Interview with Kat Richardson and Giveaway - August 10, 2011

Please welcome Kat Richardson to The Qwillery. Downpour, the 6th book in Kat's Greywalker series, was published on August 2, 2011.

TQ:  What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

Kat:  Interesting quirk...? I sing to myself? I used to be a vocal music major in college and I've always had the habit of singing. I try not to do it in public--I'm easily overwhelmed by public attention though it might not seem that way--but I have occasionally been coaxed into ill-advised karaoke moments....

TQ:  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Kat:  A bit of both, so... a Plotser I guess. I used to plot out every point, clue, scene, and reversal in detail and then write to that outline. Now I tend to wing it more with a looser outline of "oh, this happens and this sort of thing, and some peril from a monster, and then an interesting complication, a reversal... big battle with Nasty Monster/Villain and... Good Guys win! Yay! Now... how am I going to work this...?" So I guess you could say I'm a broad detail pantser.

TQ:  Are there any other genres in which you would like to write in addition to Urban Fantasy?

Kat:  Many. I'd like to do some Science Fiction and some Mystery, I'd also like to do a mix of those two as well as more whimsical fantasy--If I get the chance. About the only thing I no longer have any yen to do is Historical or Romance--I tried those when I was much younger and you really don't want to be too near the box they're stored in.... Let's just say, you can smell them in Florida... and I live in Seattle!

TQ:  Describe Downpour in 140 characters or less.

Kat:  Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest with Chinese Demons! Bad mages want to control a magic lake; Harper must destroy them all. It rains. A lot.

TQ:  What sort of research did you do for Downpour?

Kat:  I had to research monsters both Chinese and not, including some more local legends. And I went up to the Lake Crescent area to get an idea of what the place is really like at that time of year--cold and wet and kind of creepy. I also read a lot about the history of the area and talked to a lot of really cool ladies at the Kitsap County Historical Society--they're fantastic!

TQ:  In Downpour, who was the most difficult character to write and why? The easiest and why?

Kat:  Quinton. He has some problems he needs to resolve and so he needed to act very unlike his usual self. It's hard to take a well-established character and make him strange again.

Jin the Chinese Demon was a little tricky, because he's motivated by a lot of human emotions, but he's not human, so I had to remember that and make him act like a demon, not a human in a demon suit.

Harper was actually the easiest for once, since she's not in the middle of some very personal crisis for once. I didn't have to delve into all her quirky, difficult personal psychology.

TQ:  Do you and Harper Blaine have anything in common?

Kat:  We have impossible mothers we actually like more than we want to admit. And we're female and wear jeans and sweaters a lot. Other than that, not a lot. I'm sooooo not the athletic, slim, clever person she is and she's... well she's not as nice as I am. Actually, sometimes she's a bitch. But... wait... that we do have in common.

TQ:  How many books are planned for the Greywalker series?

Kat:  At the moment, Nine. I plan to take a break after book nine to try a few new things and let the tank of weirdness that helps me create the Grey refill a bit. I don't want the series to become a bunch of formula, monster-of-the-week books. I want them to remain fresh and challenging and that will require a bit of a pause to step away. But I may well come back to them. I'm just not sure when or for how long.

TQ:  What's next?

Kat:  Immediately, finishing up Book 7--tentatively called Seawitch, and getting through some tough family medical stuff. But on the writing front, making time for new, non-Harper projects.

TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Kat:  Thank you for having me--it's always a pleasure to chat with you and your fans!


About the Greywalker Novels

Downpour

Greywalker 6
(Roc, August 2, 2011)

Harper Blaine is on the mend, but evil never rests-in the latest novel from the national bestselling author of Labyrinth.

After being shot in the back and dying-again- Greywalker Harper Blaine's only respite from the chaos is her work. But while conducting a pre-trial investigation in the Olympic Peninsula, she sees a ghostly car accident whose victim insists that he was murdered and that the nearby community of Sunset Lakes is to blame.

Harper soon learns that the icy waters of the lake hide a terrible power, and a host of hellish beings under the thrall of a sinister cabal that will use the darkest of arts to achieve their fiendish ends...


Amazon : Barnes & Noble : Book Depository

Labyrinth

Greywalker 5
(Roc, August 3, 2010)

The toughest case yet for Greywalker Harper Blaine, "a great heroine" (#1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris).

Harper Blaine was your average small-time P. I. until she died-for two minutes. Now she's a Greywalker, walking the line between the living world and the paranormal realm. There are others who know about her new powers-others with powerful tools and evil intentions, and now that the man who "killed" her has been murdered, the police are also paying close attention. That means Harper has to watch her step while searching for the ghost of her "killer"-who could be a valuable clue in the puzzle of Harper's past and her father's death, as well as a key to figuring out who's trying to manipulate her new powers and why. But with her growing powers pulling her into the Grey, Harper might not be able to come back out...


Amazon : Barnes & Noble : Book Depository

Vanished

Greywalker 4
(Roc, August 4, 2009)

The toughest case yet for Greywalker Harper Blaine...

Why did Seattle investigator Harper Blaine-as opposed to others with near-death experiences-become a Greywalker? When Harper digs into her own past, she unearths some unpleasant truths about her father's early death as well as a mysterious puzzle. Forced by some very demanding vampires to take on an investigation in London, she soon discovers her present trouble sin England are entangled with her dark past back in Seattle-and her ultimate destiny as a Greywalker.


Amazon : Barnes & Noble : Book Depository

Underground

Greywalker 3
(Roc, August 5, 2008)

In the cold of winter, Pioneer Square's homeless are being butchered, and zombies have been seen roaming the streets of the underground city buried beneath modern Seattle. Greywalker Harper Blaine is asked to investigate by her friend Quinton, who fears he may be implicated in the deaths. They soon discover that someone has unleashed a monster of ancient legend- and Harper must deal with both the living and the dead to find the creature and put a stop to it...unless it stops her first.


Amazon : Barnes & Noble : Book Depository

Poltergeist

Greywalker 2
(Roc, August 7, 2007)

Harper Blaine is a Greywalker-walking the thin line between the living world and the paranormal realm. She's been hired by a university research group that's attempting to create an artificial poltergeist. But when one of the group's members is found killed, Harper must determine whether the killer is the ghost itself, or someone all too human...


Amazon : Barnes & Noble : Book Depository

Greywalker

Greywalker 1
(Roc, October 3, 2006)

Harper Blaine was your average small-time P.I. until a two-bit perp's savage assault left her dead for two minutes. When she comes to in the hospital, she sees things that can only be described as weird-shapes emerging from a foggy grey mist, snarling teeth, creatures roaring.

But Harper's not crazy. Her "death" has made her a Greywalker- able to move between the human world and the mysterious cross-over zone where things that go bump in the night exist. And her new gift is about to drag her into that strange new realm-whether she likes it or not.


Amazon : Barnes & Noble : Book Depository









About Kat

Kat Richardson is the bestselling author of the Greywalker paranormal detective novels. A keen fan of hardboiled fiction since an early age, Kat models her stories on the work of such iconic detective writers as Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, with a dash of whimsy, horror, and an occasional ferret. A former theater brat and technical editor, Kat has worked in a variety of fields from theater and music to magazine and course writing, from games and film to training jewelers and gemologists and writing technical manuals, IT support materials and stuff like that to pay the bills. She lives on a classic boat in the Seattle area with her husband, a goofy pit-bull, and the ghosts of ferrets. She rides a motorcycle and shoots target pistol as well, just for fun. You can visit her and her Minions on the Greywalker forum (http://www.criticalfumble.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=18) or drop into her website (http://katrichardson.com/) for more information. She’s also easy to find on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.

Kat's Links

Website: http://katrichardson.com/
Bloggery: http://katrich.wordpress.com//
http://katatomic.livejournal.com/
Forum: http://www.criticalfumble.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=18
Newsletter: http://groups.google.com/group/kat-richardson-news
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Kat.Richardson.Writer
Google+:  https://plus.google.com/111032806480382192972/about
Twitter: http://twitter.com/katrchrdsn


The Giveaway

THE RULES

What:  One commenter will win a copy of Downpour from Kat Richardson. US, Canada and United Kingdom only.

How:  Leave a comment answering the following question:

What is your favorite animal or pet?

Please remember - if you don't answer the question your entry will not be counted.

You may receive additional entries by:

1) Being a Follower of The Qwillery.

2) Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.

3) Mentioning the giveaway on your on blog or website. It must be your own blog or website; not a website that belongs to someone else or a site where giveaways, contests, etc. are posted.

There are a total of 4 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry), Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry), and personal blog/website mention (+1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.

Please leave links for Facebook, Twitter, or blog/website mentions. In addition please leave a way to contact you.

Who and When: The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address in the USA, Canada, or United Kingdom. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Wednesday, August 17, 2011. Void where prohibited by law.

*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*