Migration Event by K.C. Gillis / #Interview #BookTour @ZooloosBT @kcgilliswriter

On 1 november 202124 oktober 2021 door elsinGillis K.C. - Migration Event2 reacties

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A Jordan Reed Mystery #3

Environmental destruction. Tax evasion. When reporter Jordan Reed uncovers a link, will she meet a fatal deadline?

Jordan Reed lives to expose criminals who believe they’ll never get caught. So after receiving a tip about a high-profile company dodging tariffs, the relentless journalist digs into the case. But though her lead turns out to be a red herring, a possible connection to the mysterious death of long-distance migratory birds pulls her into a byzantine maze of corruption and pollution.

Joining forces with a rogue conservationist, Jordan infiltrates the inner circle of one of Boston’s top corporate citizens. But when she and her new teammate find themselves surrounded by high-powered enemies, her hunt for the truth could force the coverup of their own murders.

Will the tenacious reporter live long enough to write the ultimate exposé?

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Q&A

When and where do you prefer to write?

For me, timing is always a bit of a moving target since my actual job can be quite demanding and a bit unpredictable. So if I set that aside and consider my preference, it would definitely be in the morning, up until perhaps noon or so. I’m an early riser, so on a good day I could get up no later than 6 AM, have a coffee and prepare for my day. With caffeine coursing through my veins I would then get my daily workout out of the way and be ready to write sometime between 8:30-9. In terms of where, it’s usually just one of a couple possible locations in my home, with a sofa being a common spot. I do like to hit a coffee shop on occasion, but it has to be “just right” for writing and there really aren’t as many great spots as I’d like. While not currently sustainable, I love to write while sitting outside, maybe in a quiet wooded area or perhaps on a beach before it gets busy. But that really is limited to rare vacations.

Do you need peace and quiet when you are writing?

I do. I am easily distracted, so the quieter the better. Perhaps my one saving grace is that I’ve trained myself to write with some kind of headphone and listen to something without lyrics. It could be something from my favorite soundtracks (think Marvel, The Dark Knight, Mad Max Fury Road) or some very mellow nature sounds. It really just depends on what I’m writing and my particular mood.

If you had the chance to co-write a book, whom would it be with?

Wow, that’s a great question. I have a few favorite authors, plus some others I really admire for their productivity and success. But if I have to pick just one, it would be Ken Follett. I have loved every one of his novels, from spy thrillers to historical masterpieces to action-packed adventures. He just tells great stories, so any nuggets I could pick up from a great writer like Ken would be amazing.

Say someone asks if they can use your name in a book. Would you rather be the ‘good one’ or the ‘bad one’?

Since I try to be someone who does the right thing in my real life, I’d have to say it would be sun to see me as the bad guy. Who wouldn’t?

Who would you like/have liked to interview?

This isn’t related to being a writer directly, but I would have picked Steve Jobs. What he did for Apple and PIXAR shows how brilliant he was across many dimensions and disciplines. I would have loved to hear from hm why he came back to Apple and what prompted him to even invest in PIXAR.

Where can I find you when you are reading?

I like to read outside as much as possible. Sometimes it’s on my balcony, but in warm weather I can be found reading by the pool or even better, on a beach chair near the ocean.

Where can I find you wen you are not writing/reading?

That question gets to the majority of my committed time. First would be my professional job, which takes about 50 hours a week. Still under the new ways of working forced by COVID-19, much of my work is still done from home (though that is slowly changing). That leaves activities tied to my kids. From hockey, to lacrosse to marching band, there is no shortage of action!

What goes through your mind when you hold your new book in your hands for the first time?

I would have to say that it’s a bit of a mix. On the one hand is always a feeling of disbelief that I managed to successfully get to the very end. There are so many potential obstacles, many of them being internal struggles and self-doubt, that finishing never seems certain. On the other hand, there is a palpable sense of accomplishment. Once I’ve truly completed a book, I know that ‘ve created something that will be around long after I’m gone.

How do you come up with a title for your book?

Great question. I find this to be one of the hardest single tasks of the whole process and it always takes a fair bit of time. If I could boil down the process, I think there are really two steps. The first is to create a list of all words that I think have are relevant to the story concept. Some words come easily and some really take some effort. Once I have a good list of 15-20 possible title words, I start combining them, ideally in some sort of logical fashion. This usually gets me to a few options that “feel right.” This second step always suggests other words and sometimes I’ll grab a thesaurus and dig deeper. In the end I try to have no more than three possible options that I will bounce of a combination of friends and editors.

How do you pick a cover for your book?

It’s not so much picking as it is shaping. I always work with a professional designer and the first step is to describe the story and agree on the genre and sub-genre. I also provide my designer with examples of books that I think are good comparators, typically from the Kindle bestseller list for the genre. My designer always comes back with 3-5 core concepts, from which I prioritize 1-2. We then iterate a bit to land on the option that looks the best for my genre. I should add that I began with one designer, but ultimately found that the designs really weren’t on genre, at least to the extent that I wanted. My second designer was better able to hit a look and feel that fit better within my target genre.

Thank you, K.C. Gillis and Zooloo’s Book Tours

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About the author

K.C. (Kevin) Gillis is the author of the Jordan Reed mystery series. Despite being a lifelong lover of stories and books, writing took a distant back seat as his professional career travelled through the Canadian Air Force, a decade as a chemist, followed by a long and continuing run in corporate America. With writing no longer in the back seat (but not quite yet in the front seat), Kevin now has the Jordan Reed series well underway. His personal interests focus on endurance and water sports. Having grown up in the Canadian Maritimes, he now lives in the US northeast.

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Author Links

Website: http://www.kcgillis.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/kcgilliswriter

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kcgilliswriter

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