Interview with Author Kathi Daley

Kathi Daley

Lake Tahoe, California

I have a special treat for you today. The delightful Kathi Daley is here with me this morning.

Kathi Daley lives with her husband, kids, grandkids, and Bernese mountain dogs in beautiful Lake Tahoe. When she isn’t writing, she likes to read (preferably at the beach or by the fire), cook (preferably something with chocolate or cheese), and garden (planting and planning, not weeding). 

She also enjoys spending time on the water when she’s not hiking, biking, or snowshoeing the miles of desolate trails surrounding her home.  Kathi uses the mountain setting in which she lives, along with the animals (wild and domestic) that share her home, as inspiration for her cozy mysteries.







Kathi is a top 100 mystery writer for Amazon and she won the 2014 award for both Best Cozy Mystery Author and Best Cozy Mystery Series.

She currently writes five series: Zoe Donovan Cozy Mysteries, Whales and Tails Island Mysteries, Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries, Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mysteries, and Seacliff High Teen Mysteries.

Good morning, Kathi and welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place of Art and Authors. What have you written? 

I write 5 series: Zoe Donovan Cozy Mysteries, Whales and Tails Island Mystery, Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mystery, Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery, and Seacliff High Teen Mystery. I also write stand alone romance.

What is your favorite genre to write? 

Mystery

Favorite food. 

Pizza

Tea or coffee? 

Coffee

Pizza or ice cream? 

Pizza

Wine or beer? 

Wine

Where would you like to visit? 

I’ve been a lot of places including all 50 states but I would like to visit parts of Alaska I haven’t been too such as Nome or Barrow.

Favorite musical artist. 

Bon Jovie 

Do you listen to music when you write?  

No, there’s enough chatter going on inside my head – I like it quiet when I write 

What makes you laugh? 

I love a clever play on words and I love to watch baby animals play.

Favorite work of art or sculpture. 

I love the handmade stuff my children and grandchildren have made for me over the years.

How old were you when you started writing? 

Fifty five.

Describe your perfect evening. 

Dinner on the beach with a roaring fire and someone I love.

Where do you get your inspiration? 

I usually get inspiration from my surroundings which, living in Tahoe, are breathtaking most of the time. We live on the edge of the forest so we have bears, and coyotes, and other wildlife in our yard on a regular basis. I also spend a lot of time at the ocean. I probably make six or seven trips a year for a week or two at a time.

What do you do when you get a writer's block? 

Just keep on typing. I have typed entire pages that say: I need an idea, where is this going, who is the killer, etc, but I don’t stop working. Eventually it comes to me and I just delete the rambling. If I am really stuck I take a walk. 

Who is your favorite author? 

I honestly don’t have a favorite. I have various moods that define what it is that I want to read but I really don’t have a single “go to” person that I consider to be my favorite.

Best book you ever read. 

Again, I don’t really have a favorite. I actually spent quite a bit of time trying to come up with something but I’m drawing a blank. I’m not really one to go back and reread books. In fact I usually don’t even go back and reread my own books once they are published but I did reread The Cat of Christmas Past, Book 6 in my Whales and Tails Island Mystery Series, a month or so ago on a whim, and I really enjoyed it. It is so odd to read your own work once you are removed from it. During the writing and editing process you are focused on specific content and you don’t necessarily get to enjoy the “feel” of the story. If I had to answer this question at this moment in time this is my favorite book.

Last book you read. 

A Premonition of Murder by Mary Kennedy

What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer? 

At this point in my life if I wasn’t a writer I’d probably just travel and putter around the house. I have been a teacher and an “at risk” counselor in the past and I do like working with teens.

Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why? 

My husband Ken. We met and began dating in high school so we’ve always been a team and the choices we’ve made in our lives we’ve made together.

What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer? 

Just do it. The only secret to success that I’ve found is to show up each day and do the work. If you have a story you want to tell just start writing. If you do this each day you will eventually have a book. If you write something you love chances are others will love it as well.



Links:

Stay up to date with Kathi's newsletter, The Daley Weekly. http://eepurl.com/NRPDf

Kathi Daley Blog: publishes each Friday http://kathidaleyblog.com

Webpage www.kathidaley.com

Facebook at Kathi Daley Books - www.facebook.com/kathidaleybooks

Kathi Daley Teen – www.facebook.com/kathidaleyteen

Kathi Daley Books Group Page – https://www.facebook.com/groups/569578823146850/

E-mail - kathidaley@kathidaley.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7278377.Kathi_Daley

Twitter at Kathi Daley@kathidaley - https://twitter.com/kathidaley

Amazon Author Page - https://www.amazon.com/author/kathidaley

BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kathi-daley

Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/kathidaley/