The 2018 Author Interview Series Featuring Angela Kay

Welcome to the 2018 author interview series. Author interviews will be posted every Friday throughout the year.

I am honored to continue this series with Angela Kay, a Georgia author and blogger that writes Mystery/Thriller novels.

For those of you that have read my interviews in the past, you’ll find a new set of questions in this series. You can catch up with all of my past author interviews (nearly 200) on my Author Directory page.

If you’re an author interested in being interviewed in this series, I still have limited spots available for 2018. You can email me at don@donmassenzio.com

Now, please enjoy this conversation with author Angela Kay:

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Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

I try to do a little bit of both. It’s hard to write a 100% original story, but not impossible. As for delivering what readers want, I may write a scene and have a few people read it. If all of them say they hate it, I’m definitely going to put that scene aside and rework it, even if I like it. I want my readers to have a good experience while reading, so if the majority dislike any part of my book, then I’m going to figure out how I can rework it.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

“Everyone starts somewhere. Whether you decide to be an independent author or a traditional author, you have to know the same things. Learn to market early, make connections early, and research book editors.”

What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?

Nothing comes to mind at the moment.

Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

Every time I see that I’ve received a new review off Amazon, my heart begins to quicken. I don’t handle failure very well, but I’ve been teaching myself that even if one book fails, the others may not. I get annoyed if people were to leave a review and they don’t say why they don’t like it, or even when they don’t say why they love it. If reviewers who leave a review say they love it, it would help potential purchasers decide they want to check it out. Alternately, if they hate something about the book, I’d like to know because then I could devise my writing skills to conform with what readers like. For example, several people left reviews for my debut novel, The Murder of Manny Grimes, saying they loved it and that it was fast-paced all the way through. Two people left a review saying it was slow at times. I’ve contacted both, asking what about the book was slow. Neither would tell me. So, how can I learn to better my craft if they don’t tell me their entire opinion?

Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

No. I don’t really have secrets.

Do you Google yourself?

I didn’t until this question. Haha. And if anyone does, don’t confuse me with Angela Kay Austin!

What is your favorite childhood book?

When I was younger, I was obsessed with the Sweet Valley Middle and Sweet Valley High series. I owned every one of those books. Nancy Drew as well.

If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?

Get out more. I’ve always been extremely introverted. I feel that if I got out more, I would be more observant and be able to better write about my take on things I’ve seen or dealt with into my writings.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

It depends on my mood and what I have going on. For my debut novel, it took seven years for me to complete, and ultimately publish. I had changed my direction so many times, I lost count. Because my book ended up a mess, I fell into depression and stopped writing. I don’t plan on letting that happening again! It took me less than a month to complete the first draft of my third and upcoming book. So, I would have to suppose that it would take me about a month overall. As long as I’m able to adhere to my word count goals, and life doesn’t get too much in the way, it’s doable.

About Angela:

Equipped with a professional writing degree from Augusta State University, Angela Kay always had the imagination and passion of a writer. She has written many, many short stories in her lifetime, most of which won’t ever see the light of day!

During college, her playwright professor had urged her to submit her one-act play to a 2009 playwright contest. To her shock and glory, she was one of 23 across the United States to win for her one-act entitled “Digging Deeper.” Because of this, she was able to spend a week in Atlanta at the Horizon Theater Company.

She’d begun writing her first novel, The Murder of Manny Grimes in 2009 during a Creative Writing college course. The first draft was well-received by her peers and professor. After seven years of writing and re-writing, the final draft of Manny Grimes became so unrecognizable and so different from the direction she initially went in. Finally, finding the nerves to show it to the public, Angela published it in 2016 with ThomasMax Publishing. A year later, she followed it up with a second book, Blood Runs Cold.

Realizing how difficult it is to break into the whole writing scheme, Angela began a blog to help other authors, many of which deserve glory. Between her busy life and keeping up with her writing, she enjoys reading and reviewing books written by both traditional authors and independent authors.

Angela draws her inspiration from international bestselling author, Steven James, as well as Agatha Christie and James Patterson.

Aside from writing, Angela enjoys watching TV and movies. Her favorite entertainers include James Stewart, Bing Crosby, Paul Newman, Mark Wahlberg, Bryan Adams, and Jeremy Camp.

Angela lives in Augusta, Georgia with her crazy calico, Maggie.

Connect with Angela:

Facebook.com/angelakaysbooks

Twitter: @angelakaysbooks

Webpage: www.angelakay.org

Angela’s Books: