Please help me welcome today’s guest, Katherine Pritchett…
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
I was born in Southeast Kansas (home of Gordon Parks), grew up on a farm till I was 11. Now I live in South Central Kansas. My kids are all adults with interesting careers. Two of my seven grandchildren are adults as well, also with interesting careers. We are owned by two finicky cats that we rescued from our porch. In the past, we’ve had dogs, horses, cats, rabbits, hamsters, mice and fish.
Where did you get the idea for A Little Shame? What is the most difficult thing about writing a book?
The book was inspired by the day-to-day struggles of people around me. I have written other murder mysteries; it’s where I feel most comfortable and allows me to introduce issues while readers are interested. The most difficult part about writing a book is doing the synopsis, back cover blurb and tagline. You’ve spent months writing 40-100K words, now you have to reduce it to one page or a paragraph or just one line.
Do you have another occupation, other than writer? If so, what is it and do you like it?
I was State Trail Coordinator for our natural resource agency, managing grants, reviewing projects statewide and traveling to meetings around the country. I have seen really cool places, including uncovering an original marker for the Mason-Dixon Line at a trail project we were working on in Delaware. We also saw the marker in the Arkansas River bed near Syracuse, KS, that delineates the original southern border of the United States. While I don’t miss the red tape, I do miss the wonderful people I made friendships with over 30-plus years.
If you could be a character in any of your books, who would you be?
Richard Matthews, because he’s a wealthy, best-selling author. I could do without some of his adventures, though, such as being kidnapped, targeted by the Russian mob, and being wounded in a terrorist attack.
What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
I was once told that my early writing was episodic without a real plot. But at the end of a full page of criticism, the teacher wrote, “But, lady, you’re a natural writer. Keep at it and you’ll get there.” That line was taped first to my typewriter and then a succession of computers.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
All my characters have aspects of real people, but are entirely imaginary. Richard Matthews, for instance, struggles with numbers like I do. Scott Aylward is ADHD, like me. Like me, Terra Matthews doesn’t accept help easily.
What book have you read that you wish you had written?
DUNE
What’s the main thing that you could get rid of in your life that would give you more writing time?
Housework. I’ve tried for years to wriggle my nose like Samantha in Bewitched to get it done as fast as I can think about it, but it hasn’t worked. Yet. My partner is a dear and doesn’t mind cooking, vacuuming, doing laundry and dishes, and he mows and takes care of all the heavy lifting. I feel guilty, so I do some of it. My dream was to have a ranch with double the stable for horses, so I could lease half to a trainer who would care for my horses, and a housekeeper who liked to cook and bake. Both of us raised fillies named Flicka when we were kids.
What’s your favorite book of all time and why? What’s your favorite childhood book?
I guess my favorite book of all time would be the Lord of the Rings trilogy. When I feel discouraged, it gives me hope. As a kid, I read anything with a horse or dog in it, so probably Misty of Chincoteague. I have now seen the ponies on both the Maryland and Virginia sides of Assateague.
What do you want readers to come away with after they read A Little Shame?
I want them to have empathy for the working poor, who are one unplanned bill from disaster, for those without access to preventive health care, and for the courage of those who try to help.
Would you rather have a bad review or no review?
No review.
What genre have you never written that you’d like to write?
Science fiction
Is there one subject you would never write about? What is it?
Horror. I scared myself when I tried.
What do you want your tombstone to say?
What it will NOT say is “Died of overwork” or “Died from missing meals.”
What do your friends and family think of your writing?
My kids, older grandkids, and my niece tell me they are proud of my writing. Not all of them have read my books. My youngest son (who thinks he’s the best comedian of all of them) says he’s waiting for them to come out on Netflix.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I want them to be more empathetic to those around them. We don’t know the struggles of the checkout clerk or the person in the car next to us.
How did your interest in writing originate?
I thought about writing books (someone has to) when I was about 4 or 5, but I didn’t start until middle school. I’ve never been able to quit since.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Right now, I’m enamored of Craig Johnson, whose Longmire series is a bestseller. I’ve met him twice, and told him the last meeting that I am studying him as a how to.
Knowing too much could cost him everything
Excerpt:
He turned to face the same direction the car faced. “Now, to get back to town, go straight until you hit the paved road we took last night, and take a right. Follow it to the stop sign, take another right, and you can’t miss the city.” He walked toward his truck. “I’ll follow you to make sure you get to town, in case you get stuck in the sand.”
She opened her door. “You don’t have to follow me.”
He shrugged as he opened his door. “I have to get back to town, too. If you get in deep sand, don’t stop, but put it in low and keep moving no matter how much it wallows.”
He started the truck, grateful for the air conditioning, as she passed him and drove slowly along the sand. She almost got stuck once, but followed his advice and made it through. At the paved road, she hesitated, then turned left.
“What the—” He followed. “Is she dyslexic?” He honked. She looked in her mirror but kept going. At the mile section, she turned left again, on another sand road that was better maintained. A half mile in, she pulled to the side and stopped.
He threw it in park and leaped out of the truck just as she emerged from her car, with binoculars in hand. “What the hell are you doing?”
“This is where I was going last night.” She set her lips in a thin line. “I might not get the chance to get out here again for a while.”
“Where is here?” He looked to the north, where a crane lifted roofing onto a large pole barn frame. A new driveway led to a large graveled parking area. Poles for lighting had been set, and what looked like the foundation for a medium sized house rose from the sand.
“Nick Macchio’s new property.” She scanned with the binoculars for a few minutes. “Looks like they have lights up already.” She tossed the binocs on the seat and brought out a nice camera with a telephoto lens.
“Why did you need to find it?” He watched the people at work on the barn. One appeared to notice them and pointed their way.
“Research.” She snapped several photos. Four of the people on the ground abandoned their work, heading for a couple of pickups. “And now it’s time to leave.”
Buy link(s): A Little Shame – Kindle edition by Pritchett, Katherine . Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
About the Author:
For over thirty years, I worked for a cabinet-level natural resource agency. Through this position, I had the opportunity to travel, immerse myself in outdoor recreational pursuits from sailing to archery, meet interesting and influential people and stretch myself professionally. I did a lot of writing for the job, as well as being involved with legislation. I’ve worked as a file clerk, teacher’s aide, administrative assistant and run my own home day care. I’ve also had an early morning newspaper route and served as a leader for Girl, Boy and Cub Scouts, and facilitated a DivorceCare program for several years. Over the years, I’ve associated with cops, paramedics, firefighters, soldiers, truck drivers, biologists, preachers and other interesting people. What gets them from where they started to where they are today never fails to fascinate me.
Contact me at pritchett.katherine@gmail.com
Author Alicia Dean 