INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY [CLOSED]: Kate Kaynak

Today, I’m doing an interview with Kate Kaynak, author of Minder. Her debut novel is the first of the Ganzfield series. Be sure to read my review of Minder!. Please welcome Kate Kaynak!

Could you tell us a bit about yourself?I'm a recovering nerd who keeps falling off the wagon. I've taught psychology on four continents for the University of Maryland, but I currently live in a small town in the northeast U.S. with my husband, three kids under 5, and a panther masquerading as a house cat.

What was your road to publication like?

Minder's not my first novel, but it’s my first GOOD novel. I've been through the query mill a few times. At first, the repeated rejections and critiques kicked me in the gut. However, this time was different--I got a partial request with my first query on Minder, back when it was still called Maddie Dunn, and I had a three-book deal with Spencer Hill less than a year later.

What was the most challenging aspect of writing this series?

Actually, the most difficult part was writing that first chapter of Minder. I had to realistically portray a terrifying experience from inside the mind of the intended victim. I still get shaky hands when I read it.

How long did you take you to write Minder, from first idea its release?

The whole process took slightly less than two years, which is wicked short for publishing. Minder was released only six months after I signed the contract with Spencer Hill, but that's a huge exception--usually it's closer to two years from signing to release date.

You are currently working on the 4th book in this series right now. How many books will be in the series? What can readers expect with each new book?

Adversary (Book 2) comes out in less than a month. It picks up where Minder left off, with the discovery of who's been behind?well, who's been behind the bad stuff that happened. Things get more intense, and not everyone will make it to the end of the book.

Legacy (Book 3) is scheduled for release in January 2011, and the first chapter (which will be included at the end of Adversary) will give you a pretty good idea of where things are headed.

I'll have at least six books to resolve the major plot arcs, and I have ideas for a seventh, possibly from Seth's point of view.

Can you tell us who is portrayed on the cover of Adversary or would that be giving too much away?

The two figures on Adversary are Maddie and "the guy who's been causing all the trouble." Just don't ask me about the cover of Legacy--I'm not allowed to tell.

List 5 things about yourself that most people do not know about you:

I've kept a book list since I was fifteen years old. Since then I've read more than twelve hundred books, not counting my trashy romance novel phase in high school.
I know more dirty limericks than just about anyone you'll ever meet, and once won a contest against a naval aviator in an officer's club in Izmir, Turkey--a feat I'm about as proud of as earning my Ph.D.
I have a singing voice that would almost certainly be mocked by Simon Cowell - despite the fact that my mother was a professional opera singer.
My husband and I had three kids in thirteen months (boy-girl twins and then another little boy) because, when doctors say someone can't get pregnant the "old-fashioned way," they are sometimes wrong.
One of my graduate school advisors once said of me, "She'll either win the Nobel Prize or be dismissed as a complete flake." I'm having fun finding out which one.

Thanks for the interview! I enjoyed it.

Thanks for stopping by Kate!

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Thanks to Kate Kaynak, I have a *signed* copy of Minder to giveaway!! Giveaway is open Internationally. Comments are appreciated, however, you must fill out the form below in order to enter the giveaway. Please read the Contest/Giveaway Policy for complete list of rules. Giveaway ends Friday, August 13th, 2010. Good luck to all who enter!