Readers Circle: Run Dog Run by Kathleen Kaska, Giveaway

Welcome to the Readers Circle

 Hello Readers and welcome to the J.Q. Rose blog. In the Readers Circle today is Kathleen Kaska with the first book in her Animal Rights Mystery Series, Run Dog Run. 

Kathleen will give away a print copy of Run Dog Run to a name drawn from those who leave comments. Deadline to enter is Monday, April 3 at noon. Thank you Kathleen!

 Read on to find out more about Kathleen and her new release.

Run Dog Run by Kathleen Kaska,
the first book in the Kate Caraway Animal Rights Series
Mystery 

Back of the Book: Run Dog Run by Kathleen Kaska

After five years in Africa, researching the decline of elephant populations, Kate Caraway’s project comes to a screeching halt when she shoots a poacher and is forced to leave the country. 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 crime 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. Now, she’s in a race against time to fine the killer before she becomes the next victim.

From Mystery Trivia to Cozy Mysteries by Kathleeen Kaska

            The road from writing mystery trivia to writing cozy mysteries meandered, hill-climbed, and detoured. Good detours.

            I started writing mystery trivia to learn the craft of mystery writing by dissecting the work of master mystery writers Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle, and suspense filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. I also wanted to offer something different to catch the eyes of a publisher. The trivia book idea came to me when I read an article in a writers magazine about the popularity of those books. The second Stephen King trivia book had just been published, as well as one on Clint Eastwood and the Seinfeld TV show. Gazing up at my complete collection of Agatha Christie mysteries on my bookshelf, a cerebral light blub went on. Three months later I completed a proposal and two months after that, I had an agent. He sold the Christie trivia book in short order, and it was followed by my Alfred Hitchcock trivia book (The 100^th anniversary of Hitch’s birth was right around the corner. Timing is everything.) Later came my Sherlock Holmes trivia book.

The Sherlock Holmes Trivia Book by Kathleen Kaska

             Was I ready to plot my own mystery? I made a list of a few ideas, played around with a few setting, and worked on character development. But I couldn’t seem to create anything that resonated. Although aware of the basic plotting formula, I had a difficult time pulling things together. Outlining a plot resulted in my staring at a blank document or gazing out the window at birds visiting me feeder. What was the problem? I’d written outlines for my trivia books and travel articles, but my first mystery? It wasn’t happening. Then my old “pal” Stephen King came to my rescue again. His “seat of the pants” method of plotting gave me a brand new perspective. Characters seemed to walk into my life and tell me their stories. All I had to do was listen. And write.

Murder at the Arlington by Kathleen Kaska

            Sydney Lockhart introduced herself to me on the long drive from the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs, Arkansas to my then-home in Austin, Texas. By the time I pulled into the driveway, I had gotten to know Sydney very well and had the idea to launch mysteries set in historic hotels. The first one, Murder at the Arlington, was published in 2009. I’m now on book number five, and Sydney hasn’t stopped talking.

            My new mystery, Run Dog Run, the first in the Kate Caraway Animal Rights Series, started forming in my mind when I was a member of Wildlife Rescue, Inc. in Austin, Texas. I helped rehab and raise orphaned wildlife. I wanted to write a series that made readers aware of animal care and animal rights issues. Run Dog Run takes place in the world of greyhound racing and features a character who runs a greyhound adoption facility. Here’s a short excerpt and synopsis. One final note: a portion of the proceeds from book sales will be donated to The Greyhound Project, Inc.

Run Dog Run by Kathleen Kaska

Excerpt from Run Dog Run:

She’d been foolish and gone off alone, 

now she might have to pay the ultimate price…

The rocks along the bottom of the creek bed seemed to disappear. Kate felt the ropy, gnarl of tree roots instead.

The cedar break. She was approaching the road and soon the water would pass through the culvert. She knew that she would not make it through the narrow tunnel alive. Her lungs screamed for air. With one final attempt, she grabbed hold of a long cedar root growing along the side of the creek bank and hung on. Miraculously, it held. She wedged her foot under the tangled growth and anchored herself against the current. Inching her way upward, she thrust her head above water and gulped for air. But debris in the current slapped her in the face, and leaves and twigs filled her mouth, choking her. Dizziness overcame her ability to think—exhaustion prevented her from pulling herself higher.

She must not give in. Fighting unconsciousness, Kate inched her way up a little farther, and at last was able to take a clear breath. Her right arm hung loosely by her side, the back of the shaft had broken off in the tumble through the current, but the arrow was lodged in her arm. Numb from cold water and exhaustion, she lay on the bank as the water swept over her, and then, as quickly as it had arrived, the flow subsided and the current slowed. If she could hang on a few moments longer, survival looked promising. As thoughts of hope entered her mind, Kate feared that her pursuer might not have given up the chase. Perfect, Kate Caraway, just perfect. You screwed up again, she chided herself as the lights went out.

About Kathleen:

If you’d like to read my formal bio, log-on to my website. But here’s a more telling bit about who I am:

Author Kathleen Kaska

I’m a Texas gal. Except for an eighteen-month hiatus when I moved to New York City after college, I lived in Texas continuously for 
fifty years. Since then Texas has been hit and miss—a little hit, but a hell of a lot of miss. There was a time when I thought I would happily die in Austin, Texas. But things and weather—especially weather—changed that. Now I spend most of the year on Fidalgo Island in Washington State with a view of the bay and the mountains. When I get homesick, my husband and I plug in the iPhone to Pandora and select Willie—as in Nelson, (I hope you don’t have to ask). Soon we are dancing the two-step, imagining we are at our favorite honky-tonk in Tokyo, Texas where the mayor is believed to be a dog. Who wouldn’t miss that?

Run Dog Run Kathleen’s her first mystery in the new Kate Caraway animal rights series. 
Be sure to leave a comment below to enter the drawing for a print copy of Run Dog, Run!!

Books are available through Black Opal Books, Kathleen’s website, and Amazon.

http://www.kathleenkaska.com

https://twitter.com/KKaskaAuthor

http://www.facebook.com/kathleenkaska

https://www.amazon.com/Run-Dog-Run-Kathleen-Kaska

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THIS WEEK: Dangerous Sanctuary Featured in Author Shout Cover Wars!

Dangerous Sanctuary by J.Q. Rose

Cover design artist Michelle Lee from Books We Love, Ld. created a spectacular cover for my latest mystery, Dangerous Sanctuary. The cover was chosen to be featured in the Author Shout cover wars. Vote for that cover to win the contest by clicking on the link. You can vote every day until next Sunday at 8 a.m. eastern time. but you must have 24 hours between votes. Thank you!

Please click here to vote now.