Author Interview: Kaye George

by Mary Sutton / mary_sutton73

Today, I'm so pleased to welcome Kaye George, author of Eine Kleine Murder to the blog.

Take it away, Kaye!

1. If I invited your main character for dinner, what would we probably talk about?

I’ve had two releases in three months, so I’ll have to pick one. I’ll choose the one who speaks English, as it would be hard to converse with my Neanderthal characters.

Cressa Carraway, as a graduate student, would be happy to accept dinner. She rarely has money to eat out. She’s probably begin by complimenting all the dishes--and she’d be sincere. Since her grandmother died (her parents passed away years ago), she doesn’t get home cooking. If you let her, she’d love to tell you about what she’s writing. It might be a piano concerto or a chamber music piece, maybe even a symphony.

2. Do you find yourself coming back to certain themes? Why or why not, and what are they?

I’ve been told by more than one person that I’m very hard on men in my short stories. I didn’t see this theme until it was pointed out, but they’re right, I am! I don’t see this happening as much in my novels, but, honestly, I don’t know what my themes are. Maybe family? Mitch Albom tells about a reader complimenting him on his books about fathers. He was puzzled, since he hadn’t, as far as he knew, written one on that theme. The last book he wrote, however, had been written as his father was dying. He pondered this and decided that he had written that book about fathers. He thought it was about baseball.

3. What's the one thing you must have when you write?

Quiet. I know many writers like music setting the mood for them, but I can’t listen to music and write at the same time. Maybe that’s because I’m a musician and I participate when I hear music. I do to great lengths to get quiet. Barking dogs are my idea of hell on earth. One place we lived, a nearby rat terrier would bark for an hour at a time. Appeals to the neighbor didn’t help for more than a day. Desperate, I bought a dog-training device called Super Bark Free. I figured that, if people can’t train their dogs, I’ll do it for them. Hey, this thing works!

4. What three people, living or dead, would you most like to talk to and why?

First, I’d like to interview a major, successful female conductor, maybe Marin Alsop or Kate Tamarkin. There aren’t many to choose from, there are so few even today. I’d gather material for future Cressa Carraway books. She intends to be a major conductor and it’s going to be hard for her. I’d like to know exactly what’s involved and how she should best go about it.

Second, I’d like to talk to one of my own great-great-grand parents, the ones who came west in covered wagons. What a time they must have had! I’d like to hear their stories. There’s an ancestor buried in Natoma, Kansas, who wrote a book, my grandmother told me, but there are no traces of it. If I could learn more about her, I’d love that, too.

My mother has been gone for over 10 years, but I still want to talk to her several times a month. That might be true for everyone who had a good Mom. She wanted to write books and I’d like to tell her I’ve gotten it done.

5. If your book was made into a movie, who would write the soundtrack?

Why, I would, of course! I’ve always wanted to write movie soundtracks. It would be awesome.

6. What's up next for you?

I’m currently working on a cozy for Berkley Prime Crime. I’m thrilled to have a three-book contract with them for a series set in Minneapolis called the Fat Cat series. It features Quincy, a pudgy, adorable, clever cat who, always hungry on his diet, is good at getting out and finding things--clues, bodies, things like that. I’ll be writing that series as Janet Cantrell.

Kaye George is a short story writer and novelist who has been nominated for Agatha awards twice. She is the author of four mystery series: the Imogene Duckworthy humorous Texas series, the Cressa Carraway musical mystery series, the FAT CAT cozy series, and The People of the Wind Neanderthal series.

Her short stories can be found in her collection, A PATCHWORK OF STORIES, as well as in several anthologies, various online and print magazines. She reviews for "Suspense Magazine", writes for several newsletters and blogs, and gives workshops on short story writing and promotion. Kaye lives in Knoxville, TN.