Tell us a little about yourself and your background?

My pen name is Kate McGinn.  I studied nursing in college and worked as a nurse for over 30 years.  Besides nursing, I was an officer in the Army Reserves and ran a Bed & Breakfast.  I was born in New York City, lived along the Gulf Coast, and spent a few years in Sicily.

I lived near the Mississippi River in Wisconsin with my husband for 25 years before moving to Arizona.  We have two adult sons, a wonderful daughter-in-law,  a future daughter-in-law, and two elderly Yorkies.

Which writers inspire you?

I love Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, Tom Clancy, Dan Brown, Toni Anderson, Janet Evanovich, Mark Twain, and Maeve Binchy. There are too many authors I enjoy reading, and there are too many to list. My favorite books feature strong female characters with vulnerability and personal flaws. I like to read mystery and suspense novels, but I enjoy reading multiple genres.

So, what have you written?
(*Include books, novellas, short stories, poems, blogs, awards or anything of interest.)

My first novel is called Exodus — Clare Thibodeaux Series Book 1.  One of my short stories is included in the anthology Bite-Sized Stories, volume 2.  I published Winter’s Icy Caress – Clare Thibodeaux Series Book 2 in June 2017.  My website, KateMcGinn.com, features excerpts from my books and short stories and includes my blog on the creative process and my personal viewpoints.  The One Million Project (OMP) has featured some of my blog posts and book reviews on their website and e-magazine.

Where can we buy or see them? (* include American, European and any other relevant links. Free, free promotions or prices can be included)

All my books can be purchased on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk  and can be read for free on Kindle Unlimited. Bite-Sized Stories, volume 2 is available on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

What marketing techniques worked for your book/s?

I have used a combination of social media, including Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads, and Instagram, for promotions, book listings on websites for Indie writers and specific genres, cross-marketing promotions with other indie writers, and my website/blog.

What do you advise writers who want to be successful?

Devote time to marketing each day.  Actively interact with your followers on social media and help cross-promote other indie authors.  Know your genre and what your readers’ expectations are.  Write, write, write.  Don’t be in too much of a rush to publish, your readers deserve to read your best work.

Do you have any advice on how to sell more books?

Work on building a following and an email list for direct promotions.  Offer special incentives and/or prices for signing up.  Evaluate which promotions/advertising provide you the most returns on your investment and focus on those promotions.

Do you have any other interests or business other than writing? Tell us a little about them/it?

I love the outdoors and camping.  I enjoy spending time with family and friends.  I love to travel and I don’t want to see only the tourist sites.  I like to people watch, try the local cuisines and go to the local markets.

Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?

Clare Thibodeaux is a strong young woman. Her father was an outdoorsman and guide who taught her how to shoot, hunt, fish, and survive in the wild. After the loss of her family, her independent nature takes over. She trusts very few individuals and avoids getting too close for fear of suffering more heartbreak. The caring side of her personality emerges as she cares for her patients in the ER.

When faced with a crisis, Clare’s icy resolve and hard-headedness might be great in the emergency room, but it keeps her from asking for help in her personal life.  She makes snap decisions and rebels against anyone who tries to control her in any way.  Her way of coping is picking up and leaving everything behind.   When Clare goes into hiding, she isn’t emotionally ready to deal with the romantic attentions of an Ojibwa FBI agent or a stranger with a questionable past, much less the continuing threats to her life.

What are you working on at the minute?

My current project is Empty Chairs, Empty Promises.   I’m also working on a short story anthology.

What genre are your books?

Romantic suspense, mystery/thriller, and general fiction are the different genres I write.

What draws you to this genre?

Fear and passion are two strong emotions that can bring out a person’s best or worst.  The possibilities of where your story will lead the reader are almost limitless.  I love the challenge of revealing only enough to keep the reader engaged without giving away the ending.

How much research do you do?

I do some research before I begin to write, but as I build and adapt the plot, I must research various aspects of the story for plausibility.  It doesn’t mean I don’t embellish or take creative license with information to align it with the storyline.  That’s why they call it fiction.

When did you decide to become a writer?

I’ve wanted to be a writer since elementary school. Although I would start to write over the years, I would invariably stop. I began writing again in 2014 because I couldn’t get a story out of my head. The story became Exodus.

Where do your ideas come from?

The ideas seem to just pop into my head.  I’ve awakened in the middle of the night to scribble down an idea from a dream, but it can happen anywhere.  I also get story ideas from actual incidents that have happened to people I know.

Do you work on an outline or plot, or prefer to see where an idea takes you?

It’s a combination of both.  I have specific plot points I jot down before I begin.  I do my research and some character sketches before I start.  When I start writing, I have my beginning and possible ending(s) laid out in a loose timeline.  As I write, I have new ideas I add to the plot.  I throw in a few plot twists as I develop my characters.  I change the order of events as needed.  For me, writing is a journey.  I know where I want to go, but my path is uncertain.  This approach to writing makes it pleasurable to me.  I am as surprised as anyone by the directions my story takes me.