Today suspense lovers, I have the honor on interviewing Kelly Irvin, an author that Patricia Bradley and I consider a friend, besides a beloved colleague. Kelly has a new book about to release on June 9th,
Closer Than She Knows. But first, the interview:
ME: If you had to describe yourself in one sentence, what would you say?
KI: I’m an introverted Christian novelist, wife, mother, and grandmother who never lost her childlike imagination.
ME: What do you do when you’re not writing? Any interesting hobbies?
KI: For the last two years I’ve been writing novels in two genres with overlapping deadlines so I haven’t had much free time. I belonged to a bible study that meets once a week, attend church, and Sunday school, but mostly I write. If I do have free time, I read mysteries and romantic suspense. If I had more time, I’d like to do a genealogy of my family and take up birdwatching, lol. But I love my life just the way it is.
ME: What was your favorite book as a teen or child?
KI: We were just posting about this on my Facebook page. A reader sent me a first edition Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzugh. I loved that book as a kid—still do. I also loved the Nancy Drew mysteries, Little House on the Prairie books, The Changeling, The Oregon Trail, and a ton of other books. I couldn’t get enough!
ME: Tell us three things about yourself that might surprise your readers.
KI: I never watched a single episode of “Game of Thrones.” LOL. Let’s see, I speak Spanish after spending three semesters at the University of Costa Rica as an exchange student in college. I hate kale. I’m deathly afraid of snakes—don’t try telling me they’re good for the environment, okay?
ME: What genre did you start out writing? Have you changed courses? Why or Why not?
KI: My first two books, A Deadly Wilderness and No Child of Mine, were romantic suspense novels. I was having trouble breaking into the Christian market, so my agent suggested I try Amish romances. I was very hesitant, but I did my research and started writing To Love and to Cherish. My agent sold it to Harvest House before I finished writing it. Since then I’ve published 16 Amish romances with more to come. Two years ago my sweet editor at HarperCollins Christian Publishing went to bat for me and pitched my proposals for new romantic suspense novels to the pub board. Publishers are leery about trying new genres because they’ve poured so many resources into building audiences for the first genre. I feel very blessed to be able to do both. It gives me a chance to stretch my writing muscles and keeps me fresh.
ME: What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author?
KI: I once had an acquisition editor tell me his publishing house only published extraordinary writing and mine didn’t rise to that level. It was devastating, but it also motivated me. I eventually published with that house, when he was no longer an editor there. The best compliment is when readers tell me they feel like they are in the story with the characters because they seem so real. One reader bought my books for her mother and she said they would talk on the phone about the characters like it was a soap opera they’ve been watching or gossiping about friends. I love that.
ME: Any other genres you’d like to try? If yes, what and why?
KI: I have a manuscript I wrote a long time ago that involves a middle school age girl living in a small town in Kansas during the Vietnam era in the 1960s. So it’s middle grade and historical. I’d love to spend some time reworking it someday.
ME: If you could go back in time and do something differently at the start of your career, what would it be?
KI: I’d start earlier. For several good reasons, I didn’t seriously start writing fiction until I was 45. I could’ve learned more and polished my craft more earlier, but I think this was God’s plan for me and it’s worked at really well so I’m not complaining.
ME: What is the most important piece of advice you’d like to give to unpublished authors?
KI: Polish your work and polish it some more. Join critique groups. Attend writing conferences. And then submit your very best work to agents who represent your genre. For me signing with an agent opened doors that were otherwise closed to me. For writers who want to be traditionally published, this is a vital step.
Now, here's a bit about Closer Than She Knows: A serial killer bent on revenge . . . and striking too close to home. Teagan O’Rourke has always loved murder mysteries. In her job as a court reporter, she has written official records for dozens of real-life murders. She’s slapped evidence stickers on crime scene photos. She’s listened to hours of chilling testimony. But she’s never known the smell of death. And she never thought she might be a victim. Until now....A young police officer is murdered just inches away from her, and then a man calling himself a serial killer starts leaving Teagan notes, signing each with the name of a different murderer from her favorite mystery novels. Panicked, Teagan turns to her friend Max Kennedy. Max longs for more than friendship with Teagan, but he fears she’ll never trust someone with a past like his. He wonders how much of God’s “tough love” he can take before he gives up on love completely. And he wonders if he’ll be able to keep Teagan alive long enough to find out. As Teagan, Max, and Teagan’s police officer father race to track down the elusive killer, they each know they could be the next victim. Desperate to save those she loves, Teagan battles fears that once haunted her in childhood. Nothing seems to stop this obsessed murderer. No matter what she does, he seems to be getting closer . . .
Here's a little bit about Kelly: Bestseller Kelly Irvin is the author of eighteen books, including romantic suspense and Amish romance. Publisher’s Weekly calls Closer Than She Knows a “brisk, smoothly written thriller.” She’s also the author of Tell Her No Lies and Over the Line. The two-time ACFW Carol finalist worked as a newspaper reporter for six years writing stories on the Texas-Mexico border. Those experiences fuel her romantic suspense novels set in Texas. A retired public relations professional, Kelly now writes fiction full-time. She lives with her husband, photographer Tim Irvin, in San Antonio. They are the parents of two children, three grandchildren, and two ornery cats.
Closer Than She Knows releases on June 9th from Thomas Nelson. It can be pre-booked here:
Amazon
If you leave Kelly a comment, you will be entered in a drawing for a copy of her previous suspense,
Over the Line. US readers only. You must leave your email address. Drawing in one week.
Have a wonderful, suspenseful week, readers!! Mary Ellis
