Author Interview with K.J. Dahlen

Please join me in welcoming mystery and thriller author K.J. Dahlen. Here’s Kim’s bio: Kim lives in a small town (population495) in Wisconsin. From her deck she can see the Mississippi River on one side and the bluffs, where eagles live and nest on the other side. She lives with her husband Dave and dog Sammy. Her two children are grown and one has children of her own and for that fact she feels blessed. She loves to watch people and that has helped her with her writing. She loves to create characters and put them in a troubling situation and just sit back and let them do all the work. They surprise even her at times. They take on a life of their own and the twists and turns become a story. She found she liked mystery/thrillers the best. She likes to keep my readers guessing until the very end of the book. Kim writes under the pen name: K.J. Dahlen

[Anne] When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

[Kim] I grew up a reader. I read everything and anything to discover what I enjoyed the most. The only problem was I enjoyed everything. When the plots all started to become the same, I thought I could write a more intriguing story and that’s what I did.

[Anne] Tell us about your latest book.

[Kim] The Prophet, I got the idea for the Prophet from a simple question… “Has he asked you to convert yet?” I filled in the rest of the book from that question. I filled in the outline in one weekend and the book came together quickly.

[Anne] What inspired you to write this story?

[Kim] I had the first part of this story done but I realized it needed something more, I wasn’t quite finished. Then I realized I needed to continue the story so I wrote the second part and everything came together nicely.

[Anne] How did you go about researching your book?

[Kim] I do the outline first then if I need any questions answered I look it up. Questions like, what is the area like where the stories take place, or how to forge a sword, or police procedure.

[Anne] Do you have anything new in the works?

[Kim] Yes I actually have more than one something in the works- Whenever I get an idea for a new book I have to write it down. I have several more books in the works that I hope to get the chance to work on.

[Anne] What is your writing process like? Are you a plotter or a pantster?

[Kim] I am a plotter, but the plot can and often does change as the story unfolds. At some point the characters take over and I never know what they will come up with. Sometimes they take the story in an all together different track.

[Anne] If you could be anyone of your characters, which one would you chose to be and why?

[Kim] I can’t choose just one, but if I had to I would choose to be Zoey, a forensic anthropologist. She can take a skull and create a face of the victim. She speaks for the dead in a way no one else can. She is in a couple of my books yet to be placed with a publisher.

[Anne] Say your publisher has offered to fly you anywhere in the world to do research on an upcoming book, where would you most likely want to go? (Okay so maybe this isn’t very likely to happen but since I’m asking the questions…)

[Kim] I would go to St. Augustine, Florida. I’ve set a book up down there and I would like to see the place for background research. The internet has the facts but I’d like to get the feel of the place. That’s just as important if not more important.

[Anne] You’ve just been informed that your latest release was a NY Times bestseller and Hollywood wants to turn it into a movie. What actors would you choose to play your main characters?

[Kim] The Prophet- Michael Weatherly- he has charm like the character.

Michael Roanne- I’d like to see David Boreanaz- he’s a strong character.

Rheta – Angie Harmon- she can be a bitch when she wants to be yet soft when she needs to be.

[Anne] What type of books do you like to read when you’re not writing?

[Kim] I like anything with a good plot.

[Anne] Name three things you can’t live without (excluding spouses and family because that’s a given).

[Kim] I would have a hard time giving up my coffee, Dove Chocolates; and a good idea for a story

[Anne] What advice would you give to any aspiring writers out there?

[Kim] Never give up and take a critique as another way to help you grow as a writer. Sometimes what the critic is telling you will work, sometimes it doesn’t but at least try.

[Anne] Where can we find you on the web?

[Kim] www.kjdahlen.com My books can be found at www.roguephoenixpress.com and www.buckscountypublishing.com and at www.avalon.com You can also find them on Amazon

[Anne] Where can we purchase your books?

[Kim] at www.roguephoenixpress.com; www.buckscountypublishing.com; www.amazon.com; and in December @ www.avalonbooks.com

[Anne] Is there anything else you’d like to add?

[Kim] I love being a writer and the feeling I got when I became a published author was something I’ll never forget. When I held my first book in my hand the feeling only intensified. By the end of this year I’ll have ten books out there and I hope next year I’ll have even more.

Tip of the Week - Never Give Up on Your Dream

KJ Dahlen’s Tip of the Week is to Never give up on your dream. I put my writing on the back burner for years while life interrupted, having a family and raising kids, but after twenty years I finally got back to it and I can honestly say I love what I do. I can finally call myself an author.

I made mistakes along the way but I learned from them and became a better author and with every new book I write, I learn a little more while the mistakes are getting less and less.

My first publisher wasn’t a good person so I basically got screwed with her but I found another publisher I could trust. At the moment I have six books with my second publisher with another two in the next six months. As with any endeavor you have to start with baby steps and writing isn’t any different. It’s what you do to build yourself up that counts.

When I got back into writing after my kids were grown I took a refresher course. Being away from the craft for so long I felt I needed to regain my bearing. I finished the course long before I was supposed to but that’s ok. I learned what I needed to learn. Only you can decide that for yourself. I have always been a quick study so it didn’t take me long to get where I felt I needed to be. If it takes you a little longer that’s ok. Like I said only you can decide how long it takes you.

At first I didn’t know what I wanted to write. I’ve been an avid reader all my life so deciding what I felt I wanted to offer the world was a hard decision. I tried writing articles but could get the hang of that. I decided I liked writing fiction better. I tried romance but it wasn’t meant to be. I tried Sci-fi but I couldn’t make that work either. I tried mystery/suspense and I had my niche. I found I loved putting my characters in life and death situations and they did the rest. My characters come alive for me and eventually they take over the story and I write down what they want me to. That’s when I sent my work into a bigger publisher and they liked my story. I was thrilled. So now I had two publishers and my books were lining up. I sent another book to yet another publisher and now I have three publishers.

I love my work. I love finding unique situations for my characters. Being published is wonderful, granted I started small and I’ll never regret that. I don’t have an agent and maybe I never will. At this point I don’t know yet. My books are getting noticed and people are reading them. I donated a copy of my books to the local libraries and some people told me that was a mistake, but I don’t think so. I live in a small town. They can go to the library and get a copy of my book and read it. That to me is more important. I figure if they read one, then they’ll read another one. Word of mouth is a great tool to get your work noticed. It doesn’t result in a sale sometimes but getting people to read what you write is something I enjoy.

What’s even better is when the people that have bought your books ask, when is the next book coming out? I love that question!

People have asked me how I handle a critique. To me a critique only makes your writing stronger. Oh I know you’ve worked as hard as you think you can and then somebody rips it all apart and at first you’re mad, then you think to yourself, this is the only way the story makes sense. Guess what? Maybe what the critique is doing is giving you another way to look at your story. You can’t take offense at what another person says about your work. Use what he/she says to make your story stronger and better. Maybe some of the critique won’t work but maybe some of it will. Only you can decide that, but be open minded about it. Maybe the person that gave the critique knows the markets a little better than you do.

My last point would be to never give up. Keep an open mind and don’t allow the set backs to get the better of you. Keep writing!

Author Bio:

Kim lives in Wisconsin with her husband and her dog, Sammy. She likes to place most of her stories in small towns because that’s where she lives. She writes under the pen name K.J. Dahlen. K.J. are her first and second initials and Dahlen was her husband’s family name when they came to America from Norway. It got changed to Dahl when they arrived.

Her publishers are Rogue Phoenix Press, Avalon and Bucks County Publishing. Her books are suspense books and you can see them at her web site. Her titles are Bones; The Darkness Within, Meghan’s Legacy; Shadow Chaser; Witness; Legacy of Murder; and Secrets and Lies. Her upcoming titles are, The Unknown Son, The Prophet and No One to Hear You Scream. You can see her web site at www.kjdahlen.com. You can email her at kjdahlen1@yahoo.com. Kim loves to hear from people about writing and her books.