Today I welcome Kathleen
Shaputis to my blog. Kathleen and I are soulmates in many ways including our love
of mysteries, length of time to complete a novel, love of dialogue, and oldest
item in our refrigerators. Welcome to my blog, Kathleen!
Shaputis to my blog. Kathleen and I are soulmates in many ways including our love
of mysteries, length of time to complete a novel, love of dialogue, and oldest
item in our refrigerators. Welcome to my blog, Kathleen!
First tell us what inspired
you to write Her Ghost Wears Kilts.
you to write Her Ghost Wears Kilts.
The original idea was forced out of me by a craftyinstructor back in 1993. I took a creative writing class as a young girl. Funny, once I
finished the exercise with a main character, a murder and an inherited Scottish
castle – I never let go of it. I’d work at it a little, then put it back in a
drawer. Yet it was giving myself the gift of attending a writers conference
through Abroad Writers Conferences to a castle in England in November, 2012,
that blasted this story into completion. I maxed out my credit cards and spent
a week in the English countryside, pretending it was Scotland madly researching
details.
The Clue of the Dancing Puppet where we had to
brainstorm a novel based on a genre we didn’t usually read. Mine was mysteries.
I hadn’t picked up a mystery since Nancy Drew’s
A week in England
sounds like a dream come true! How
long did it take you to write?
sounds like a dream come true! How
long did it take you to write?
Technically over twenty years, it’s hard to believe! Now I
had nonfiction books published, a couple romantic comedies self-published and
over a dozen ghostwriting projects done during this time. But when I got back
from England, it took less than four months to flesh out and finish the 72,000
words with surprise characters, twists I didn’t know about and more.
had nonfiction books published, a couple romantic comedies self-published and
over a dozen ghostwriting projects done during this time. But when I got back
from England, it took less than four months to flesh out and finish the 72,000
words with surprise characters, twists I didn’t know about and more.
My first novel took
30 years! What is your favorite thing
about writing?
30 years! What is your favorite thing
about writing?
Dialogue. Many times I will have whole chapters and scenes
written only in dialogue first. I love how my characters interact and sass each
other. The thrill of a good argument or the tenderness of understanding blooms
through my dialogue. Then I go back and fill in the what, where, when portion
of it.
written only in dialogue first. I love how my characters interact and sass each
other. The thrill of a good argument or the tenderness of understanding blooms
through my dialogue. Then I go back and fill in the what, where, when portion
of it.
Kathleen, I’mbeginning to think we’re twins—I love writing dialogue. What is your least
favorite thing about writing?
The third or fourth read-through for editing and tweaking is
tough for me. This is where it becomes grueling. Making sure I show, don’t tell
– avoiding passive voice. Have I left someone behind? Did I answer questions?
Do the chapters end leaving the reader wanting more? It’s a necessary evil.
tough for me. This is where it becomes grueling. Making sure I show, don’t tell
– avoiding passive voice. Have I left someone behind? Did I answer questions?
Do the chapters end leaving the reader wanting more? It’s a necessary evil.
If you could be any
famous person for one day, who would you be and why?
famous person for one day, who would you be and why?
Oh, I love this – I’d want to be Katharine Hepburn! The
woman epitomized an independent, self-confident
woman epitomized an independent, self-confident
woman. To be her for a day and
have access to her mind, her strengths, her foibles would be delicious. What I
could learn and experience in just twenty-four hours would be worth a life-time
to me.
Okay, this is spooky—she’s
my favorite, too! What is the oldest thing in your fridge and how old is it?
my favorite, too! What is the oldest thing in your fridge and how old is it?
Hmm, it would be one of the salad dressing in the door. I
love salads and go through phases of flavors. So it’s probably the half-empty
bottles of French or Catalina, maybe an odd Italian-plus mixture I’ll never
finish because I’ve moved on. The oldest is easily a year or more old.
love salads and go through phases of flavors. So it’s probably the half-empty
bottles of French or Catalina, maybe an odd Italian-plus mixture I’ll never
finish because I’ve moved on. The oldest is easily a year or more old.
Yikes! I’m not sure
mine is a year old, but it’s either French dressing or that pickle relish way
in the back of the top shelf. What can
readers expect from you in the future?
mine is a year old, but it’s either French dressing or that pickle relish way
in the back of the top shelf. What can
readers expect from you in the future?
I’m currently working on a sequel to Her Ghost Wears Kilts. The characters have much more adventure
ahead of them and another murder or two to solve. I also have a work in
progress that takes place in the mid-Seventies of a widowed mother and her
young daughter titled Twinkies and
Tranquilizers. I would like to help fill the void left by Nora Ephron’s
death with my own romantic comedies and slanted humor.
ahead of them and another murder or two to solve. I also have a work in
progress that takes place in the mid-Seventies of a widowed mother and her
young daughter titled Twinkies and
Tranquilizers. I would like to help fill the void left by Nora Ephron’s
death with my own romantic comedies and slanted humor.
Kathleen Shaputis,
author/ghostwriter, lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Bob, where
curling up with icy Diet Coke, writing romantic comedies is her ultimate
paradise. Contact her at:
author/ghostwriter, lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Bob, where
curling up with icy Diet Coke, writing romantic comedies is her ultimate
paradise. Contact her at:
Buy her
books at:
books at:
Great interview. I love Katharine Hepburn too. Much success to you, Kathleen!
Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to share my latest romantic comedy with your audience, Betty. Castle are such magical creatures.
It is such a treat to have you as my guest today, Kathleen. My husband visited Duart Castle or Caisteal Dhubhairt in Scotland which was the setting for the movie Entrapment. He loved it. You are so right – there is something romantic about castles.
Great interview, ladies. I think I'm your triplet. I have a historical novel of medieval Russia that I've been working on for fifteen-twenty years, and I'm certain I have salad dressings that are two or three years old. Yikes! Kathleen, I have your novel on my Kindle, and I can't wait to read it. Much continued success – and I'm so glad you are going to write a sequel, because I love sequels. 🙂
53 years?! Okay, Deborah, you win the longest idea/manuscript in a drawer contest! And you'd think I'd clean those dressings out after seeing this interview live this morning, but noooo.
Our manuscripts aged like fine wine until they were ready to be uncorked 🙂 Guess what I was out of today? Dressing for my salad LOL I thought of you Kathleen!