began this story in 2010 as soon as I finished my debut novel, A Dozen Deadly Roses.

 How long did it take you to write it?

The first draft of the story was written in about ten months. Revising and editing to make the story the best it can be are what takes time.

 Where did you get the idea from?

I knew I wanted to start a series featuring a reoccurring character, so I started with Maddie Divine. Then I had to give her a crime to solve. I often look to the news to get the seed of a story, but I also use my personal experiences as police officer as well.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Ha ha! The whole thing! No, I’m kidding.

Once I got started with this story it really felt ‘right’ to me. Because of the way the story is told (from many characters viewpoint,) it was difficult to keep the timeline straight. At one point, I printed out the whole manuscript and cut out each scene separately. Then I went to a hotel for a couple of days and spread all the scenes out on the floor and put the book together.

I’m currently writing the next book in the series and I’m taking great pains to see I don’t have that problem again.

What came easily?

What came most easily are the things that I think make my books stand out from other suspense stories.

I’ve lived being married to a cop and sometimes putting family second to the job. I’ve lived where political influences ‘color’ how an investigation is handled and presented to the public. I understand the stresses that many of these characters face…if I haven’t personally experienced those pressures, I’ve dealt with the outcome in investigations I’ve handled. I put those feelings and experiences into my books.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

You can’t see me, but I’m laughing out loud. NO ONE is safe around me. I use bits and pieces of conversations, personalities and experiences. I combine real people with my imagination and get people like Drejohn in A Deadly Blessing, or Callie Lasko in A Dozen Deadly Roses.

 We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

The two authors I would give the most credit for my current writing style are James Patterson and Jackie Collins. I know, an odd pair to be sure. But when I read Patterson’s book, The Quickie (co-written with Michael Ledwidge), I knew I wanted to write a book in that same style. The chapters are very short and the story is told in first person AND third person.

The book Hollywood Wives, written by Jackie Collins, introduced me to, what I call, breakaway chapters. In other words, you start a chapter in one character’s point of view. Then that chapter ends (usually with a cliff-hanger) and then you go to the next chapter with another character’s point of view totally unrelated to the previous chapter. It sounds disjointed, but it makes into a good story when the author weaves all those disjointed chapters into one cohesive story.

I’ve combined both styles and come up with A Deadly Blessing. From the reviews I’ve gotten, people seem to really like the style.

 Do you have a target reader?

My target reader is someone who loves crime/mystery/suspense stories and seeks authentic crime told in an arresting story.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

My writing process fluctuates from day to day. I’ve found I’ve gotten the most writing done by starting to write at nine in the evening and working until about two or three in the morning.

Unfortunately, that schedule doesn’t jive with my husband’s, nor does it work well with caregiving for my mother who has Alzheimer’s disease. Even though she lives in assisted living, I go see her at least three times a week – frequently more often.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just Chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I don’t outline. I think about the plot and what key things I want to happen. Then I start writing and see how I can get everything I want to happen in the book. It makes the writing exciting for me. Of course, I also get frustrated if I have to trash a bunch of pages that just don’t work. I work really hard before I’ll ‘trash’ anything. I’ve found that fighting to keep pages in the book will sometimes bring about a terrific plot twist.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I meet once a week with my two fabulous critique partners. I try to edit as I go along, however, while I’m writing, I keep a notepad with plot points or scenes I want to change once I get done with that draft. For example, in my current work-in-progress, I just made a note to change the time of year the story takes place.

Did you hire a professional editor?

Yes, I do. I suffer from the dastardly disease: Confounding Comma Confusion. I have a terrible time with commas and other grammar bugaboos. My editor keeps me from looking like the village idiot to my readers.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

No, I don’t listen to music. I’m an ‘I need it quiet to write,’ kind of girl. In fact, my husband bought me noise-cancelling headphones for Christmas. I’m about to stop writing this interview to go put them on…he just came home and flipped on the TV – loud!

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I did and I received positive feedback. This was for A Dozen Deadly Roses. I had one agent who was quite interested in the book, but it was about that time I began to really hear about self-publishing. I decided to give self-publishing a try and I haven’t looked back.

What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

I was hearing good things about self-publishing. The idea of having complete control over my career was particularly appealing to me – after all, what cop doesn’t like having control?

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did it you do it yourself?

I’m laughing again because I can’t even draw stick figures. I had my book covers done by Donna Casey at Digital Donna. What a gem she is! I’m so grateful for the beautiful covers she’s designed for my books. I’m sure her cover for A Dozen Deadly Roses is a major part of why that book became a bestseller…and A Deadly Blessing is following suit.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I’m getting a slow start to marketing A Deadly Blessing. Two days after the book was released, I had major surgery. (I wanted to be sure the book was out and published in case my surgery went REALLY bad.) I’m playing catch up right now trying to get exposure for the book.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

I would tell new authors to be sure they’ve studied the craft of writing. I’ve been writing for almost 15 years. I’m seeing some authors throwing together multiple stories and releasing them, mistaking quantity for quality.

I would also tell them to hire and pay for a professional editor. Readers can tell the difference between a book that’s been professionally edited and one that hasn’t.

I’d recommend that they get a professional to do their book cover because covers are SO important. The only exception to that would be if the author has extensive graphic design capabilities.

I’m not very good with computers, so after one attempt at formatting my book for e-publication, I gave up and paid someone to format the book for me. The money I spent was well worth the time and frustration I saved myself.  

About You

I served twenty-nine years with the Los Angeles Police Department, eight as a civilian employee and twenty-one years as a sworn police officer. I was named as Officer of the Quarter twice, and Officer of the Year once.

In 2011, my debut novel, A Dozen Deadly Roses, became a bestseller at major e-book retailers.

My most recent tale, A Deadly Blessing, is the first book in a series featuring LAPD Detective Maddie Divine. My authentic stories of crime and suspense are lauded by law enforcement personnel for ‘getting it right.’  In addition to working on the next Maddie Divine novel, I write a weekly blog that can be found on my website, and I write a monthly column for a local paper.

Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in the Los Angeles area. I’ve lived here all my life.

Where do you live now?

I’m still here in the Los Angeles area.

What would you like readers to know about you?

Well, regarding my writing, I strive to tell the very best story that I can. When my character feels as though time is running out, I want the reader to feel their time is running out – and wonder how the hero will save the day. But it’s important to note that my books are also ‘authentic,’ and not everything always winds up the way the reader expects.

About me personally, readers might like to know that I’m married to an LAPD officer and he is a world-champion pistol marksman.  Rick and I love animals and own three Labrador retrievers and have two house cats that allow us live in their house.  I have an adult daughter and along with my mother and husband, the three of them are my best friends. Then there is my fourteen-year-old granddaughter…I wrote the character of Tiffany Truesdale in A Deadly Blessing with my granddaughter in mind.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on the second book in the Maddie Divine series. In this book you’ll meet Jade Donovan, who was the main character in my book A Dozen Deadly Roses. Right now I don’t have a decent title for the book so I’ll have to call it book three.

In book three, Maddie and Jade are partnered up and you’ll see them assisting on a murder investigation while working a residential burglary problem. The multiple burglary investigations lead to problems between our sleuths, threatening to crack one of them emotionally.

Also in book three, you’ll meet a whole new cast of characters, including Harley who owns a pizzeria and can’t keep his hands off the female help. Then, there are the three, young, entrepreneurial, Saunders brothers. One of them is a lover, the other is a hothead, and the youngest is a teddy bear. Where do they get all their cash?

In the LAPD you’ll meet a good-looking, charismatic detective who is much more than he seems. You’ll also meet a vindictive sergeant who has it in for one of our female leads. You’ll also be introduced to the wife of a character who was prominently featured in A Deadly Blessing.

I’m really excited about book three, and feel strongly if readers liked A Deadly Blessing, they’ll like also like book three.

Now I’m off to try and figure out a killer title (pun intended) for the darn book…

End of Interview:

For more visit Kathy’s website, blog, or like her Facebook page.

A Deadly Blessing can by found at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and Kobo.