Sunday, March 20, 2011

Interview--KATE BRADY 2

BIO: When not writing, Kate Brady is a choral conductor, part-time music professor, and mom. Her other title, One Scream Away (2010 RITA winner for Best New Book and 2010 RITA finalist for Best Romantic Suspense) was her debut novel for this "Sheridan" series. She resides with her husband and two children.

Thanks for being here again, Kate. It’s a pleasure.

It’s an honor to “talk” to you and your readers. Thanks for having me!


#1- Tell us a little about yourself outside of your writing career…

When I’m not writing, I lead a truly glamorous life...mopping floors, weeding gardens, cooking meals, caring for pets, taxiing kids. I imagine that part is very much like any other mom’s life. I also have two part-time jobs, one teaching music education courses at a major state university and one as a conductor of a beloved church choir. In my spare time, I can be found doing anything that two teenagers will deign to do with their parents, or watching FoodNetwork and DIY network. (Yes, I am inexplicably rapt watching people chop garlic or re-vamp a kitchen.)


#2- Now that you've got two stellar books under your belt, has it been difficult to keep up with your love of music and that career, in addition to writing?

Not really. For one thing, I’m sort of a split personality. At school, no one knows I’m a writer. At writer’s conferences or book clubs, they often don’t know I’m a musician. I truly do put on different hats to do the different jobs.
That’s not to say I don’t crave more hours in a day. But as writer-wannabes go, I have been luckier than many. I did write my first couple books (in secret) when I was still in the fulltime work-world, but family and kid needs prompted me to trade my fulltime professorship for a part-time faculty position several years ago. I probably would have never started thinking about publishing if I hadn’t gone to a part-time position in my first career.
And as for keeping up the music when deadlines are nigh…There are a lot of things I’ll let slide before I let rehearsals or music classes go unprepared. Housework, for example!


#3- Any plans to write in a different sub-genre of romance besides romantic suspense?

I’ve always loved historicals. I wrote three-and-a-half of them before I ever even READ a contemporary romance or suspense. Every now and then, I consider pulling one of those oldies up on my computer to see what it’s like (they aren’t books anyone has ever seen), but I haven’t done it yet. I’m too afraid of how bad they might be!


#4- If you could pick one book out on the market today as "The book I wish I'd written," which would it be and why?

That’s not fair! There are SO many. I’m reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven right now. It’s an oldie, I know, but I had never read it before. I’m not even very far into it and all I keep thinking as I read is, “Why couldn’t I write/think like that?”


#5- Authors are now relied upon more so than ever to help in their book marketing. Do you find the social media sites helpful, and what are the drawbacks for you?

The social media sites are incredible venues for marketing. The problem is that their value is limited to the technological know-how of the user. That doesn’t seem to be a problem for most of the industry, but I’m so technologically stunted that I don’t make full use of the possibilities. Thank heavens there are blogs like this to feature my books and online publicists to coach me!


#6- Are there any upcoming releases we would like to know about, and could you give us your web site so readers can check it out?

My website can be found at www.katebrady.net.


#7- This about concludes it. Thank you again for joining us. Is there anything else you would like to share?

I’m so grateful for your support of authors and for helping get books out there. Thanks, Kelly!

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