ROCCO And Chazz interview author Mary Kennedy! (with a giveaway!!!!!!)

 Rocco here with my assistant Chazz!

Today we are interviewing author and good friend of our human, Mary Kennedy!

Mary has enjoyed a successful career as a writer, having published the Talk Radio Mysteries and the Dream Club Mysteries for Berkeley.  She has a new Dream Club Mystery debuting on June 7th!

(Note the cool cat! Kind of looks like Chazz!)

ROCCO:  Welcome Mary!

Chazz:     Yes, welcome!

ROCCO:  We are thrilled to host you today.  Please tell us a little about your background,Mary!

MK:   I've always been a writer. My first job out of college was as a radio copywriter for a rock radio station in Nashville. It was a wild and wacky station like the TV show, WKRP. From there, I became a television news writer. I'm also a licensed clinical psychologist which makes for an interesting mix.

Chazz:  That sounds interesting! Tell us a bit about your latest book!

MK: My latest book is Premonition of Murder, book 3 in the Dream Club Mysteries. A "dream club" in Savannah finds clues that help the police solve crimes.

ROCCO: A dream club sounds like something I would enjoy Heh Heh. Or maybe Chazz, since he is always napping.  

Chazz:  ZZZ--what was that?  Mary, how do you construct your plots? Do you outline or do you write “by the seat of your pants”? 

MK: I write a really detailed synopsis "for my eyes only." It's pretty stream of consciousness and is much more involved than the one I write for the proposal.

Chazz:  Which do you consider more important, plot or character? 

MK:  The setting is really important to me. The Talk Radio Mysteries could only take place in a radio station. And the Dream Club Mysteries were inspired by Savannah, a fascinating city with a lot of supernatural elements.

ROCCO:  What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer and what inspires you and keeps you motivated? 

MK:  Well, I keep the VISA bill on the fridge and that's tremendously motivating!

ROCCO:  Sure is.  I should tell the human to put her QVC bill up on our fridge.

Chazz:  Do you have an “How I got my agent” story you want to share? 

MK:  I sold 7 books to a major New York publisher on my own, and finally figured I needed someone to guide my career. I started out writing YA for Scholastic and Penguin and now am writing adult mysteries for Penguin-Random House.

ROCCO:  Please tell us what are you working on now and what are your future writing plans?

MK:  I'm writing book 5 in the Talk Radio Mysteries, Death of a Shady Shrink. Dr. Maggie, a radio talk show shrink (think Frasier), is still rocking it at WYME-Radio in a south Florida town. And she solves a murder (or two) in every book!

Chazz: Cool! I love Frasier!!!!!!

ROCCO:  What advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author?

MK:    Don't quit your day job!

ROCCO: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?  

MK:  I had a bit part in a Burt Reynolds movie even though I had a 104 temperature. It was crazy, bt hey, it was Burt Reynolds!

Chazz:  Who's Burt Reynolds?

ROCCO (rolls eyes)   Mary, where can our readers learn more about you and your books?

MK:  They can find out all the latest on my website www.marykennedy.net and my Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/mary.kennedy.948/

Chazz: oh ho, we're not done yet!  Now Mary answers ROCCO and Chazz's Fast Five!

• What did you do when you found out your first book was published? I bought a very jazzy car. A black MG with red upholstery
• If you weren’t a writer, what would you be? I would be desperately unhappy and probably complaining to all my friends.
• What’s your favorite way to spend a rainy day? Reading, of course! Curled up with a couple of cats!  (ROCCO: Excellent!) 
• What’s your preference for grocery shopping:  In store or online
• What is your favorite movie quote "Don't let the bastards get you down." It sounds classier in Latin. It was actually my father's favorite quote.

Thank you for a wonderful interview, Mary!  AND........

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Mary will give away a $15 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky commenter! Just leave your name and email address in our comments section!  Chazz will pick the winner! Contest closes at midnight, June 16th!