For my fifth Nikki Garcia mystery, Nikki’s brother, Andy, is introduced as a character. He’d been mentioned in a couple of earlier Nikki novels, but this is his debut as a living, breathing character. Andy is a sleep researcher, studying the deep-winter sleep of black bears, and torpor, shorter periods of hibernation, in squirrels […]
The game “What Historical Figure Do You Want to Meet” made me think of whom I’d like to talk to. One is M.C. Escher, and the second person is the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. If I could resuscitate the pharaoh, I’d ask where he conceived the idea of monotheism. Was Akhenaten truly the first person to […]
A miniscule thought that crosses my mind or an article I’ve read in a newspaper can light up like a distant sparkling star and inspire a story. If the spark grows and gains momentum, the concept might become a novel. The spark in Revenge in Barcelona (my Nikki Garcia Mystery #3), was the city itself, […]
Recently I read that during the pandemic online shopping spree, socks became a hot item. Socks? Really? Must have taken some pretty bored people to shop for socks! I wondered if socks had ever been written up in literature. As a mystery writer, I immediately thought of possible book titles: Murder by Socks, The Sock […]
By Kathryn Lane I love the mountains in northern New Mexico. Nature in this area constantly surprises me with beautiful vistas, wildflowers, and above all, the wild animals. We have elk, deer, coyotes, wild turkeys, several varieties of birds, Cooper hawks, and bears. Occasional wild cats and mountain lions also roam the area. I’m mesmerized […]
By Kathryn Lane In every novel of my Nikki Garcia mystery series, I’ve mentioned a writer or a visual artist whose work I admire. Since my mysteries are set in foreign countries, this detail adds a touch of that country’s culture. Waking Up in Medellin takes place in Colombia and I wove in the works […]
By Kathryn Lane Technology innovations are accelerating at warp speed. At least that’s what it seems like in my writing world. A year-and-a-half ago, I started research about a child math prodigy interested in rockets and space travel. The story takes place in the present day. The plot revolves around a family-secret type mystery […]
By Kathryn Lane Texas author Gay Yellen came to writing with an extraordinary background. She began working life as a stage and TV actor, then moved behind the camera at The American Film Institute (AFI) as Assistant to the Director of Production. She moved on to become a magazine editor and national journalism award winner. […]
By Kathryn Lane In the near future, when a reader purchases a book, that reader can also receive additional 3-D experiences depicting the author’s world, how the author researched, created, and wrote that particular book. Interacting with the metaverse. As readers, we will be able to interact through virtual reality (VR) with our favorite authors. Though […]
Location is important in my novels, yet it is only the setting. It does, however, dictate the type of story that can take place. By selecting Miami and Havana, I had to delve into the creativity pool in my frontal cortex to select a topic bursting with possibilities for a new and interesting storyline. A […]