I’ve learned from the authors that I love, the art of surprise, the many ways you can grab your readers’ attention in the opening pages but remembering to ground them in your characters’ world.  

Ryshia Kennie – 3 July 2014

The Back Flap

A ruthless band of smugglers with a tie to the supposedly long dead Khmer Rouge and a bloody grudge, will stop at nothing to strip Cambodia of its artifacts. 

With the death count rising, journalist Claire Linton is on the story of a lifetime. Family stories steeped in the horror of Cambodia’s killing fields has Claire sensing that there is a link between that and the dark crimes plaguing the country today.

Simon Trent is an Interpol agent forced to disappear after his last case turned fatal. Now he’s ordered to finish the job that’s haunted him. What he doesn’t expect is Claire, the beautiful and headstrong reporter who threatens it all.  Claire, who it is becoming clear might be no stranger to the Khmer Rouge or their horrific crimes.  But even as he questions who she might be, he realizes that not only is she in danger but he’s falling for her.

As Claire and Simon reluctantly join forces, they fight to stay one step ahead of a brutal killer—and one step away from the dangerous feelings building between them.

About the book

When did you start writing the book?

I started writing part of this book while on a trip to Cambodia.  I actually had written some of it in a notebook in Siem Reap, not far from Angkor Wat.  The idea of the book sat for a few months on my return home but I finished it the following year.

How long did it take you to write it?

This was my third book and I find that I write faster as I gain more experience.  It took close to a year to write.   That didn’t include the time spent doing edits once outside eyes took a look at it.

Where did you get the idea from?

I was standing on the edge of Cambodia’s killing fields.  It’s a haunting place where evil is enclosed in barbed wire.  The field is pocked by mass graves labeled only by sex and sometimes age.  Just beyond the barbed wire children stood in a river, giggling as they scrubbed a bony-hipped cow as if what sprawled behind them had never happened. 

It was such a surreal moment.  The laughter of the children, the atrocity of the mass graves and the sun shining as if to mirror the children’s oblivion.  And as I stood there horrified and fascinated, I thought about the Khmer Rouge and the horror of Cambodia in the seventies.

What had become of those that perpetrated this evil, those that still lived and had not stood trial? And with that thought, the beginnings of a story, the romantic suspense, Intent to Kill, was born.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

I struggled with removing some of the antagonists’ viewpoints.  There is something intriguing about them all and I wanted to share it firsthand from their viewpoint.  The publisher felt that so many viewpoints took away from the central story.  In the end she was right.  But I’d spent so much time with the story that when it was first suggested, I thought removing any of it would have the book fall flat.  I was wrong and discovered other ways to bring the antagonists out and tell their stories.

What came easily?

The setting for the book came very easily.  I wrote much of the setting while I was on that trip.  What came harder was peeling some of that description back and making room for the story.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

The characters are fictitious.  There’s nothing in any of my characters that consciously is any person that I might know.  I think inadvertently I do pick up little mannerisms, funny quirks etc. from people I know or meet in passing and these might slip into some of my characters’ traits.  But other than that these people, my fiction people, are just that – fiction.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

I’ve learned from the authors that I love, the art of surprise, the many ways you can grab your readers’ attention in the opening pages but remembering to ground them in your characters’ world.  I love the fantasy worlds, lush with background that Steven King writes or the big meaty worlds of Ken Follett.  But I’ve also enjoyed Agatha Christie’s ability to get a story to the point with well rounded characters and sharp conflict in very short time.  I suppose I’ve learned from the authors I’ve read and loved that there are many ways to tell a story and none of them are right or wrong.

Do you have a target reader?

My target reader is any adult who would enjoy my book.  Now the stats counters may say different, but I don’t write to a target, in fact I only think of it when trying to boost a post on Facebook or other sites where I can actually target.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I start out with an idea.  It might be something I’ve heard on the news, a phrase, a concept followed by a place that inspires me.  In fact, idea or not, if I don’t have a setting I can’t start a story.  After writing a very rough few sentences I mull it all over as I’m walking the dog, doing the laundry – just the every day stuff.  I’ll write brief little notes on scraps of paper as the idea takes a few days or a week to form and then I’ll sit down at the computer and draft a page of the rough story including character names and what I know about them at that point.  Then I write the synopsis and hammer it out into something I can follow.  It’s at that point that I begin to write the story.  I don’t jump all over but go sequentially chapter to chapter.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

The synopsis is my outline.  I’ll sometimes draft a bit of an outline in addition to the synopsis but every time I’ve done that, I’ve found that after the early chapters it becomes useless as I always stray away from it.  Even the synopsis must be “adjusted” once the story is complete.  And as far as chapters, I don’t draft them out any further than about the first ten and sometimes not even that.  Sometimes I’ll get an idea for the middle of the book while I’m still at the beginning and I’ll drop that information into my one page draft of characters and story ideas.  Sometimes they are ideas I can use and sometimes by the time I get to the point where I thought the idea would fit, the story has just grown in another direction.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I edit as I go to a certain extent but the major editing is done when I’m finished.  I suppose you could say that the book is in a state of continuous edit until that final draft is complete.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

I do listen to music and it’s different depending on where I am in the book, how I’m feeling, what kind of story it is.  I listen to a lot of classical, mainly because I find lyrics distracting.   Plus there’s something inspiring about Tchaikovsky, Mozart etc.  When I’m editing, it’s different.  Then I’ll listen to everything from Etta James to Lykke Li.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

Intent to Kill was the story that found my agent.  So yes, I did submit to agents.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

Indie publishing wasn’t my first choice.  Intent to Kill was submitted to the bigger publishing houses but as it’s a different story for romantic suspense, set in a different location by a new author they weren’t willing to overlook any flaws that might be ironed out with edits and it was passed on.  When my agent heard that Beyond the Page had another  alternative in Indie Publishing we decided that might be a good home for Intent to Kill.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

My publisher did the book cover.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I used to wing it.  Although I think that the term winging it should be renamed the learning process.  Now I have a marketing plan not one written in stone but one I follow.  There’s certain things that must be done in the early stages of publication, like getting reviews, interviews, etc.  And then there’s the ongoing marketing plan.  Both parts of the plan tend to evolve and  change continually through the life of the book.  I by no means have marketing mastered and thus my plan is in a constant state of change and growth.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Everyone’s reasons for going Indie differs as much as what going indie really means.  If you’re going through a small reputable press then you’ll  usually come out with a professionally edited product without having to hire any of this yourself but if you’re going it alone – you’re going to have to be the gatekeeper.  Make sure your writing is ready and make sure you have as much outside advise as possible such as a critique group, an objective reader’s initial thoughts and edits, followed by a good editor combing through your story.  Going indie isn’t easy no matter what indie you choose.  One thing holds true with all Indie, the marketing is, pretty much, solely up to you.  But it’s an adventure I wouldn’t have missed.

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Where do you live now?

I still live in Regina, Saskatchewan

What would you like readers to know about you?

Well, I love to travel and document it all for future reference in stories.  And when life gets in the way of travel, however briefly, I even enjoy other people’s travel stories.  And while others are slipping discretely away, I’m encouraging them to tell a story or two more about their travels.  I even enjoy airports even when I’m not going anywhere.  They’re fascinating places.  If you want a story idea – go there and people watch.  Just don’t make any suspicious moves while you’re at it.  Otherwise, I love ice cream, dogs, a good book, gardening, golfing and lacing up my skates or roller blades and none of it in that order.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on a proposal for a romantic suspense that I think will be set in Morocco. I’m still feeling this one out.

End of Interview:

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