Kaye George

In continuing my series of interviews of fellow members of AMW, I’d like to introduce you to Laura Oles.

VPC- Welcome, Laura! Tell us a little about your background.

LO- I grew up in an Air Force family and moved a number of times growing up. I graduated from Texas State and met my husband while I was in college. His parents were both professional photographers and entrepreneurs who introduced me to the world of photography. At the time, I didn’t know an f/stop from a bus stop, but I loved the industry almost immediately. We were working in the time of early digital photography and had built a business that did some pretty cool things in that space. I also started writing for digital photography magazines—both consumer and trade— and did that for about fifteen years. Some of the most interesting people I’ve ever met work behind the camera. It remains my first love, although I detest having my photo taken. Ask anyone—the camera comes out and I duck behind a tree. If awkward smiling were an Olympic sport, I would bring home the gold.

Laura hiding from the camera.

VPC- I can vouch for that, readers. It’s true! So you’ve had some success with publishing nonfiction, why are you interested in writing fiction?

LO- Yes, I wrote Digital Photography for Busy Women back in 2005 and was so happy to see the reception it received in the photography field. Technology books become obsolete pretty quickly, so while it served its purpose then, it’s outdated now. Part of the cycle. Still, it came out an important time in the industry when people were leaving film for digital and had no idea what to do with their photos once the image had been taken. I had been covering related technology for industry magazines and the book was an extension of that education.

Nonfiction has its own challenges but I love it as much as I love fiction. I grew up reading fiction at an early age, getting lost in Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and Judy Blume, Reading fiction was the perfect escape for a kid that kept relocating to a new school, a new city. While I enjoy many genres, mystery, suspense and thrillers remain my favorites. Not only do I love getting lost in the worlds other people create, I also love creating my own worlds and occupying them with interesting personalities. My husband once told me that I talk about these characters like they’re real people. I guess for me, they are real people. Is that weird?

I also like reading both fiction and nonfiction. I often bounce between reading a business book and a mystery at the same time. So, right now I’ve got Charles Duhigg’s Smarter Faster Better and Mark Pryor’s Hollow Man in progress. I find it hard to commit to reading one book at a time. Both books are excellent. And my TBR list is a little out of hand at the moment.

VPC- I know that you also have three kids. Two of them are twins! How do you juggle writing, working and raising a family?

LO- I think one of the challenges of loving your work and loving your family is that you never feel like you’re excelling in either arena at the same time. Other people may have tamed this dragon but I have yet to do so. I try to compartmentalize as much as possible, but it’s difficult. My time is often split into small segments so I work at piecing them together to create something meaningful. For example, I’ve started and stopped answering these questions several times already because of a soccer tournament, Prom, and NHS volunteer projects. Granted, it’s easier than it was when my kids were little, especially when my twins were in the pre-school stages. I don’t think I drank of cup of hot coffee for a couple of years. With three teenagers, it’s a different kind of busy. My job is largely driving, coordinating schedules, counseling and proofreading my kids’ English papers. I am very fortunate to have an awesome husband who, despite a demanding work and travel schedule, still makes most of the sporting events, concerts and other things that are important. If he has to drive from the airport to a volleyball game, he’s there.

With respect to writing, I think one of the most difficult things is shifting my brain from multi-tasking to creative mode. I have found that it is so important to protect that sacred space of allowing your imagination to roam, to get lost in the ‘what if’s of storytelling so the story has time to grow and take some turns. I really have to work at protecting that space. It’s very easy for real life to intrude and lay claim to it. (Link to Laura’s article about making the most of your time via the Pomodoro Method.)

VPC: What aspect of writing do you enjoy the most?

LO: I have a fond affection for dialogue. I love writing interactions between characters, trying to find the proper beats where the back-and-forth feels authentic. Elmore Leonard remains one of my all time favorite masters of dialogue. He said, “If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.” I think that’s very good advice. I also enjoy editing, maybe even more than writing the first draft, because it’s my opportunity to shape the story and figure out what works and what is getting in the way of the story moving forward.

VPC- How did you come to be a member of AMW?

LO-I met Kathy Waller and Gale Albright through our local Sisters in Crime chapter and was part of the Barbara Burnett Smith Mentor program in 2012. They invited me in and I have enjoyed their company and critiques ever since. Writing is a solitary process, so having like minded writers who want to discuss plot points, character development and setting is a wonderful thing. I would probably bore my non-writer friends out of their minds but the AMW people get me. And I’m grateful for it.

VPC- What are you working on now?

LO-I am currently revising my second mystery, Point & Shoot, which was named a finalist in the Writer’s League of Texas manuscript competition. I’m also working on a few short stories, including one for an anthology being put together by AMW for publication next year. I continue to write for the photo industry, although I’m taking a hiatus for a bit to focus on my fiction (no pun intended). I’m leaving for Malice Domestic this week (in Bethesda, MD) and am looking forward to spending time with some of my favorite writers and friends. I’m also finally making it to Bouchercon this year in New Orleans. Other than that, I’m just trying to find time to write each day so I can keep my imaginary friends alive. They suffer if I’m gone too long. And I do, too. I’m cranky if I’ve gone a bit without writing. Even worse than when I skip coffee, and that’s saying something.

With Hank Phillippi Ryan at MD 2014

Laura and Kaye George at Malice in 2014

Article about Malice Domestic 2014

Thank you for the interview, Laura Oles! I’ve enjoyed these interviews. I like showing the world how diverse we are in AMW.

For today’s interview I’m talking to former AMW member, Kaye George who is a national-bestselling and multiple-award-winning author.

Welcome to the interview couch, Kaye! Tell us, how did you find Austin Mystery Writers?

I was at an Austin Sisters in Crime Holiday party at someone’s home, and I mentioned wanting a writing group. Someone led me to Karen MacInerney, who was still in the AMW group then. She invited me to a meeting, and I came back time after time. I attended through all kinds of membership changes until we moved out of Austin.

How did the group help you?

We were all mystery writers, but we all wrote very different kinds of mysteries. I liked getting different feedback from the viewpoints of all the other writers. I liked it when we had guys in the group, too, because that’s another perspective. Having at least several members was always good, because you don’t want to take all the feedback you get. If two or more readers complain about the same passage or plot point, though, you know you have to change it.

When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

Probably in junior high school, when I started to think it might be possible. We had an assignment to write a page of description without telling the reader what we were describing. I wrote about Cocker Spaniel, not telling the reader it was a dog, but saying he ran up the hill on four paws and enjoyed the breeze blowing through his long silky ears–or something like that. The teacher loved it! In fact, she read it to the class as an example of how the assignment should be done. My face was bright red! But I loved that she loved it. Throughout high school and college I submitted short stories to impossible markets, Atlantic Monthly (as it was then called) and New Yorker magazines. I collected piles of rejection slips.

What was the first thing of yours that was published?

It was a short story in Web Mystery Magazine. I’ve lost track of Rosalie Stafford, who accepted my piece, but still keep up with Earl Staggs, who edited for them. The story was called “Flash Mob” and was published in April 2006. I even got paid for it! I remember being so anxious to get it published before flash mobs fell out of fashion. They’re still around, so I wasted that anxiety. I thought I was on my way and it wouldn’t be long before I got the novel published that I’d been working on. Ha! My first novel, CHOKE, was published in 2011, but THAT novel was published in April 2013 as EINE KLEINE MURDER. April seems to be a good month for me.

Tell us about some of your hobbies.

I play the violin and love to compose when I have the time. In the past, I’ve had fun arranging things for the string quartet I had in Dallas. Reading, of course, and walking. Hiking in the mountains, but not long, overnight treks, just half-day or shorter.

Tell us an unusual fact about you.

After having been on several panels at mystery conferences, I’m not longer all that terrified of speaking in front of people, and I can play in a string quartet or even duet without the shakes, but I’m paralyzed when I play an audition or a violin solo. I can’t do it without a little “helper.”

I know that you have more than one series. Briefly tell us what those are and what’s new.

As Kaye George, I’m doing 3 series (I know, I’m nuts).

Cressa Carraway Musical Mysteries: EINE KLEINE MURDER, REQUIEM IN RED (coming out in April 2016)

Imogene Duckworthy humorous Texas series: CHOKE, SMOKE, BROKE

People of the Wind Neanderthal Mysteries:

DEATH IN THE TIME OF ICE, DEATH ON THE TREK (coming out June 2016)

As Janet Cantrell, just one series.

Fat Cat: FAT CAT AT LARGE, FAT CAT SPREADS OUT, FAT CAT TAKES THE CAKE (coming out in April) April is a good month for me, but it’s getting a little crowded for 2016.

My first love, though, is short stories. With the other members of this group, we had a lot of fun putting out MURDER ON WHEELS with Wildside Press this year.

My next short story will be “Heartbreak in Graceland” in MEMPHIS NOIR, coming out by Akashic in November. I have some more in the works, but not definite dates. I try to keep my web page updated, so everything should be there soon after I know it.

Do you have any insights into the publishing industry?

Um, no. I’ve always said that if anyone tells you what publishing will look like in ten years, or even next year, they’re full of baloney. No one knows. But that’s what makes this field so interesting. You gotta be on your toes and keep up!

Thanks for the interview!

Thanks so much for having me here today!

A side note: Hurry up and get the hardcover for Death in the Time of Ice at Untreed Reads. It’s available only through Septemeber!

http://www.untreedreads.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=873&products_id=1709

And if you’re interested in her Fat Cat series: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fat-cat-takes-the-cake-janet-cantrell/1122291999

http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Cat-Takes-Cake-Mystery/dp/042526744X/

Here are the links to her novel page and short stories page:

http://kayegeorge.wix.com/kaye-george#!novels/c1qrd

http://kayegeorge.wix.com/kaye-george#!short-stories/c1bfa