Where were you born, and where do you live now? Which place do you like better, and why?
Born and raised in Massachusetts. Fun fact, I've lived in ten different places in the same state over the years, and every 4-5 years I have to resist the urge to move! I love it here, but I do want to see more of the country—soon!
What sparked your interest in combining quilting and cozy mysteries?
I eat, sleep and breathe quilting...well, at least I did, before I began writing/authoring.
So, the progression was natural, to include quilting in my writing. I often say, I don't like writing about things I don't know anything about. Well, I know a lot about quilting!
Can you share a bit about your journey as an avid quilter and how it influenced your decision to incorporate quilting into your cozy mysteries?
Like writing, I learned to quilt and also to 'be a quilter'. Like most other quilters (and writers/authors) I attended classes and learned the basics, learned the nuances, and then spent time trying to master it. Finally, I quit my corporate 9-5 job to open my own quilt shop.
Having closed the quilt shop just before covid and then sold retail online for a few years, I juggled both retail sales and self publishing for about a year, until I was ready to become a full time author.
How do you balance the lighthearted and humorous elements in your cozy mysteries with the suspenseful aspects of a mystery plot?
First and foremost, I like to laugh out loud. So writing cozies made perfect sense. Being a quilter is often humorous in its own right-we cut up perfectly good fabric just to sew it back together into something different (for example). I love to explore the nuttier sides of being a quilter.
We read to escape (thus the lighthearted) and to enjoy (thus the humorous). My theory is: who wants to quilt when there is a mystery to solve. So, I usually put the quilting first and then build the mystery and there is generally a bit less suspense in my books than most but I'm learning how to fit it all in.
Given your background as the owner of a successful retail quilting business, do you draw inspiration from real-life experiences in your stories?
I have drawn from my experiences, yes. I do use my experiences of being a quilter in my stories. I also collaborate with other quilters to include their designs, patterns, and names into my stories and book covers. You'd be surprised at how many quilt professionals raised their hands to be keeled off in one of my cozies :)
Your books are set in a small New England town. How does the sense of community in such settings contribute to the cozy atmosphere of your mysteries?
To create a cozy atmosphere, I purposefully crafted their neighborhood into a little town of its own within the actual town. Over the years, we've lost a lot of that neighborhood togetherness of past generations. My main character spends a lot of time battling with wanting to be back in her hometown, while also wanting to escape to another life.
Tell us about the process of creating your characters in the book "A Banker for Bethany". Are they inspired by people you know or entirely fictional?
This is one of my romance titles under my given name - Author Kathryn LeBlanc. These characters are purely fictional. My main goal was to create humorous situations in which two people could come together in what is otherwise a very stressful situation (mail-order papa) and enjoy the humor of life -like pretending to be someone you're not and burning the biscuits all the time.
In your book, "Stitching Concerns", how did you approach stitching together clues to keep readers engaged and guessing until the end?
I knew early on that this book was going to have a significant twist. I call this my mid-season finale. There's no cliffhanger. This book wraps up 'most' of the loose ends of the first half of the series, while leaving a few questions and bringing up some new questions for the later half of the series. It also takes a light and humorous approach to what my main character describes as 'the world's worst kidnapping' while still being action packed and suspenseful.
What role do the characters' personalities and flaws play in intricately weaving the plot of your stories?
When I first started writing I didn't want to hurt my main character or have anything bad about her but I quickly realized she was one dimensional and not very exciting. By the fourth book she was in, the dog had peed on her, she fell in the dumpster and had candy stuck in her hair, and also got burned by the oven. It took me a while to discover what her flaw is - getting what she (thinks) she wants and then not being satisfied with it.
I'm still learning the craft of writing, and I believe in each book I get better at the "weaving" part. Though, it can be rough at times for my main character, because now I won't hold anything back (as readers will see in the second half of my quilting cozy mystery series).
Can you share some insights into your writing routine? How do you incorporate your love for quilting into your creative process?
Every morning I write with a small group of other authors for 2 hours via zoom, and then I spend the better part of the rest of the day working on my author business. Marketing, sales, advertising, publishing, etc. I work on and off throughout the course of the day (10-14 hours), and I work 7 days a week. This leaves me less time to quilt, of course, but my friends help me make quilting a priority on the weekends.
Your books include short "mini mysteries." How do you approach crafting a satisfying mystery in a shorter format?
Writing short stories is a great exploration of the craft of writing, which I'm trying to learn. Working on anthologies and short stories allows me the space to figure out how to satisfy the reader on a shorter scale. A writer can't skimp on details because they risk the reader not connecting with the story or characters. And we can't skimp on the mystery, or leave loose threads like in an ongoing series.
Tell us about the importance of humor in your cozy mysteries. How do you ensure it enhances the overall reading experience?
After quilting, lightheartedness and humor are the next most important things in my books. I don't go overboard trying too hard to make people laugh, it's more subtle. If I can cause someone to laugh out loud at least once in each of my books I've done the job I set out to do.
I've also been including some of the humorous antics of my new-to-me dog Bentley, an 8-pound shih tzu terrier mix.
As an author how do you engage with your readers through your newsletter and social media groups like Books For Quilters?
I'm very active in my newsletter, sending at least once per week, I provide everything from promotions to sneak peeks, ARC opportunities to weekly free paperback giftaways, as well as all things quilting and writing. Much of this is also found on my social media author pages as well.
Books for quilters is simply a place to bring any/all quilting fiction to readers interested in the craft.
Can you give us a sneak peek into any upcoming releases or projects you're currently working on?
Right now I'm currently in the editing phase of a new multiple author project (multiple authors releasing books independently, but in a shared world) titled Fine Points are Sketchy. This is book one of a new series which brings all of my quilter heroines from the various books together in a club called the Catch A Killer Club. Future books include Details are Sketchy and Facts are Sketchy. All of my books and series are interconnected in many ways.
Here are a couple sneak peek one-liners:
Liv huffed and wet the thread on her tongue. “What’s that old saying? If you can’t thread the needle, needle the thread.”
“You had me at quilting,” Liv said through a chuckle.
I'm also working on a new 10 book series, which launched on Kickstarter in September, with the first book titled: Raining Quilts and Dogs, based in a fictional town on the coast of Maine called Heatherton. This will largely be a quilting community rife with murder, mayhem, and lots of mysteries. Other titles include idioms like: Quilty By Association, Quiltload of Trouble, and When Quilts Fly
How has your experience of being associated with AllAuthor been?
I've had only positive experiences being associated with AllAuthor. I spend a significant amount of time on the AllAuthor website, I'm on it daily—participating in and monitoring my cover in the contests and utilizing the included benefits such as auto tweeting and gif generators. The value I receive from the membership is extremely beneficial!
