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Katy Lee interview with Susan Sleeman
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December 14, 2015
A: I’ve been told the name Katy Lee sounds Southern, but I have always been a New England girl. I like to think I have some Southern hospitality in me, though. I am married to my town’s deputy mayor and I homeschool my children. They are all in their secondary school years, so I am seeing the light at the end of that tunnel. Phew! But seriously, I do love homeschooling and so blessed to have been able to do it from day one. Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? A: I’ve always been a reader and still am. I wrote a bit when I was younger, but didn’t think being a writer was an option. Things like that only happened to other people. It was my brother who asked me a few years ago, why not me? In 2010, I sat and became a writer. Q: What do you write and why this genre? A: I write Inspirational Romantic Suspense. I knew I wanted to write Christian fiction but not suspense. But the villains kept showing his/her head. So, I embraced my calling as a suspense writer. Q: Do you base your characters on people you know or are they totally made up? A: Totally made up, although I will use aspects from real people like careers. My December book Silent Night Pursuit, has an army captain with Post-traumatic stress Disorder. He has a service dog that I based off a real service dog.
A: Lacey Phillips believes Captain Wade Spencer knows something about her brother’s mysterious death. So she throws caution to the wind and tracks him down on Christmas Eve looking for answers. Wade tries to turn her away—until bullets start to fly. He doesn’t want to take the stubborn beauty on his life-or-death mission to find out the truth about how Wade’s past may have cost her brother his life. But with killers lurking everywhere, he has to protect her—especially when she breaches the walls around his heart. Can Wade and his faithful service dog keep Lacey alive long enough to figure out who’s targeting them? Q: Where did the idea for this story come from? A: I watched a television interview on a news program with a soldier and his PTSD service dog. I was inspired by what these dogs do for our bravest men and women. Q: Tell us a little about your main character and how you developed him/her. A: Since I write romance, I have two main characters, but I will tell you about the hero of Silent Night Pursuit, Wade Spencer. Wade has PTSD from his deployments overseas, but also from a car crash when he was eight years old. His parents were killed and he remembers the accident vividly, mostly because he feels responsible. The crash was not an accident as the reports stated. He witnessed something at his family’s racetrack prior to the crash and was told to keep his mouth shut. He didn’t. After that he learned people die when he opens his mouth and talks. Now his best friend is dead after Wade told him his secret, and the army has sent Wade home with a service dog to help him open up more about his feelings. They don’t understand when he talks, people die. Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now? A: I am working on edits for my July 2016 book, the second in the Roads to Danger series. It is called Blindsided and Wade’s sister, Roni Spencer, is the heroine who gets trapped in the world of human trafficking. Q: What are some ways that readers of your books can help you as an author? A: I would appreciate your prayers. I could use prayers for appropriate use of time and God’s presence in the writing process. Also, if you enjoy my stories, tell a friend, your library and write a quick thought online at retail sites like Amazon. Thank you! Q: What one thing about writing do you wish other non-writers would understand? A: There are different genres in fiction, and that includes guidelines and expectations that must be met when writing under a particular one like Inspirational. Before finding fault in a work, check to see what the story falls under and what that means for the book. Marking it down because a certain aspect isn’t what you like doesn’t mean it was a bad book. That is all. J Q: Tell me something about yourself that would surprise your readers. A: I am a cat person and am a little afraid of dogs. This may have something to do with my run-ins with the nippy dogs on my paper route as a kid, but this fear made writing my latest novel, Silent Night Pursuit, a challenge. You see, there is an adorable golden Retriever service dog in my story. Her name is Promise and she has made a promise to her soldier she stands by to serve and guide. To write her accurately, I had to spend time with the dogs being trained for soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. These animals were amazing and wonderful and so attentive. I think they might have cured my fear a bit. Q: Milk or dark chocolate? Coffee or tea? A: Milk chocolate. Tea…especially chocolate mint tea. Q: Favorite TV show or shows? A: I’m a big Avengers fan, so I will say Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Q: Where can readers find you on the internet? A: KatyLeeBooks.com |
Katy Lee is the author of eight published novels. She writes suspenseful stories that thrill and inspire the reader—from the edge of their seat.
A native New Englander, Katy loves to knit warm wooly things. She enjoys traveling the side-roads and exploring the locals’ hideaways. A homeschooling mom of three competitive swimmers, Katy often writes from the stands while cheering them on.
Her 2014 book, Grave Danger, received a RITA® and a Daphne du Maurier award nomination.
