My new
release, Run Dog Run, is centered
around the world of greyhound racing. I
wanted to write an engaging story about animal rights issues, which are one of
my passions. I used to be a member of Wildlife Rescue, Inc. when I lived in
Austin. I rehabbed and raised orphaned wildlife with the goal to release them
back into the wild if possible. It was a very rewarding experience and planted
the seed for the Kate Caraway series.
Run Dog Run is my latest release, but not my first. I finished the first
draft fifteen years ago. It came close to being published several times, but no
cigar. An agent told me I preached and editorialized too much. She was right.
My first attempt was too heavy-handed. I rewrote it, but put it on the back
burner and let it simmer for a few years. Two years ago, I updated it again and
sent it out. Black Opal Books sent me a contract, and there you have it.
The story takes place in the Texas Hill
Country west of Austin. My protagonist, 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 abuse 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. She’s in a race against time to find the killer
before she becomes the next victim.
The most difficult part of
writing the book was doing the research, which sent
me to a few places I wasn’t thrilled to visit. A knot formed in my stomach the
day I drove up to a greyhound racetrack outside of Houston. I wasn’t sure what
to expect, but if I wanted to write a book about greyhound racing, I needed to
watch the dogs run. I spoke to the staff about what happens before and after
races, where the dogs are kept when they are not racing, how much of their
lives are spent running, and how to bet on the dogs. I also toured a greyhound
adoption facility where the dogs were well taken care of. The only problem is
that I wanted to take all of them home. In my book, I included a character who
operates an adoption facility. Part of my rational for writing the book is to
heighten awareness of the adoption process for retired racers.
Bio:
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.
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 will be released in August 2017 under the title, Five-Minute Writing Tips: Does Anyone Have a Catharsis Handy?
Run Dog Run Kathleen’s her first mystery in the new Kate Caraway animal
rights series. A portion of the book’s proceeds will be donated to The
Greyhound Project.
Books are available through Black Opal Books,
Kathleen’s website, and Amazon.
Stepping back and putting a book on the back burner was the right thing to do. But what is impressive is that you went back, rewrote it, and got it published. That's hard to do. Many of us get enthused about a book, but when it goes south, we let it sit without doing due diligence. It's a waste of all the effort we put into those book if we don't go back and dig in again. You've set a great example. Will this book be the first in a series or is it a single title?
ReplyDeleteI think the temptation for many people today is when they can't find an agent or the agent can't find a publishing contract is say the problem is the publishing world today and then self-publish the manuscript.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar situation with the first book in my Seamus McCree series. In my case it wasn't a preaching problem, but an immaturity in writing style. The book was simply not yet deserving of publication. I brought the manuscript back out of the virtual bottom drawer after several years, rewrote, polished and the result was Ant Farm, which won a publication contract from Kindle Press after going through the Kindle Scout process.
Congratulations on your latest publication.
~ Jim
congratulations on publication! I look forward to reading your new book.
ReplyDeleteWe have retired greyhounds in the neighborhood, from a Cincinnati rescue group. They're real couch potatoes, agreeable to a daily walk but that's all. They need to wear jackets against the winter cold. So sweet and gentle.
Thank you, Kathleen, for joining us at Writers Who Kill. You make an excellent point about a manuscript not being ready. You, however, were given a reason for why it wasn't quite ready. So often writers receive a series of rejections and don't have a clue why and can't address the problem.
ReplyDeleteIt is so sad how our animals are treated. A few years ago, I read the book "Practically Perfect" (not a mystery) by British author Katie Fforde, about the rehoming of greyhounds. It made me aware of the plight of these animals.
Kathleen, I've heard about greyhounds being overworked and then when they get too old ending up in rescue places. I think the same thing happens with many race horses. Although it's outlawed there are the rooster and dog fighting events that still go on. Hopefully, they're not as common now. I remember passing a bunch of dog houses with a rooster attached by a rope or leash to each one. The only reason anyone would have that many roosters would be for fighting. Fortunately, they disappeared a few months later so the owner must have been found out. As an animal lover, I'm glad your book finally got published and I look forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteHi Kathleen, congratulations on your publication and kudos for your work with the greyhounds. A family in our neighborhood rescued one and he is a gentle creature.
ReplyDeleteI was fascinated by your book's selection by the largest book group in the country. I'll have to google to find out how big!
Congratulations on your publication and your persistence in rewriting and polishing the story until it was ready!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding us all that we need to bide our time with our manuscripts, and many of them will benefit from being revisited later.
ReplyDeleteOne of our neighbors has three rescued greyhounds. They are handsome, elegant creatures, all female. Vinny, our male dog (who has lost his companion dog in the last few months) is smitten with them. He practically goes into a trance when we encounter them. A distinct upgrade from the stuffed Rottweiler who he keeps on his bed and upon whom he showers affection.
Thanks to everyone who read my post and commented. I still have to remind myself not to rush my manuscripts out the door. After working on them for months, even years, I'm eager to see them in print, though. Run Dog Run is the first in the series. I don't have a release date for the second one, A Two Horse Town. Gloria, this story is set in Montana and involves saving a herd of wild horses. Number three is finished and simmering. To all of you who have, or know someone who has greyhounds, you know how loving and gentle they are. A portion of sales from RDR go to the Greyhound Project. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good practice to let a manuscript rest before sending it out, but it's equally important to do diligent research when writing a novel. Not only does it add authenticity to your pages, but it gives the author moral and historical authority to represent a controversial subject. Kathleen, I applaud you for both practices, and I look forward to reading this novel! --Saralyn Richard
ReplyDeleteThanks, Saralyn, Sometimes being patient pays off.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Writers Who Killer, for having me as a guest!
ReplyDelete