When eighteen-year-old Kara Jones gets into a car accident on the way home from college, she’s left with more than a few bruised ribs, a busted cell phone, and a totaled car. After a slip-up at the hospital, she’s shaken to discover that her family isn’t all it seems. And now her mother’s strange behavior and willingness to do anything to protect her secrets—including pulling Kara out of school—have Kara floundering in the dark. Enter Derek Miller, a former classmate who’s dealing with family issues of his own. His nerdy charm is too much for Kara to resist, and she’s even more amazed when he agrees to help her dig into her mother’s past. Together they investigate her mother’s old friends and boyfriends, hoping to discover who Kara really is. Instead, they find disturbing connections to the dark history of Kent State University, and an ever expanding maze of mystery surrounding Kara’s birth.
As Kara and Derek chase secrets, she realizes he’s the only person she can trust. But as they get closer to the truth, the disturbing answers reveal a web of evil far darker and further reaching than they’d imagined, leaving Kara to wish she’d never asked the questions in the first place, and to wonder if some secrets are better left untold…
Tell
us a little about your writer's journey so far:
I’ve
wanted to write since I was in junior high, but finding the right story wasn’t
an easy thing. Then I discovered young adult books. It had been a long time
since I’d read anything young adult, and the books out now are nothing like the
stuff I read when I was a kid.
Of
course, I wrote a dystopian first (thank you, Hunger Games). After realizing
that was never going to get me published, I moved on. The second book I wrote
earned me my very first full request from an agent. But my writing wasn’t where
I needed to be yet, and it took a lot of work with a really great critique
partner for me to figure out what I was doing wrong.
I
wrote a couple Young Adult books, but the competition is pretty fierce out
there. I would get full requests only to hear that the agent “liked it, but
didn’t love it.” Then New Adult started to take off and I figured I’d try a
slightly less flooded market. I finished Collision in July of last year, went
through a few rounds with critique partners, then did WriteOnCon. When PitchMas
rolled around I entered Collision and was thrilled to get seven requests from
agents and editors. I was offered a contract by two small presses, and
ultimately chose Etopia Press.
Okay,
let's hear your Twitter Pitch! (140 characters or less.)
Ugh!
I’m so bad at Twitter pitches. I try, but usually get very little attention.
Here is one I tried for this book though:
NA
RomMys-When 18yr old Kara learns her dad isn’t her father, she must follow a trail
of clues that starts w/a lie & ends w/a madman #pitmad
Not
great, right? That’s why queries or contests work better for me! I actually got my contract for Collision
after participating in PitchMas.
What inspired
you to write this book? How is it a book only you could write?
I
had the idea for this book while watching a new TV show a little over a year
ago. There was a little boy on the show (a minor character) and I couldn’t stop
thinking about how he was handling the whole situation. A light bulb went off in my head and I
started toying with the plot for Collision. Of course, I can’t say which show
it was, because it might spoil the end of the book.
What's
your favorite thing about writing?
I
think it’s controlling how the story goes. When I read other people’s books I
have expectations for how I want the characters to react or what I want them to
do, but it doesn’t usually work out the way I imagined. This way I get to
choose what happens and create the people who make those things happen.
What's
your least favorite thing?
Rejection.
Hearing no over and over again is rough. I know people who have been at this
for years and years, and are still trying to get an agent or get published.
It’s hard to hold on to your confidence after being told no so often.
Now
it's time to brag a little--What do you love most about your book?
I
love that it’s different. There are a lot of great new adult books out there. A
lot. But most of what’s out right now is romance. I love the age range of the
characters in new adult, and I want to see it expand to include more than just
romance. My book does have romantic element to it, but the main plot is the
mystery behind my main character’s birth father.
Who
was your favorite character to write? Why?
I
have to say, I love Derek. I like new adult, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve
gotten tired of seeing the same male character over and over again. The bad-boy
man whore with loads of baggage (usually with several tattoos), who changes in
the blink of an eye after he meets the girl he didn’t know he wanted. Nice
story, but it’s a stretch and it’s been done. Derek is a nice guy who’s a bit
of a nerd, and he’s a gentleman. He has some baggage to overcome (I love
characters with baggage!), but overall he’s the guy you want to be friends with
AND date.
Okay, now a
little about you. (And yes, I stole these questions from In the Actor's Studio
with James Lipton.)
What turns you
on?
Sense
of humor. Funny people make life enjoyable.
What turns you
off?
People
who let their insecurities rule their lives.
What sound or noise
do you love?
Depends
on the day. Some days it’s silence, others it’s the sound of my kids laughing.
What sound or
noise do you hate?
Fighting
children. I have four kids, so when they fight it gets loud.
What profession,
other than your own, would you most like to attempt?
I
love decorating cakes. When my kids have a birthday I let them choose a theme
and spend hours making the cake. If I wasn’t focused on writing I would love to
start a business.
Finally,
what's the one question you've always wanted to answer in an interview? (And of
course, you have to answer it!)
How
do you choose the settings of your books?
I
love this question because every book I’ve written is set in a different area.
Why? Because I’ve moved a lot and I like writing about the places I’ve lived.
My husband is in the Air Force, and over the last ten years we’ve lived in:
Ohio, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, California and Oklahoma. I love to
have my characters visit places I’ve actually been, whether it’s a city or hotel
or restaurant. Collision is actually set in the Dayton, Ohio area, which is
where I spent most of my life. And where my husband and I met.
About the Author
Kate L. Mary is a stay-at-home mother of four and an Air Force wife. She spent most of her life in a small town just north of Dayton, Ohio where she and her husband met at the age of twelve. Since their marriage in 2002, they have lived in Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and California.
Kate’s love of books and writing has helped her survive countless husbandless nights. She enjoys any post-apocalyptic story – especially if zombies are involved – as long as there is a romantic twist to give the story hope. Kate prefers nerdy, non-traditional heroes that can make you laugh to hunky pieces of man-meat, and her love of wine and chocolate is legendary among her friends and family. She currently resides in Oklahoma with her husband and children.
What a great interview! Nice to learn more about this author. I love baking and decorating cakes, too, though I'm terrible at it. At least the decorating part! The book sounds wonderful, as well. I love a little mystery and a little romance mixed together. Congrats on the new release! I'm going to add this to my to-read list.
ReplyDelete