Author Interview + Giveaway: K.C. Grant

I am posting my first interview ever! I'm so excited to have LDS author, K.C. Grant featured on the blog today.

Bio:

K.C. Grant was born in rural Idaho, but has made Utah her home for most of her life. After serving an LDS Spanish-speaking mission to Anaheim, California, USA, she returned and continued her studies at Weber State University, participating in a study aborad program that allowed her to study at the Centro Mexicano Internacional in Michoacan, Mexico. She has been a freelance writer for eight years. Much of her work appears in family-oriented magazines such as LDSLiving, Latter-Day Woman, Back Home, Parents & Kids, and Natural Life and also The Deseret News/Mormon Times. She served as president of the Bountiful chapter of the League of Utah Writers for three years and is also a member of the Association of Mormom Letters and LDStorymakers. Though raising her children is still her most important task, she combines it with the demanding job of working out the numerous plots she has for future novels. She and her husband of seventeen years love to travel and scout out new settings for books. While ancient Mexico was the setting for her first published novel, Abish: Daughter of God, which was released by Covenant in 2010 and its sequel, Abish: Mother of Faith, released March 2011--modern Mexico was perfect for her suspense novel titled, Venom, recently released in 2012. Other publications include short stories published in Covenant's seasonal compilations, How Will Christmas Find Us? and A Christmas to Remember, by various LDS authors.

When and why did you begin writing?
I think it comes down to being a reader first. When you love to read good books and you're introduced to that world, it's a natural path to start thinking "maybe I can do this." My writing actually began with writing articles for magazines. It was so fun being "published" that it gave me the confidence to tackle a novel.

What book(s) or author(s) have influenced your life and writing?

My mother started me off with the classics when I was growing up. I read Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, then moved on to Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice. I have always been fascinated by a well-told story and a writer's attention to detail. Unfortunately a lot of that style is not commercially viable in today's market, but I think that reading those gave me a love for words and how they could be put together.

What is your favorite genre to read/write?

I've always loved a good suspense/mystery novel. Those are my escape books because you plow through them and can't put them down. And so I enjoy working on this new genre and trying to learn how to capture that excitement. I think before I tackle historical or something more serious again I'm going to have to have more time to myself to really write. My kids are getting to be teenagers and that's been more consuming than when they were younger.

What is your writing process? Do you follow a routine?
I'll confess that it's a lot of hit and miss lately. I'll churn out a few chapters, step back and then look at them a day or so later. Make changes and write a few more. Then maybe three or four days will go by and I'll focus on marketing or writing an article for the newspaper. Then I look at the chapters and change them. It goes on and on.

Do you ever suffer from writer's block? If so, what do you do about it?

I think every writer does. Sometimes for me it's a matter of confidence. When I feel overwhelmed by maybe a bad review or I got too much information shoved into my brain at a writer's confidence I think, "I can't do this!" So I have to chill and take a break and try and find that spark to start again.

What are the most important elements of good writing?

Your characters. If people don't connect or relate to them your story can be fantastic but they won't want to take that journey with them.

What book are you reading now?
I was reading Jane Eyre again, but with the Whitney Awards coming up I've shifted my focus to the finalists. I've finished Gregg Luke's 'Bloodbourne' and I think I'll read 'Rearview Mirror' by Stephanie Black next. I doubt I'll be able to tackle every category. So I stick with what I like.

Giveaway

K.C. has graciously offered a copy of her new novel, Venom to one of you lucky readers. Enter to win after the description.

Title: Venom

Author: K.C. Grant

Publisher: Covenant Communications

Date Published: January 2012

Genre: LDS Fiction Mystery/Suspense

Synopsis from gooodreads.com:

Samantha Evans is determined to make a name for herself in the cutthroat world of advertising. Newly hired by a prestigious ad agency, she volunteers to work on location in Mexico City as a personal assistant to the beautiful and driven creative director Katrina Edwards. At first the association seems promising. But Ms. Edwards seems preoccupied in a way that makes Samantha increasingly uneasy. In fact, many in the group seem like they are not being completely open about the project including David Ayala, the mysterious and moody photographer for whose attention the two women find themselves competing. After several strange accidents and numerous appearances by an unknown man, Samantha discovers the truth: not everyone on the team is in Mexico to create a stellar advertising pitch. When her sleuthing leads to her abduction, she is brought to the pyramids of Teotihuacán and comes face-to-face with the venomous evil of the South American crime boss known as “The Serpent.” Now Samantha must not only fight for her life, but she must also discover if she can trust the man she’s come to love.

Details

You must be a GFC follower of The Book Bug and K.C.'s blog.

Extra entries can be gained by following K.C. on Facebook and Twitter, leaving her a blog post comment, and tweeting about the giveaway.

The giveaway will open February 17th and run through March 2nd. Open to US residents only.

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