THE MINDHUNTERS TRILOGY: AUTHOR INTERVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
THE MINDHUNTER
TRILOGY

KYLIE BRANT
A LITTLE PERSONAL BIO
FROM KYLIE'S WEBSITE

In the all-about-me department, I’m a native Midwesterner, having lived my whole life in Iowa. My husband and I are still trying to adjust to becoming empty nesters. Much of the time we rattle around our big century-old Victorian with a spoiled Polish Lowland Sheepdog named Lexie. We’re on the go a lot, traveling to see our kids and grandsons, tailgating at Iowa games, and enjoying new tropical getaways. If you know anything about Iowa winters, you’ll understand our desire for sun and beach once January hits.

In 1990 I began writing out of sheer desperation. Always an avid reader, I’d found that my favorite authors just couldn’t write fast enough to keep me in reading material. Someday if you twist my arm and buy me very strong margaritas, I might be convinced to share my whole embarrassing road to publication story. The short version is that my second manuscript sold in 1992, and then a few months later my first manuscript was bought, too, after it had undergone several major surgeries. To date I’ve written twenty-five books for Silhouette Intimate Moments (Romantic Suspense), three dark romantic thrillers for Berkley, a short story for eharlequin.com and participated in an Iowa authors murder mystery.

I live a dual life. Believe me, that sounds much more glamorous than it is. By day I’m an elementary special education teacher, working with students who have learning and behavior problems. During the weekends and summers…well, I can be forgiven for needing a little relaxation, right? And if my idea of relaxation includes dreaming up new ways to kill and maim my characters, it seems a harmless enough hobby. Some people golf. Now there’s a dangerous pastime. All those swinging clubs and small speeding objects. Someone could lose an eye.

When I’m not at the computer (always writing, never playing solitaire), I enjoy hanging out with family and friends, exercising, reading, flower gardening, and traveling.

MY INTERVIEW WITH KYLIE BRANT

Kylie Brant was kind enough to do a personal interview with Bingo. She is a talented, successful writer, but what I came away with most was that she is a really nice person. Here is some background info on Kylie that I'll share as she doesn't like to brag about her many accomplishments.

Kylie Brant is the author of twenty-eight bestselling books for Silhouette and Berkley. She’s a two-time Rita nominee and has been nominated for five Romantic Times awards, and is a RT Career Achievement award winner. In 2004 and 2008 she was awarded the overall Daphne du Maurier award for best mystery/suspense novel. Her book Undercover Bride is on Romantic Times magazine’s All-Time Favorite list.

Her most recent releases are back to back dark romantic thrillers. The trilogy, entitled The Mindhunters (which YOU will have a chance to win!!) feature investigators that work for a forensic consulting firm and consult with law enforcement on high profile crimes. Waking Nightmare (September ’09) features Abbie Phillips as a forensic profiler on the trail of a vicious serial rapist. In Waking Evil, (October ’09) Ramsey Clark is hired to assist in a murder investigation in rural Tennessee amidst local hysteria over an ancient curse coming true. And in Waking the Dead (November ’09) forensic anthropologist Caitlin Fleming investigates the discovery of seven sets of human remains found in the Oregon wilderness.You can read excerpts of the books here:

Kylie, what are you currently working on or what is your next project?

We recently went back to contract for three more Mindhunters books. I’m hard at work on book 4, Deadly Fear.

What have you just finished reading?

Currently I’m reading Cindy Gerard’s Feel the Heat, a fabulous romantic suspense. I most recently finished Robert Crais’s The Forgotten Man. He’s one of my favorite authors of suspense.

What books would you say have made the biggest impression on you, especially starting out?

When I finished grad school I determined that everything I read for the next year would be for pleasure. I went to the library and discovered contemporary romance novels for the first time. I’d read historical romance but didn’t even realize contemporary existed. I began reading all of the Harlequin and Silhouette lines. When they introduced the Silhouette Intimate Moments line (now Romantic Suspense) I knew I’d found my favorite. The authors of those earliest books, Linda Howard, Nora Roberts, Elizabeth Lowell, and Sandra Brown inspired me to trying writing my own stories.

What gets you started on a new book? A character or story idea or….?

I love in depth characterization in novels. If I don’t care about the story people I won’t finish the book to the end. I used to start more with the characters, but as I moved in to more complex suspense stories, I think the suspense idea occurs first, quickly followed by the characters.

What is something about you that you would want people to know about you that we probably don’t know?

Most don’t know that I teach full-time in addition to writing two or three books a year. I’m an elementary special education teacher.

That is FABULOUS! I taught for 37 years and never thought I could write at the same time...you are amazing because I know what goes into teaching elementary education and to be in special education on top of that---kudos to you, Kylie!

Now, what is your best advice to anyone, including young people, who want to be writers?

Get used to revising, editing and rewriting. Those writers who don’t think they have anything to learn, or don’t want to allow editors to ‘change’ their work won’t become multi-published authors. I’ve seen writers dropped by their companies because they are sensitive to suggestions and difficult to work with. Those traits aren’t attractive in any profession, but in writing they make an author expendable.

What is something you would like to share with us about writing your favorite genre in general?

I love learning so I can really become lost in the research. I learned quite a bit about defleshing bones in the November book and for the current one I’ve discovered some fascinating information about high tech security systems. Oh, and about how long a severed thumb will ‘keep’. You just never know when that sort of information will come in handy!

Thank you SO MUCH for your time and these wonderful books. I am going to tell my readers how they can win them in the....

MINDHUNTER TRILOGY GIVEAWAY!

THANKS TO KYLIE BRANT, I HAVE
TWO COPIES EACH OF THE THREE
BOOKS THAT MAKE UP THIS TRILOGY


ONE PERSON WILL WIN THE WHOLE
TRILOGY WHILE 3 OTHERS WILL WIN
THE BOOK OF THEIR CHOICE

RULES

--U.S. Residents Only
--No P.O. Boxes, Please
--Email address must be in your comment
--ALL comments must be separate to count
or they will count as one instead of possibly two



NO! PLEASE DO ENTER HERE!

+1 ENTRY: TELL WHICH BOOK YOU WOULD WANT IF YOU CAN ONLY HAVE ONE (THEY DO STAND ALONE JUST FINE) GO TO THIS PART OF KYLIE'S WEBSITE TO READ ABOUT THE THREE BOOKS

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK AND ENTER THE LINK THAT I CAN FOLLOW

ALL ENTRIES MUST BE IN BY
NOON, NOVEMBER 11
NOTE: DATE TO ENTER EXTENDED

GOOD LUCK!