I’m pleased to have author Kathleen Valenti from Bend, Oregon (a.k.a. paradise) to chat about her writing and new release, As Directed, that’s on blog tour with Escape with Dollycas into a Good Book.
Great to have you here, Kathleen. How long have you been published? What titles and/or series have you published and with which publisher? Have you self-published any titles? Please give details.
The Maggie O’Malley Mystery Series, published by Henery Press, has been out for about a year and a half. My first book, PROTOCOL, debuted in September of 2017. It was followed by 39 WINKS in May of 2018. I’m excited for the launch of the series’ third book, AS DIRECTED, which releases this month.
Nice. I featured a spotlight on 39 Winks and am happy to feature your new title.
Can you please tell us a little bit about your books?
In the Maggie O’Malley Mystery series, sometime pharmaceutical researcher Maggie O’Malley cures mysteries with wit, the scientific method, and her wise-cracking best friend, Constantine. The first book in the series, PROTOCOL, was nominated for the prestigious Agatha and Lefty awards and was followed by fan favorite, 39 WINKS. AS DIRECTED, released on March 12, 2019.
Congratulations for publishing the latest of what sounds like a wonderful series. Alicia’s friend Gilly in my Cobble Cove mystery series might be a lot like Maggie’s friend Constantine.
Describe your goals as a writer. What do you hope to achieve in the next few years? What are you planning to do to reach these goals?
I hope to introduce more readers to Maggie by reaching out to them through outlets like this (thank you for hosting me!) and via my social media channels. Please come say hello on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/kathleenvalentiauthor
I already “like” your page and hope that readers of this blog will do so, too.
What type of reader are you hoping to attract? Who do you believe would be most interested in reading your books?
I’m looking for readers who love books with suspense, twisty plots, and witty dialogue.
A good target group.
What advice would you give other authors or those still trying to get published?
Keep at it! It’s a tough business to break into, but don’t lose hope. If you continue to hone your craft and write the best book you can, you’ll find people who believe in it as much as you do.
Wise advice.
What particular challenges and struggles did you face before first becoming published?
There are so many great avenues for getting a book out into the world these days, but I decided I wanted to go the traditional route. More than ever, that means securing an agent. For me, that was by far the most difficult and daunting part of the process. The rejection rate of agents responding to queries is 99%. 99%!! That’s where the perseverance I mentioned above comes in. While searching for the right agent, I made sure I had the right book. It took an enormous amount of time, energy and effort, but it was absolutely worth it.
I’m still trying to find an agent, but I’m happy that I’ve been published with several publishers, although I hope to publish with a large one eventually.
Do you belong to any writing groups? Which ones?
I belong to Sisters in Crime, a fantastic organization that supports sisters (and misters!) who write crime fiction, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers. I’m also a blogger on two multi-author blogs: Chicks on the Case and Mysteristas.
I agree Sisters in Crime is a wonderful group. I belong to them, too, as well as International Thriller Writers. I must check out the blogs you mentioned, and I hope my readers will, too. They sound great. I also blog on a multi-author, blog, Pens, Paws, and Claws and my character cat, Sneaky the Library Cat, has his own blog.
What are your hobbies and interests besides writing?
Of course reading is near the top of the list. I also love to snowmobile, camp, hike, run and Jazzercise.
It’s good you stay active when you’re an author and have to spend a lot of time at the computer writing. As a librarian, I love to read, too, but I make it a point to exercise daily. I enjoy the Leslie Sansone walking videos. I imagine Jazzercise must be fun.
What do you like most and least about being an author? What is your toughest challenge?
I love the puzzle of writing a mystery. The toughest challenge is marketing. There are so many wonderful books out there that it can be difficult to be seen and heard in the marketplace.
I know exactly what you mean.
What do you like about writing cozy mysteries?
My books actually aren’t cozies. They’re traditional mysteries with a medical angle. I love the traditional mystery genre for its ability to create interest and intrigue while engaging the reader.
While I have a cozy series, I have written a traditional mystery, Reason to Die, and have just signed with another publisher for my psychological thriller, Sea Scope.
Can you share a short excerpt from your latest title o?
Here’s an excerpt from AS DIRECTED:
Claudia Warren took too long to die.
She should have been dead when her lungs stopped inflating, when her brain stopped communicating with the rest of her body. But her heart kept beating, even as her cells began to necrotize and the blood pooled in her muscles.
Claudia couldn’t even die right.
Then again, she’d never been murdered before, so maybe that was to be expected.
Claudia died alone, as she did most things. She came home from the grocery store, carefully inserted her key into the deadbolt, jiggling it up and down to engage the tumblers, then tossed her purse on the counter next to yesterday’s mail. She deposited white plastic grocery bags on the counter—she couldn’t be bothered with toting around cloth ones—and began to unpack the fruits of her Pick-N-Save foraging.
A pack of single-serving puddings.
A box of single-serving juices.
An array of Lean Cuisine entrées, the accent capping the “e” an attempt to catapult the food from TV dinner to culinary experience.
Single serving food for her table-for-one life.
Not that she minded living alone. She relished it. She had her rescue cat, Todd, a fat tabby who bumped her chin with his head when she bent to fill his dish, and her work as an advertising account exec, which followed her home every night like a stalker.
Human beings? She found them overrated. They were too critical of her missteps. Too overbearing in their suggestions. Too there.
And yet the moment she knew something was wrong, very wrong, she had a sudden and intense urging for that thereness.
Her cheating ex-husband. Her meddling mother. The woman next door who pilfered coupons from her mailbox. It didn’t matter. She would’ve taken any of them. She needed help. She needed someone there. She needed someone to stop her heart from stopping.
Exciting excerpt. Thank you for sharing. I’ve added you to my TBR author list.
Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about you or your books?
When I’m not writing mysteries, I work as an advertising copywriter, writing ads for everything from banks and healthcare to athletic apparel and transmissions. Really!
Interesting. You certainly are a wordsmith, Kathleen.
Thanks so much for a great interview. I’m sharing the information about your blog tour below. Best wishes on your new release and future mysteries.
Thank you again for having me!
As Directed
(A Maggie O’Malley Mystery)
by Kathleen Valenti
About the Book
As Directed (A Maggie O’Malley Mystery)
Mystery
3rd in Series
Henery Press (March 12, 2019)
Hardcover: 286 pages
ISBN-10: 1635114705
ISBN-13: 978-1635114706
Digital ASIN: B07LB6N22B
In the shadow of a past fraught with danger and tainted by loss, former pharmaceutical researcher Maggie O’Malley is rebuilding her life, trading test tubes for pill bottles as she embarks on a new career at the corner drugstore.
But as she spreads her wings, things begin to go terribly wrong. A customer falls ill in the store. Followed by another. And then more.
The specter of poisoning arises, conjuring old grudges, past sins, buried secrets and new suspicions from which no one is immune.
As Maggie and her best friend Constantine begin to investigate, they discover that some of the deadliest doses come from the most unexpected places.
About the Author
Kathleen Valenti is the author of the Maggie O’Malley Mystery Series, which includes her Agatha- and Lefty-nominated debut novel, Protocol. When Kathleen isn’t writing page-turning mysteries that combine humor and suspense, she works as a nationally award-winning advertising copywriter. She lives in Oregon with her family where she pretends to enjoy running. Learn more at www.kathleenvalenti.com.
Author Links
https://www.kathleenvalenti.com/
https://www.facebook.com/kathleenvalentiauthor/
https://twitter.com/KathyValenti1
https://www.instagram.com/kathleen_valenti/
https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomkathleenvalenti
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kathleen-valenti
Purchase Links
Amazon Barnes & Noble iTunes Kobo
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
March 1 – Babs Book Bistro – GUEST POST
March 1 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
March 2 – Mythical Books – SPOTLIGHT
March 3 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 4 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
March 5 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
March 6 – Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – GUEST POST
March 7 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 7 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
March 8 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
March 9 – T’s Stuff – SPOTLIGHT
March 10 – The Book Diva’s Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST
March 10 – Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – REVIEW
March 11 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW
March 11 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 12 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – REVIEW
March 12 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
March 12 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 13 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 14 – Maureen’s Musings – REVIEW
March 15 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 15 – The Montana Bookaholic – SPOTLIGHT
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
, 
, and 
. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.
– set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.
– a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!
– set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.
One Feta in the Grave
