My Blog

Sitting at my computer at 6am, listening to Gregorian Chant music with my coffee and pooch close at hand I started thinking about another one of my author colleagues in Texas. I am amazed at how much we are alike and can’t wait to meet her in person at some conference where we can chit chat about unruly characters and loving what we do for a living. Come on! Let’s take a look at her office and see where she creates those fascinating tales of mystery.

Carol Kilgore is the award-winning author of the Amazing Gracie Mysteries, set in San Antonio, and three standalone romantic suspense novels, each set on the Texas Gulf Coast. She is currently working on a new series set in a small fictional town northwest of Houston based on the area where she and her husband now live with the sweetest rescue beagle ever.

Where do you feel most comfortable writing and what time of day?

Mostly I write at my desk on a Dell desktop. But I have notebooks and pens in every room and in my purse for those times when I have to write it immediately or forget it. I’m sort of always writing in my head. My most productive time is in the afternoon. I’m not naturally a morning person, and each time I’ve tried morning writing, it’s been a disaster. However, I am thinking about trying it again #LearnTheHardWay  Definitely I cannot write at night because my brain won’t turn off and I can’t sleep.

 Do you have a certain routine you follow to get yourself prepared to write?

My days are as monotonous as watching grass grow or paint dry. I do the same things every day with errands and appointments thrown in to change it up. Mostly I do other things in the mornings, including social media and email, and write in the afternoons to give my imagination time to wake up. I don’t have any rituals that I do before I write, but I do like to have most other things out of the way before I start. If I’m not thinking about what I have to do, my imagination has the freedom to play all it wants.

How long do you write before closing up shop?
I start after lunch, so at max I’ll say six hours. Usually not that long, but if I’m finishing a project, it could go over. My writing method is to have a loose plot and a firmer grip on the characters. I know where the story is going, but I don’t know how it’s going to get there or what will show up along the way until I put the characters together on the page. Some days I can see a longer way down that road than I can on other days. I’ll stop early if I can’t see what happens next and give my imagination time to catch up.

Do you use anything to get you in the mood such as music, Pinterest boards, photos, etc.?

I’ve never used Pinterest boards or photos, but that doesn’t mean that I might not try it someday. I usually see in my head what my characters look like because they usually introduce themselves to me. But sometimes they lie. I often play music when I write. If they like a particular kind of music, I’ll find a Pandora station and play that. If not, I’ll either put Pandora on shuffle or write in silence. It mostly depends on my mood and/or what type of scene(s) I’m writing that day. If I’m editing, the music is always instrumental. Lyrics interfere when I’m concentrating on words and phrasing.

Describe your writing workspace.

My current writing space is in the living room section of our “formal” living room/dining room area. Currently, the work surfaces are a mess because I’m working on two separate projects. When we moved here two years ago, I worked in the dedicated office space, which turned out to be too dark in the afternoons, so I moved out to the living room with two big windows, one facing southeast and the other southwest. I have great light morning and afternoon year-round

What genre do you write?
I write a mix of mystery and romance that I call Crime Fiction with a Kiss. The Amazing Gracie Mysteries have a little paranormal mixed in. The mystery is always what drives my books. All my books are available on Amazon. I used to be a bit of a control freak. Now I can’t even control my characters. I finally learned they’re usually right!

Social Media Links (okay to include a book link too).

https://www.facebook.com/carolkilgore.author

https://twitter.com/carol_kilgore

https://www.carolkilgore.net

https://amazon.com/author/ckilgore

Direct Link to Latest Release – Gracie and the Trouble with Pinatas: https://www.amazon.com/Gracie-Trouble-Pinatas-Carol-Kilgore-ebook/dp/B0977QVLGW

Thanks, Carol, for sharing your workspace. I love it. I know what you mean about always writing in your head and those characters keeping you up at night. They’re rather rebellious. Anyway, the best of luck on this new series. Can’t wait to read it.