I am supremely honored to introduce my guest today. Anna Kittrell is not only a fabulous author, but she’s my friend. And, she is one of the nicest, most pleasant and funny people you’ll ever meet. I had the privilege of being her editor for Another Man’s Treasure. I enjoyed every moment of it, not only because I was working with Anna, but also because the book is fantastic. I interviewed Anna, so read below for an inside look at the author and her romantic suspense, Another Man’s Treasure.
What was the inspiration behind Another Man’s Treasure?
Twenty-five years ago, a retail photographer had a two-day assignment at the clothing store where I worked. Between customers, we visited, our small talk turning to his photography. He told me before becoming a photographer, he’d worked as a garbage collector. He said every morning on his trash route he saw people through kitchen windows drinking coffee and reading newspapers.
One morning, while looking through one of those ordinary windows, he made an extraordinary decision. He no longer wanted to be on the outside looking in. In that single defining moment, he purposed to be on the inside looking out. He quit his job as a garbage collector and enrolled in photography school. He’d been happily following his calling ever since.
In Another Man’s Treasure, Deason McKindle is also a manual laborer on the outside looking in. Though his dreams are of fighting fires, not snapping photographs, Deason has also made an extraordinary decision.
Now if he could only figure out how to follow his calling with a dead man standing between him and his dream…
Do you write in other genres, in addition to romantic suspense?
Yes. I also write young adult. WITCHA’BE, the first book in my Redbend High series, is a Christian suspense. Here is a bit about the book:
New to the small community of Redbend, Molly Sanders is delighted when she and Lenni Flemming become instant friends during the final weeks of her first Oklahoma summer. However, Bianca Ravenwood, Lenni’s best friend and self-proclaimed witch in training, is less than thrilled. In fact, she’s cursing mad, vowing to destroy Molly while honing her craft in the halls of Redbend High School. Molly’s new school becomes a waking nightmare as Bianca, beautiful wannabe witch, targets her in a jealous rage. Plagued by terrifying, inexplicable occurrences and an embarrassing case of panic-induced hiccups, Molly is unable to escape Bianca’s snare. But if Bianca refuses to back down and Molly refuses to stand up, not only will Molly lose the best friend she’s ever had…she may also lose her sanity.
The series tracks three main characters, Molly, Lenni, and Bianca, on their four year journey through the halls of Redbend High School. The second book, DIZZY BLONDE, is under contract with Prism Book Group, and is nearing the editing stages. I am currently working on book three, LINEAGE. One final book will follow, completing the four book series.
What book have you read that you wish you would have written?
My sixteen-year-old daughter came downstairs a few evenings ago, sobbing. Afraid something terrible had happened, I jumped up from the couch and hugged her. “I finished my book,” she hitched out.
When she returned upstairs, I turned to my husband and said, “I want to write THAT book.”
It was called “The Killer’s Tears,” by Anne-Laure. I read it the next day. I cried too—but not as hard as she did.
What do you love that most people don’t like and wouldn’t understand why you do?
Buttermilk! I absolutely love ice-cold buttermilk. My great-grandmother raised me, and we enjoyed it together. I always think of her when I drink it. I think it tastes great. Plus, the calcium and active cultures are good for my body.
What’s the main thing that you could get rid of in your life that would give you more writing time?
The Internet. But then I couldn’t promote all those books I’d be writing—it’s a no win situation.
What’s your favorite book of all time and why? What’s your favorite childhood book?
The Picture of Dorian Gray. I love Oscar Wilde’s unmatched wit and timeless storytelling. Funny, heartbreaking, terrifying—the tale has it all. And I find the story’s premise so intriguing: Lord Henry, a twinkle in his eye, corrupting an innocent young man for his own amusement. Destroying a beautiful life filled with promise—just to see if he can. The creepy portrait, riddled and oozing with Dorian’s sins—while he stays young and gorgeous—is the icing on the cake.
The Velveteen Rabbit was my favorite childhood book. My entire life, I’ve loved stories that tear your heart out. I blame my great-grandmother for that too (as well as my love for buttermilk). She used to sing me heart-wrenching songs about terrible tragedies. I’d cry and beg her to sing them again with tears still streaming down my face. I tried singing them to my own children, but they got angry when I made them cry. They hated those songs, and still haven’t forgiven me.
If you could change something about one of your books that’s already released, what would it be?
I’d have my main character wake up and discover the entire story was a dream.
Joking!
There is one typo in Another Man’s Treasure that I wish I would’ve caught. I’m not telling where it is. I want readers to make a game out of finding it.
What genre have you never written that you’d like to write?
I love classic horror, and aspire to bringing that level of dread and fear to a story. I want to write the kind of tale that makes readers glad it’s only a book—to experience the same type of relief as when they wake from a nightmare.
If you were stranded on a deserted island and you could have 3 (inanimate) objects, what would they be?
Static Guard (providing I still have clothes), my orthodontic retainers, and lip balm.
What celebrity would you most like to be stranded on an island with?
Melissa McCarthy. I can go without a lot of things, but I cannot survive one day without a belly-laugh.
Your most prized material possession? Why?
The tattered stories and poems that I wrote as a child. They remind me that I was born to write. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been compelled to put words on paper. My love of writing is gift from God, to whom I am eternally grateful.
Your favorite…
Movie Gladiator, The Notebook, Titanic
Music John Mellencamp, 38 Special, Night Ranger, Tom Petty, Daryl Tonemah
Place you’ve visited Arizona—more specifically, Grand Canyon. It absolutely steals your breath.
Place you’d like to visit Hawaii. I love muddy Oklahoma lakes, but to see blue water would be very cool.
TV show from childhood Fantasy Island
TV show from adulthood Face Off, the special effects makeup competition on SyFy. I love watching people do what they do best—and these competitors are fiercely creative.
Food Chinese
Sports team huh?
Which do you prefer: Board games/card games or television? Television
I would like to thank Anna for being my guest today. I enjoyed getting to know her better.She always has interesting tidbits to share. I love her movie choices, and now I wish I’d written The Killer’s Tears, and I haven’t even read it yet, but I am going to. And, sorry about that typo in Another Man’s Treasure. My bad! 🙂
Below, you can find out more information about Anna’s books. But first, Anna has a question for you…
Do you prefer to be inside looking out, or outside looking in?
Blurb:
Deason McKindle dreams of breaking free. Free from the ex-wife whose cheating ways landed his fist in his boss’s face, free from his dead-end job as a trash collector, free from small-town Oklahoma. In two weeks, his dream of a fresh start in Montana will come true.
His dreams scatter when he saves Charis Locke from her abusive ex-husband. The gratitude in her eyes awakens a passion deep inside him. But when he later discovers the ex-husband’s corpse in a dumpster, Deason’s charged with murder. Instead of breaking free, he loses every freedom he’s ever known.
Charis thought she couldn’t love any man other than the Alzheimer’s patient she takes care of. But when Deason is arrested, she can’t let him go to prison without a fight. As fate would have it, Charis has finally fallen in love, and only the key to the killer’s identity will unlock her dreams.
Excerpt:
“Hey, I know you,” Vic garbled, his dull eyes floating over Deason’s features. “You’re Deason
McKindle. SOB that punched out your supervisor and landed yourself on the trash wagon.” He threw his head back and wheezed out a beer-steeped laugh.
Deason homed in on the oversized Adam’s apple, fighting the urge to twist the man’s collar until the stupid thing stopped bobbing.
Vic squinted at Deason, a glint in his clouded eyes. “You socked old Ricky Holland right in the mouth for messing with your old lady. Now she waits tables at Suds. Always shoving her goods in everyone’s faces.”
Hovering above Vic, Deason’s cocked fist quaked with anger, ready to drive the no good bum’s crooked nose straight through the back of his empty skull.
“He’s not worth it.”
Charis’s voice rang out stronger than Deason imagined it would, given what she’d just been through. Her words pulled him from his murderous thoughts, likely saving Vic’s life. He cut his gaze to where she stood, dusting her hands over the grass-stains on her clothes. A small, red line stamped the corner of her mouth like an exclamation point.
Vic cackled. “You ain’t gonna do squat to me, McKindle. I heard how it all went down. Sam, the big boss, made you promise to keep your nose clean, cause next time you screw up, it’ll be outta his hands.”
Deason set his jaw. “Not a problem. I know how to operate the trash compactor. By the time they find what’s left of your worthless bones, I’ll be long gone. Now close your eyes. Wouldn’t want you to get blood in them.”
Anna also has a new release, a Christian YA called Witcha’be. I love this cover!
Amazon Buy Link (TREASURE) http://alturl.com/cct5o
The Wild Rose Press (TREASURE) http://alturl.com/ws9i8
Amazon Buy Link (WITCHA’BE) http://alturl.com/qt8tm
Prism Book Group (WITCHA’BE) http://alturl.com/ckn2e
Website http://annakittrell.com/
Facebook author page https://www.facebook.com/AKittrell
Twitter https://twitter.com/KittrellAnna
email kittrellbooks@gmail.com
Goodreads http://alturl.com/qu6as
Book Trailer (TREASURE) http://alturl.com/p2p8p
Book Trailer (WITCHA’BE) http://alturl.com/vwcct
Author Alicia Dean 