An Interivew with Kate M. George

Sporadically, over the last few weeks, I’ve interviewed 2010 Daphne Award finalist Polly Iyer and winner Ann Charles, whom I’ll interview again on October 27th. In Polly’s interview, I explored the process of the contest. Ann’s interview provided insight into the immediate rewards of winning, and in the next interview, we discuss her book promotion. I’ve tried to ascertain if contests such as the Daphne were catalysts for success in the publishing industry. This week I’m interviewing 2009 Daphne Award winner Kate M. George, not to be mistaken for Kaye George, who I also interviewed this month. A year later, let’s see what has happened in her life after winning the Daphne Award for her novel, Moonlighting in Vermont.

Ms. George began writing novels in her twenties when she wrote a truly horrible novella about a marine biologist. She eventually earned her Bachelors degree in Anthropology from UC Davis but there aren't a lot of jobs for a budding anthropologist so she tried a number of different careers. Think police dog trainer and answering service operator and then let your imagination go wild. You couldn't possibly be far from the truth. Originally from California, Ms. George is currently living in Central Vermont with her husband, four children, three dogs, and two cats. She once had 28 chickens, none of which seemed especially keen to lay eggs. Unfortunately, Hermione and Speckles were eaten by coyotes. The rest of the chickens were given to good homes to avoid any further emotional distress.

EBD: Under what category did you enter the Daphne Contest?

KMG: I entered under mainstream. I didn’t understand the categories well enough when I first started entering contests and that was a big mistake. Finally a judge in a different contest mentioned to me that Moonlighting was not really romantic suspense. I owe that judge a lot because when I entered the correct category my work started doing a lot better.

EBD: After you won the contest, what were the effects? Did agents or editors contact you wanting to read your manuscript? If not, when querying agents and editors, did you feel that winning the Daphne opened any doors to publishing?

KMG: Here’s the thing. The timing between the Daphne and getting published was interesting. I submitted to the Daphne, forgot about it and a few weeks later accepted a contract with Mainly Murder Press. Then I found out I’d won the mainstream division of the Daphne. That spring was a real rush.

But you are really asking if winning the Daphne helped me get published. I don’t honestly know. It might have, if I hadn’t already been pending publication. However, I did get queries from agents who didn’t know Moonlighting in Vermont had already been picked up.

EBD: How did you get your manuscript published? Which agent and publisher contracted to publish your book?

KMG: I don’t have an agent. Mainly Murder Press was accepting un-agented submissions and I sent them Moonlighting. My editor and I were both thrilled when Moonlighting won.

EBD: How were you treated during the publishing process? Did you have input into your book cover? Did you have a marketing plan or did your publisher have any proposals?

KMG: Mainly Murder Press treated me very well during the publication process. I was given a lot of input on the cover. While I didn’t have a marketing plan per se, my editor had suggestions and I’ve been reading about promoting books. The learning curve is steep, and marketing doesn’t come naturally to me, but most authors need to figure it out these days. It’s just the way it is.

EBD: What did you do to promote your book?

KMG: I had a launch at our local library. I’ve done book signings at bookstores, fundraisers, craft fairs and at private parties. I blog regularly – three times a week. I maintain a web site; well actually my brother is maintaining it for me, thanks Ed! I have a presence on Facebook – both a personal and a fan page, Twitter, MySpace, Goodreads and Bestseller Bound. I try to check in to my online accounts every day.

EBD: What is your publisher’s distribution? Do they take returns?

KMG: Mainly Murder Press is a Print on Demand publisher. That means they do not warehouse books. They are printed as they are ordered. So there isn’t an initial run. I like this option because unsold books aren’t remaindered. Remaindered books have their covers pulled off, the books are destroyed – a huge waste of resources – and the covers are sent back to the publisher for refund. Print on demand eliminates those steps. My books are available through the traditional distributors so they can be ordered for you by any bookstore. They are also available from Amazon, B&N, Borders and from MainlyMurderPress.com

EBD: What was the process of electronic formatting? In which formats are your book published?

KMG: I was initially published in trade paperback and because I retained the electronic rights, I was then able to load Moonlighting onto Amazon’s Kindle format as an ebook. The best format for Amazon appears to be Microsoft Word and as that was what I used initially to write the book, it wasn’t difficult to load.

EBD: Tell us a bit about your award winning book. What is the log line, hook, short synopsis?

KMG: Log Lines – My personal log line is Mystery with a side of laughter.

Moonlighting in Vermont’s log line is: Miss Marple meets Miss Congeniality – or – Murder in the sticks.

Hook: When a murder rocks the rural community of South Royalton, Vermont, small town girl, Bree MacGowan, pits her wits against the handsome but terminally stubborn Lieutenant Miles Brooks. Brooks believes she’s a murderer, Bree knows she’s not. Mud and mayhem ensue.

Synopsis: Rumor has it that nothing ever happens in small town Vermont, but for Bella Bree MacGowan there is no shortage of excitement. She becomes the prime suspect when she finds her boss dead in a pool of blood and can’t convince the officer in charge, hunky Lt. Miles Brooks, that she isn’t capable of murder.

Lt. Brooks believes two things, the first is that everyone is capable of murder and the second is that the simplest solution is usually correct. So when it appears that Bree MacGowan has both motive and opportunity he’s confident he’s found his killer

Meg Maverick owns the local paper and Bree’s been her paste-up tech and friend from the beginning. She has no doubt of Bree’s innocence but she’s worried. If her husband Tom, the captain in chief at the local state police barracks, insists on sticking up for Bree, he could end up ruining his reputation.

EBD: Have your sales prompted writing a sequel or second in the series? If so, when will it be published?

KMG: My second book is California Schemin’, which is the second in the series featuring Bree MacGowan. It comes out in March of 2011.

Thanks so much Kate for taking the time to answer my questions. Your book was bound for the stores with or without winning the Daphne Award. Keep current with Kate at her website, http://kategeorge.com/ and look for her new book this spring.