DA Kentner is an award winning author who also enjoys meeting and interviewing authors of many genres.

As author KevaD, my novel "Whistle Pass" won the 2013 EPIC eBook Award for suspense. Previously, in 2012, it won a Rainbow Award in the historical category. "Whistle Pass" is currently out of print, though I'm considering finding a new publisher, or self-publishing the novel. What do you think?

"The Caretaker", a 3,000 word short story, won 'Calliope' magazine's 18th annual short story competition. Click the blue ribbon to view their site and entry rules for this year's short fiction competition.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Bestselling Fiction Author Sara York


Sara York is a writing machine. The woman produces book after book, and every single one of them a quality tale worthy of reader attention. In fact, it isn’t unusual to find her stories located in one or more Top One Hundred bestselling categories on Amazon.com. With such a strong readership and following, it would be easy for Sara to settle into a comfort zone and focus on one style of writing or genre. But Sara is a writer not content to limit her interests. 

Residing in the southern U.S. with her family and dogs, Sara began her writing career as Sara Thacker during her first pregnancy and a break from her job in statistics. She soon discovered the passion dwelling inside her for storytelling and hasn’t looked back. While Sara’s books cover a broad range of reader interest, we’ll focus on a few of her thrillers. 

“Red Skhye” is an exciting story set on what should be an island paradise. Unfortunately for Delanie Skhye, paradise becomes a serial killer’s hunting grounds, and her life may well depend on an embittered cop dealing with his own problems of a philandering wife bent on finding her own version of bliss. In this story, Sara’s strong prose pulls the reader into each scene and detail, creating a vivid picture in the reader’s mind. “Red Skhye” offers readers a fresh take on suspense and the pleasure of the south seas. 

“Murder Stalks” presents a unique situation all its own. Tired of being alone, Detective Tony Santos’s wife Marissa leaves him. What Tony couldn’t have anticipated is the dead body filling the empty spot in their bed. A killer has left a calling card of death, and a clear indicator Marissa is on the ever-growing list of homicides the detective is being pressured to stop. Somehow, Tony has to find a murderer while protecting the woman he loves who wants nothing to do with him. Marissa on the other hand needs to prove to herself she can stand on her own, and Tony’s raw energy and passion to keep her safe isn’t helping to keep her sensual interests in check. Meanwhile, a killer has plans to make Marissa his crowning achievement. 

Whether readers enjoy romance, suspense, humor, or dramatic thrillers, Sara York has a story waiting.

Q) The obvious question: Why do you write in a variety of genres? 

A) I think it's in part because of ADHD. Really. I think in multiple genres with random burst of inspiration. I live in visually rich environment, on the beach, just south of Parris Island, there's love, intrigue, excitement and even the possibility for a little bit of paranormal activity. Inspiration is all around me and when I get an idea, it swirls for a while and comes out. Thrillers are my deepest love in writing. No matter how random my ideas get, thoughts of danger are always at the back of my mind, trying to twist the stories into a fast paced action adventure with guns, murder and a good guy to save the day. 

Q) Being so prolific, how do you keep your stories and characters fresh and original? 

A) I hope they are fresh and original. I know some of my themes this year are a bit more on the 'put the character through the wringer' type of stuff, but that will change because I feel a comedy coming on. One thing I love to do is people watch. I also have been known to eavesdrop a little. I pay attention to what goes on around me and I think about what separates one person from another and how does that relate to my characters. There are so many different possibilities and when you throw in the randomness of life, your characters are unique. 

Q) I’m curious: Why did you change from Sara Thacker to Sara York, and did this cause any problems for your many fans? 

A) It really was out of laziness. I'm switching my name slowly from Sara Thacker to Sara York so I don't have to maintain two identities. It's exhausting trying to be two people in the public eye. I believe my non-erotic readers can figure out which of my Sara York novels are non-erotic by reading the blurb. Many of my erotic readers had no idea I had thrillers and once I started the switch over, they were excited to find a different side of my writing, one filled with excitement and danger. 

Q) Bowing to your success with romance novels, what do you think you bring readers that sets your stories apart from the pack? 

A) Mark Twain says it best—There is no such thing as a new idea. I hope that I make my characters interesting enough, my action fast enough, and my plot thick enough that the reader finds some entertainment. Creating characters with many facets is key to creating a good story. The deeper you make your character, the better the story becomes. When I flesh out a novel, or a series, I have a questionnaire for each character. It's long, in depth and much of what I come up with for my character will never show up in print, but the background is thick with details. It's the little idiosyncrasies that create believable characters which in turn makes them unique and gets the reader to cheer for them, hoping for a good out come in desperate situations. I believe that's what makes a difference in my writing. 

Q) Any parting thoughts for your fans and those yet to read your work? 

A) I love my fans and love hearing from them. It's overwhelming sometimes, like when I kill off a favorite character, but all of the notes, even the ones from fans yelling because they couldn’t believe what I made my characters do, are good to get. If you haven't read my work, Murder Stalks is a good place to start. It's my first published book, the one that started it all for me. I hope you enjoy the thrill.
DA Kentner is the author of the award-winning novel Whistle Pass. http://whistlepass.blogspot.com/
 

 

 

 

2 comments:

  1. A lovely interview, Sara and David. And my oh my, girl, you have been incredibly busy. Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello, Vicki. Thanks so much for coming by.

    ReplyDelete