Talkshow Thursday: Meet KC Hart
KC: In Mistaken Murder and Small Town Status, a very valuable bull is shot by a deer hunter. The owner is standing beside the bull and is killed when the animal that weighs close to two thousand pounds lands on him. My husband and I were driving down the road by our house and we passed a field of beautiful silver Brahman cows. He said, why don’t you have a cow-tipping murder. That’s where the idea for this murder mystery came from.
LM: Did you set out to write series or did that just happen? How many books do you plan to release in the series? I planned on writing a series.
KC: I planned on writing a series. At first, I thought it would just be three books, but I kept coming up with all of these crazy scenarios for Katy Cross and her friends to get into. I already have book eight, the Christmas cozy, written. I’m editing right now with plans to release in November. I’m not sure how many books will be in the series. I already have one more brewing in my brain. I feel kind of bad about all the mayhem happening in Skeeterville, but I love the town and the people there.
LM: What sort of research was required to prepare you to write the story, and did you find any tidbit(s) you knew you had to include?
KC: I had to call my friend who is a large animal vet and ask all kinds of questions about these
extremely large, extremely expensive bulls. I learned all kinds of things about bull breeding, performing a necropsy, and a lot of other bovine information that I never would have found out about if I had not written this novel. I also had to learn about scopes and rifles and deer hunting. I knew I wanted a lot of banter and humor between Katy and her husband John about Hernando, the high-dollar bull. This flowed easily after I learned enough about the animals.
There is a great tidbit that I came across that I would love to share, but I cannot because it might spoil the mystery.
LM: Tell us a bit about your journey to publication and what lessons you learned along the way.
KC: I decided to write a novel in October of 2019. In January of 2020, I decided to publish it in June of that same year. I had no idea what I was undertaking, but I had prayed about it and felt that I should self-publish. I started watching videos and reading every article I could get my hands on about self-publishing. In the meantime, I started writing book two. I joined the Mississippi Writers Guild and met my cover designer. She is amazing and I feel that God brought us together for this endeavor.
From June of 2020 to the present, I have published six Christian cozy mysteries, and have two more coming out shortly.
One lesson that I learned the hard way is that no matter how much I study and work, I cannot do absolutely everything. I published my first book without it being edited or having beta readers. I didn’t know what beta readers were at that time, but I did skip the editing even though I read that this was not a smart plan. I paid for this with some scathing reviews. After a few reviewers raked me over the coals about my grammar, I had a good cry, pulled the book down, and had it edited. The damage was already done and those reviews will be there for all posterity. They keep me very humble and remind me of the lesson I learned.
LM: Do you do anything special to prepare yourself for writing your stories? (e.g., listen to music, go for a run, etc.)
LM: What is one piece of advice you can offer to fledgling writers?
KC: Wow, I am honored to be asked this question. I would have to say do not give up. You are going to work hard and long and people are not going to respect the amount of work it takes to actually write a book. That’s why finding other Christian authors who are doing the same thing you are doing is so important. They understand how hard it is to make something out of nothing, which is what you do when you write a story. I have not arrived at success as it is viewed by many, but I am enjoying the journey. Enjoying the journey is a success in itself.
LM: What is your next project?
KC: I will be working on another cozy, but I am also contemplating writing an inspirational romance. I have several friends who write in this genre and I think I would like to try this. The great thing about being an indie author is that it is up to me. I just want my writing to be God-honoring, other than that, I am unsure.
LM: Where can folks find you on the web?
KC: My website is http://www.kchartauthor.com. You can sign up for my monthly newsletter there.
Facebook is https://www.facebook.com/kc.hart.509/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kc-hart
About Mistaken Murder and Small Town Status:
Sixty-thousand-dollar stud bull Hernando is shot in his pasture and falls on one of his owners, crushing him to death. Katy Cross, along with everyone else in Skeeterville, assumes the shooting (and deadly cow-tipping) are nothing more sinister than a tragic accident and a case of terrible luck.
Everyone else in Skeeterville, that is, except local Post Mistress Barbara Jean Nelson, who makes it her business to let everyone know she suspects foul play. Barbara Jean’s reputation as a hateful gossip proceeds her, however, and no one takes her accusations seriously... until she is attacked at the post office, barely escaping with her life.
With one of Hernando’s owners in the grave and the only person who suspected foul play in the hospital, Katy decides it’s time to take the bull by the horns. Can she find the true murderer and uncover their connection to the dead cash cow?
Join Katy Cross and her friends and family in Skeeterville as they work together to solve this latest mystery. This Christian cozy mystery contains no gore, sex, or foul language, but is full of humor and southern small-town charm.
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