Questions, Answers, and Giveaway w/Author Gail Kittleson

Hi, Gail, welcome to my Whispers in Purple blog. You and I are neighbors in a kinda-sorta way . . . if you consider northern Iowa and northwestern Wisconsin neighborly. <Grin> And though we’ve never met in person, we’ve become fast friends. Or at least that’s the way I feel. We’re even writing a book together, but I’ll get to that in a bit.

Read on for details of a giveaway!

But first, a little about you:



Gail Kittleson taught college expository writing and ESL. Now she focuses on writing women’s fiction and facilitating writing workshops and women’s retreats. She also enjoys doing first edits for other authors. She and her husband enjoy family in northern Iowa, and the Arizona Ponderosa forest in winter.

WhiteFire Publishing released Gail’s memoir, Catching Up With Daylight, in 2013, and her debut women’s historical fiction, In This Together (Wild Rose Press/Vintage Imprint) released in 2015. She also contributed to the Little Cab Press 2015 Christmas Anthology,

The first novel in her World War II series has released, and the second is contracted with Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas for release in February, 2017. You can count on Gail’s heroines to make do with what life hands them, and to overcome great odds.

Meeting new reading and writing friends is the meringue on Gail’s pie, as her heroines would say.

 

Okay, now to the interrogation  er, interview ☺

How, and when, did you first come to writing?

Thanks for having me, Peg. I always loved reading, so writing came naturally. But junior high English assignments made me REALLY want to be a writer. The term junior high ages me right there—lol. But after that, a lack of confidence kept me hiding my written creations in drawers.

What book, or books, have you read recently that had a significant impact on your own writing?

Donald Maass’ The Break-out Novel, and The Moral Premise. These two clarified some questions for me and I emerged from studying them feeling as though I knew what I was doing...at least a little better.

If you could have lunch with one living, contemporary writer, who would it be, and why?

Oh boy. Can I say Annie Dillard AND Jane Kirkpatrick? Annie because I loved THE LIVING—one of the few really long books I’ve read more than once. And Jane because she’s so inspirational—her novels have touched me very personally. I’d like to thank her in person.

Good choices!

What kind of books do you like to read, and what are you reading now?

Right now, I’m reading a book that’s not out yet, by a Texas author who so nails the dialect and mannerisms of her characters...want to know who this is? Lee Carver.

I know of Lee. Sounds like an interesting read.

Fun question: If you’d been born into the animal kingdom instead of the human race, what would you be, and why?

I’ve answered this differently at various times in my life. But right now, I think I’d be a giraffe. They’re so unique—and their view of the world would be so different from, say, a mouse’s.

LOL!

Okay, I can’t wait any longer. Let’s talk about the book we’re co-authoring. The working title is: The Easter Bonnet Caper, a WWII cozy mystery set in your neck of the woods in 1944. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun! I’m loving every minute of the writing. What about you?

I feel the same way, and am so glad we had this brilliant idea, Peg.

You wrote the first scene before we decided to join forces. Our main female lead is a 40-something woman named Madge Warrington. How did you come up with her?

She just popped into my head. Seriously.

What was your original intended genre before we switched it to “cozy mystery?”

Well, I write women’s fiction, but I didn’t really have an agenda. I just started writing.

You’re doing a lot of the background research, and I so appreciate that. Do you enjoy researching, seeking out facts or digging up some fascinating information that makes this book as authentic as possible?

I love research—I’m learning so much writing this book and my other World War II novels. I just can’t get enough of that amazing era.

Between you and me, I can’t wait to see this book published, but we’ve got a lot of writing yet to do, and some hurdles to navigate. But, if God wants this story told, it will happen.

Agreed. That’s what happened with my recent release, In Times Like These. My heroine simply wouldn’t not be published.

Are we going to spotlight one of your recent releases?

Yes, please!

• Title: In Times Like These


• Release Date: May 2016


• Genre: Women’s Fiction


• Single or series: First in a series


• Target audience: women, from thirty-something’s to Baby Boomers


• Purchase Link:  http://amzn.to/1VFEoYh

Back cover synopsis:

Pearl Harbor attacked! The United States is at war.

But Addie fights her own battles on the Iowa home front. Her controlling husband Harold vents his rage on her when his father's stroke prevents him from joining the military. He degrades Addie, ridicules her productive victory garden, and even labels her childlessness as God's punishment.

When he manipulates his way into a military unit bound for Normandy, Addie learns that her best friend Kate’s pilot husband has died on a mission, leaving her stranded in London in desperate straits.

Will Addie be able to help Kate, and find courage to trust God with her future?

Finally, please share your Social Media links: Facebook, Twitter, blog/website, email (your option) and so on.)

• http://www.gailkittleson.com/


• www.facebook.com/gail.kittleson


• author@gailkittleson.com


• http://www.amazon.com/Gail-Kittleson/e/B00J8U1GEC


• twitter: http://www.twitter.com/GailGkittleson @GailGkittleson

About the Giveaway:   Gail is offering a free eBook copy of In Times Like These (Kindle edition via Gift card) to one lucky commenter on this post. To enter, just leave a comment below with your contact info disguised like: you (at) 123xyz (dot) com – to keep those nasty little bots from finding you. In order to make the giveaway fair, I require a minimum of five (5) entries before the ‘contest’ becomes viable. So, if you want a chance to win this book, send your friends on over to enter, too. ☺ Contest runs from today, May 12, through next Thursday, May 19, at 11:59 PM, Central Time. Winner will be drawn via random.org on Friday, May 20, and notified by email.  

Thank you so much, Gail, for being my guest today. And I want you to know how thankful I am for this God-given chance to write with you! It’s been a blast so far.

Please, join the conversation!