Hi guys, I've a wonderful interview with an author who's career spans decades. Let's find out about the author first, then we will see her books and then the interview. * Also the author has asked that anyone who has already read any of her books to please repost all reviews to different sites! She lost all the reviews when the books reverted back to her. She has also generously offered to give an eCopy of any of her work to anyone who is willing to post an honest review. All you need to do is email her.
About Kathryn Meyer Griffith…
Since childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over forty-four years ago now, and have had twenty-two (ten romantic horror, two horror novels, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance, two thrillers, and four murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press; and I’ve self-published my last ten novels with Amazon Kindle Direct and my Dinosaur Lake novels and Spookie Town Mysteries (Scraps of Paper, All Things Slip Away and Ghosts Beneath Us) are my best-sellers.
I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-seven years; have a son and two grandchildren and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have a quirky cat, Sasha, and the three of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk/classic rock singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.
2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *Finalist* for her horror novel The Last Vampire ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS * Finalist * for her thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.
*All Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s books can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/ld4jlow
Barnes &Noble:
*All her Audible.com audio books here:
Novels and short stories from Kathryn Meyer Griffith:
Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart of the Rose, Blood Forged, Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire (2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS*Finalist* in their Horror category), Witches, The Nameless One erotic horror short story, The Calling, Scraps of Paper (The First Spookie Town Murder Mystery), All Things Slip Away (The Second Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Ghosts Beneath Us (The Third Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Egyptian Heart, Winter’s Journey, The Ice Bridge, Don’t Look Back, Agnes, A Time of Demons and Angels, The Woman in Crimson, Human No Longer, Four Spooky Short Stories Collection, Forever and Always Romantic Novella, Night Carnival Short Story, Dinosaur Lake (2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS*Finalist* in their Thriller/Adventure category), Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising and Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation
Her Websites:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathrynG64
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KHIXNSBelow are some of her books with the picture linked to Goodreads.
Now onto the interview:
Where do your ideas come from?
Anywhere. Newspaper articles. The news. Something someone says. Sometimes even from my dreams. Usually, though, a kernel of an idea, a feeling or a thought pops in to my head about anything (usually a spooky something) and the story builds itself from or around it.
How do you develop your writing ideas?
I always begin with the characters, who and what they are or what they stand for and then have the rest come from that. Characterization, creating characters people care about one way or another, love or hate, is even more important to me than plot.
Where do you find inspiration for your characters?
Most of the characters in my 22 books are/have been based loosely on people in my life, family or people I’ve met…my 6 brothers and sisters, my adventuresome and quirky husband (who people have always said looks and sounds like Sam Elliot)–or a combination of some of them. Of course the main heroine is usually a version of myself. In my horror novels, she is often everything I am not…brave and fearless. But she always has my heart, my dreams and moral beliefs; my never-give-up fighting spirit and my belief in love.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
When I was in the 6th grade I had to do an oral story in front of my class and I told a humorous tale about when my brother and I snuck into a private pasture; stole rides on these wild ponies and how we both got thrown off. Me into a thorn bush. It was a real story, but, of course, I embellished it. Even with my then speech impediment (I had what they called a lazy tongue as a child) it was a hit. I was a hit. My teacher told me afterwards, “You’re going to be a writer.” Though I loved to read and worshipped authors, I didn’t believe her because I was going to be an “artist”. Well, I grew up and became that artist (a graphic artist in the corporate world for over 20 years); I also sang out with my brother Jim Meyer (folk in the 1960’s and Classic Rock later) but at 21 I’d already begun to write when I was stuck at home with my baby son. Poems at first, short stories and finally novels. So from 21 on I wrote and now, 44 years later, I’ve written and published 22 novels, 2 novellas and 12 short stories. Mostly horror, romantic horror, romantic suspense, time-travel and murder mysteries. Basically, these days I call myself a storyteller. I’ve also learned over the years that often a creative person is more than one thing…they can be a writer, an artist, and a singer. The creative streak seems to encompass more than just one road.
What makes you unique as a writer?
To be truthful, I don’t actually know. Though as the years have gone by I have come to believe it’s a combination of empathy, passion and deep beliefs…in people, goodness, love, family, etc. Also imagination. I have always “lived” in a different dreamlike world than most people I know. I’m always thinking: “What if?” I look behind reality and daydream a lot, too.
What writers inspire/d you?
In my early days it was the likes of Ray Bradbury and other pulp science fiction writers. Later it was Stephen King, Anne Rice and Dean Koontz–horror writers. Fiction writers. Now it seems I like any writer who pens a good/great book no matter the genre. If it is well written and has “heart” I like it. Yet I’m still partial to traditional horror and murder mysteries.
How has your writing career changed since you started?
Oh, over 44 years, soooo much! I started out in 1971 on an electric typewriter pecking away with a bottle of White-Out close by (I made so many typing mistakes because I never took typing…silly me); sending boxes of typed pages snail mail to one publisher or agent after another. Years and years of that as it took so long to be read, judged and replied to in the old traditional publishing world. One time a book of mine was with a publisher for 2 years before they decided on it. Yikes. I went through 32 years with legacy publishers, at 4-18% royalties, until I discovered (thank you J.A. Konrath’s self-publishing blog!) self-publishing in 2012. In 2015 I got full rights back to ALL my 22 books and self-published each one. Self-publishing, at 70% royalties, finally lets me earn a living and I’ll never go back to agents and publishers. Ever. I also love having total control over all my books. I love picking my own covers, arranging to have audio books produced from my novels, formatting the paperbacks, etc.
What does your writing process look like?
It’s changed drastically over the years. In the beginning I was obsessed and wrote faithfully almost every night after working as a graphic artist all day. Weekends. I had to write! I had such energy. Now days I write when I feel like it. My brother, who was a singer/songwriter/musician and whom I was very close to our whole lives, died last year from cancer and after eight months not writing, only republishing and promoting my 22 books, I have just started book #23. Dinosaur Lake IV. I’m taking my time with it. These days living my life is more important. My husband recently retired and we plan to travel. Maybe I will finish book #23 and maybe I won’t.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Ah, writing for over 44 years and still at it? No, I don’t seem to have any real quirks. Oh, I like to watch TV, down low, as I write and have a cup of coffee and a snack beside me.
What are your writing goals for the next year?
Hopefully finish book #23.
Name the five biggest distractions from your writing.
Living life, sorrow, illness, being a woman and therefore a mother, caretaker and housewife. I believe it’s difficult to be a woman writer just because we seem to be the ones to be the caretakers of others; especially children, the ill or old family members. And we’re built in cooks, cleaners and financial wizards. We wear too many heavy hats. Just my opinion. We don’t have the luxury of writing all day…we have to clean the house and cook the dinner. Ech, I hate housework.
What character would you most like to be stuck in an elevator with?
None of them. They’re not real. Also I write horror and a lot of my characters are witches, vampires, ghosts, werewolves…you get the picture.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
Mostly by reviews. Some love my books and some don’t. After 44 years I’ve heard/seen it all and try not to care. I write for myself and if the world likes it, so be it. If not, so be it.
Over your long writing career, is there any one of your books your most proud of?
Yes, A Time of Demons and Angels (my masterpiece, though a lot of people dislike it because it’s a biblical based end-of-days horror novel and they often consider it too religious) because I wrote it in honor of my Christian singer/songwriter/musician brother who is now gone. And my The Last Vampire. Witches. Those books are the ones I most loved writing and felt the most passionate about. Though my Dinosaur Lake books (3 in series) and my Spookie Town Murder Mysteries (3 in series) have always been my best sellers.
Some Get to know me Questions
What’s the best vacation you ever had?
Yellowstone National Park. My husband and I love nature. Trees. Lakes. Oceans.
What’s your favorite rainy day movie?
Remains of the Day or any PBS English program similar to Downtown Abby or their murder mysteries…and I also love monster or supernatural movies (dinosaurs, vampires, ghosts, werewolves, etc.)
If you could be any age again for a week, which would you choose and why?
40. At that age I had energy, ambition and some wisdom to use them wisely.
If you could have personally witnessed one event in history, what would it be?
I guess I’d love to go back in time and see a day in Nefertiti’s life…invisible, of course, and able to understand their language. I’ve always been fascinated with ancient Egypt (and two of my books and a novella deal with those times). But since my brother Jim passed away what I’d really love to do is go back to a day in my childhood–circa 1960 when I was 10–when my family was all young, happy and innocent in this old ramshackle house we used to live in. My 6 brothers and sisters and my mom, dad and grandma. We were like the Waltons, poor but we had love, and my memories of my childhood are precious to me.
What's your favorite place to read?
Anywhere. But alone in my living room is my favorite. I like quiet when I read.
When you walk into a book store, where do you head first?
The horror section, of course.
If you had a million dollars, what would be the first thing you would buy?
After we’d pay taxes, we’d have about $700,000 left, ha, ha. My husband and I would build a cabin with lots of windows out by a lake and then use some of the money to help some people we know.
Thanks so much Kathryn for taking the time to answer my questions!! Book 1 of some of her series are free so go grab them from Amazon!!! In thanks to Kathryn, I'm going to do a giveaway! 2 people can win any of her eBooks! Enter the rafflecopter below.
Natalie
ReplyDeletethanks for having an Interview on me! And if anyone would like to ask me ANY OTHER questions just ask here and I'll check back each day to answer them here in the comments.
Thanks again Kathryn for answering these! I thoroughly enjoyed your answers :)
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