Hi everyone! I’m sitting here breathing sighs of relief that my last book is in the tank, sailing off to my editor, to do her magic and get it ready for pub day. Whew! Two books released in one year! I don’t know if I want to do that again…just saying. Here they are:
Here’s what people are saying:
The Torching -This story starts out on an exciting note with a mysterious fire in Olivia Callahan’s home, and it keeps your adrenaline pumping for the rest of the book! How did the fire start? Was it intentional? Could there be an arsonist putting her and those around her in danger? Adding Kerry Peresta to my list of authors to follow as I will now read anything she writes! FIVE out of FIVE STARS! Amazon reviewer
Back Before Dawn – Fast-paced, precisely plotted, and with an engaging cast of characters, Back Before Dawn taps into very real nightmares about the promise and peril of online dating. With a sure hand, author Kerry Peresta sends her heroine, single mom Isabelle (Izzy) Lewis, into battle against interconnected personal and professional demons that threaten her life. Lori Robbins, Silver Falchion and Indie Award winner, author of On Pointe Mystery series.
Excellent event at Hilton Head B&N. this spring. Almost sold all the books on the table!
Recent writing blog interview
A few of your favorite things: Like my character, Olivia, I love cats. I’ve had them as long as I can remember. My parents hated cats, but they suffered through all my kitties as I grew up, and now in adulthood I would love to have three (I have two) but I tried it, and it was absolute chaos. I settle for two, but I get ‘kitten fever’ every spring. Also good coffee, good red wine, great perfume (I love Jo Malone’s scents) and Bath and Bodyworks body spray. My newest one is Champagne Toast. Fabulous!
Things you need to throw out: A zillion T-shirts. I even have some from thirty-five years ago. It’s hard for me to let go of the memories associated with them.
Things you need for your writing sessions: A great pen (I use a Zebra fine point, ballpoint), sugarless gum, a scented candle, and my huge, vertical, monster monitor that sits beside my laptop, upon which sit three reference sites: Thesaurus.com, Emotion Thesaurus for writers, and whatever research I need for the current manuscript.
Things that hamper your writing: My husband stalking through the house in search of snacks, or his glasses, or his everything. He works at home, and my office doesn’t have a door, so I write in earbuds a lot. Also, I have four grown kids, and if they have an issue, of course I drop everything to connect with them. A distraction, sure…but a necessary one. Olivia Callahan has two daughters, Lilly and Serena, both teenagers. Her devotion to her kids is mirrored by my own.
Things you love about writing: The end product. When I began writing, I wrote from start to finish, pretty much shooting right through the story in a straight line to the end. Boom. It felt great to imagine something and transfer it to a published work. After the story’s down, though…the editing process begins! This is possibly the most important part! And it’s not a good idea to rush it.
Things you hate about writing: Structure. Outlining. I’ve found it necessary to track a plotline, have an ending in mind, concoct a roadmap at the beginning so I’m not staring at a blank page and pulling something out of the air. Even with an outline (of sorts) I depart, but at least I have an idea of where I need to end up. So I don’t actually HATE structure…I just hold it at arms’ length.
Hardest thing about being a writer: Marketing. Hands down. I love everything else. Half of an author’s job is marketing, and it is difficult to carve out the time to do it well, especially if I have another deadline on the horizon. Easiest thing about being a writer: Editing. Writing books is better with collaboration, and I send each manuscript-in-progress to several beta readers before sending to my publishing editor. Then I cut out the ‘fat’ in the book, and chisel and hone the story. It has always reminded me of a sculptor chiseling away the unnecessary bits.
Favorite smell: Light, clean scents like Glade’s ‘Fresh Linen’, or Dolce & Gabbana’s ‘Light Blue’. Something that makes you hold your nose: Onions. Fish. Garlic. Yuk. I have a sensitive nose, and unfortunately, my husband can barely smell anything. This makes for interesting marital discord…I mean discussion.
The last thing you ordered online: A hummingbird feeder that was guaranteed not to drip. I adore birds! I have seven feeders in my back yard. However…the feeder DID drip. I want someone to invent an awesome, dependable, dripless hummingbird feeder.
The last thing you regret buying: Oh gosh, where to begin? Anything from China, probably. I now do my best to discover where the item originates. I once had the bright idea to buy a leaf-covered, collapsible screen to put on one side of my deck as a leafy ‘wall’ of sorts. The marketing made it look huge. When I got it, it was an eighteen-inch square. And it wasn’t cheap! Sadly, I’ve learned that many things I buy that aren’t made in America may be a disappointment.
Things you always put in your books: Pets. Olivia has a wonderful, huge, ginger, tomcat named Riot. He is modeled after my cat, Felix. In Book Three, since she has undergone such tumultuous and unforeseen obstacles, she acquires a mature dog from a shelter who turns out to be the best decision ever. Riot is still unsure about this decision. Things you never put in your books: Sex scenes. The ‘F’ word.
What are you reading now? Currently I’m reading Jode Millman’s Queen City Crimes series. I’ve started C. L. Tolbert’s Thornton Mystery series, and my typical Karin Slaughter newest release.
Things to say to an author: “Ohmigosh I couldn’t put it down! I can’t wait for the next one! That Monty was a scumbag, wasn’t he! And I’m so proud of Olivia!” I love it when my readers connect with my characters in a way that they must comment about them. And the overuse of exclamation marks is just icing on the cake. Oh, please! Get emotional about my characters! Olivia Callahan’s journey is both heartbreaking and heroic. Favorite things to do: Walk through an art gallery, work out in a cardio or strength training class, listen to a symphony or a good jazz trio, enjoy a great glass of wine and appetizers with friends and my spouse at an atmospheric bar.
😎Things that make you happy: REVIEWS! They are so encouraging. My cats, good wine, robust coffee, a good conversation with a friend, my time with God in the mornings. A conversation with my grown kids, my grandchildren laughing or showing me their treasures, a flock of ibis lifting off the marsh. Life is a gift and there are many things that bring joy. Things that drive you crazy: Slow, ancient, drivers; little kids going wild in the store and their parents ignoring them (is teaching civility a lost art?), people that insist on talking loudly on their cell phones in line, in a restaurant, in whatever public place.
Something you chickened out from doing: Not pursuing a career in real estate when I had the chance. It was such a great opportunity! An uberly-succesful agent was retiring, and I was primed to inherit an incredible list of clients. But I had four kids to raise, and starting real estate was going to pay very little until I worked into being an agent. I wish I’d had more guts! But the path I chose provided a regular paycheck and insurance. I still think about being a realtor, though…to the extent that I’ve snuck one into a new book I’m working on.
This is a long post, I know…but I’m due to send out a newsletter and need to find a new newsletter platform since Mailchimp has decided to charge more than I want to pay for the privilege of sending out e-newsletters. So…consider this Volume 5 of my newsletter, and thanks for being interested in my writing journey!
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