Getting to Know Kathleen Kaska

The Write Way Café welcomes Kathleen Kaska, who knows about timing and putting passion into writing.


When did you first have the thought you'd like to write a book?
     I’ve always wanted to write but I didn’t have the courage to start until my early forties. By that time, I was comfortable with a teaching job and didn’t have to bring home a lot of school work.

What was your path to getting this book written and published? What type of research did you do?
     Run Dog Run was actually the first book I wrote. Then came books two and three in the series. I put them on the backburner after receiving a few rejections, and let them simmer for almost eight years. I went on to write my Sydney Lockhart mysteries, then decided it was time to take another look at Run Dog Run. I felt it was a strong mystery with a popular social cause. I revised and polished the manuscript and sent it to Black Opal Books. They offered me a contract and things started to roll. 
     It’s always about timing.
     My research involved delving into the world of greyhound racing. I visited a racetrack outside of Houston, read books on the subject, and interviewed people involved in greyhound rescue.

Where did the idea for your story come from?
     I used to volunteer for Wildlife Rescue, Inc. when I lived in Austin and became interested in animal rights. A fellow teacher used to bring his greyhound to school. He taught sixth graders, an age where kids sometimes have too much energy. I always knew when he had his dog in the classroom because the noise level decreased tremendously.

Why did you pick the setting you did?
     I wanted a strong, vivid setting for the story and I wanted the story set on a Texas ranch. The Hill Country west of Austin was an ideal place. I chose the small town of Wimberely after writing an article about the area.

Are your main characters completely imaginary or do they have some basis in real people? Do they reflect aspects of yourself? 
     My protagonist, Kate Caraway, is imaginary. But she possesses many of my traits. We are both believers in animal rights. We’re also runners, healthy eaters, and terribly acrophobic. The last trait plays an important part in the second Kate Caraway mystery, A Two Horse Town, which takes places in the Pryor Mountains of Montana. That book, also published by Black Opal Books, will be out next year.

Did you face any blocks while writing the book, and if so, how did you handle them? If not, what's your secret?
     My first agent turned down the book because he said I editorialized too much. He was right. I toned it down and sent it to a second agent who loved the book, but she was new at her job and unable to sell it. That’s when I decided to give it a rest.

What have been surprises you've encountered while writing the book and after?
     I had an agent tell me that I should market the book as a thriller. Although flattering, that really surprised me. There are several fast-paced and tense scenes, but I felt that the book fit better as a traditional mystery. Then, after the book was published, I had a few readers tell me they liked the story because it was so gripping. So, I guess that agent was right.

What did you learn? For instance, what did you learn about yourself, your process, the writing world; about animal rights, greyhounds, and being an activist?
     I learned that when writing fiction, I could not follow an outline and plan everything that was going to happen in advance. I had to just start writing and see where my characters took me. I also decided that putting too much authorial intrusion into my writing wasn’t a technique that worked for me. As far as the greyhounds, I learned about the mistreatment many endure. I know several people who have adopted retired racers and was surprised that they were not openly critical of the racing industry. The reason is that they have to remain on good terms with the adoption organizations they work with in order to acquire the dogs for adoption.

Tell us about your writing space and how or why it works for you.
     I write from a desk in my room. The space is small, but I make it work. One day I hope to have a big room with a long table so I can lay out all my works in progress and see them displayed rather than having them in file folders.

What are some of your favorite books and why?
     There are a variety of subjects I enjoy. I’m fortunate to work for a publishing company and my colleagues are always sharing what they are reading. As far as nonfiction, I read books about birds, ancient Egypt, essay collections by E.B. White, Roger Angel, Lisa Scottoline, books on writing, food, travel, and anything interesting that crosses my path. I read all kinds of mysteries: cozies, police procedurals, historic, and hardboiled detective stories. My favorite authors are Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Martha Grimes, Spencer Quinn, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and Laurie R. King.

What are you working on now?
     I’m working on the fifth Sydney Lockhart mystery, Murder at the Menger. This series is lighthearted and humorous. It’s set in the early 1950s and each book takes place in a historic hotel. The Menger Hotel was opened in 1859. It’s across the street from the Alamo. The other hotels featured in my mysteries are the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the Luther in Palacios, Texas, the Galvez in Galveston, Texas and the Driskill in Austin, Texas.

Would you like to try your hand at writing a different genre?  Which one and why?
     I prefer to stick with mysteries, but I write in three different subgenres. The Kate Caraway series is considered a traditional mystery, but the Sydney Lockhart is a cozy, historical mystery. I just finished a hardboiled detective story set in the 1940s.

If you were not a writer, what would your dream job be?
     I am a retired science teacher, so I could see myself working in the field of biology: genetics, marine science, environmental science, or even a different science altogether, say, Egyptology. I have a degree is in Physical Anthropology, with a concentration in animal behavior. I always joke that it was one of the reasons I worked so well with seventh graders.

What aspect of writing gives you the most trouble?
     I plot by the seat of my pants, so about 60,000 words into the story I have to stop and analyze what I’ve written. This is where the real work begins. Until this point, it’s fun and games. However, once I’ve decided which direction I’m heading, I get excited about finishing.

Who is your favorite hero/heroine?
     There are a lot of famous people whom I admire: Barack Obama; Jimmy Carter; Karen Blixen; and ornithologist Robert Porter Allen, who is the subject of my book, The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane: The Robert Porter Allen Story. As far as heroes and heroines, most are family members. I’m lucky, to have an incredible family, all of whom I admire and adore. 



After five years in Africa, researching the decline of elephant populations, Kate Caraway’s project comes to a screeching halt when she shoots a poacher and is forced to leave the country. Animal rights activist Kate Caraway travels to a friend’s ranch in Texas for a much-needed rest. But before she has a chance to unpack, her friend’s daughter pleads for Kate’s assistance. The young woman has become entangled in the ugly world of greyhound abuse and believes Kate is the only one with the experience and tenacity to expose the crime and find out who is responsible. On the case for only a few hours, Kate discovers a body, complicating the investigation by adding murder to the puzzle. Now, she’s in a race against time to find the killer before she becomes the next victim.

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     Kathleen Kaska is the author two awarding-winning mystery series: the Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series set in the 1950s and the Classic Triviography Mystery Series, which includes The Sherlock Holmes Triviography and Quiz Book. Her first two Lockhart mysteries, Murder at the Arlington and Murder at the Luther, were selected as bonus-books for the Pulpwood Queen Book Group, the largest book group in the country. Her latest Sydney Lockhart mystery, set in Austin, Texas, is Murder at the Driskill. Run Dog Run, Kathleen’s first mystery in the new Kate Caraway animal-rights series, was released in March 2017.
     When she is not writing, she spends much of her time with her husband traveling the back roads and byways around the country, looking for new venues for her mysteries and bird watching along the Texas coast and beyond. It was her passion for birds that led to the publication The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane: The Robert Porter Allen Story (University Press of Florida).
Kathleen is a writer and marketing director for Cave Art Press. Her collection of blog posts was released in August 2017 under the title, Do You Have a Catharsis Handy? Five-Minute Writing Tips.

Website     Black Opal Books