New Adult Book Club discussion

This week we have the lovely K.A. Tucker taking the hot seat. She is a USA Today bestselling author with 17 books under her belt!

Some of her works includes Keep Her Safe, Ten Tiny Breaths and many more.

Do give her a warm welcome and post your questions below!

Are you planning to write another suspense like He Will Be My Ruin?

Where do you get your inspiration?
How do you come up with names? I always hear new names and it's fun to know how you find em :)
What do you do to relax?
Thank you!!

Do you listen to music when you write? If so what type?

Hi Kathleen,
Are there any (sub)genres you would love to explore in regards to writing besides the ones you already written books in? If so, which one(s)?

Thank you :)

Hello Kathleen, what are some of your favourite reads of 2018?

What is your must-have when you are in writing mode?

Hi Kathleen, do you think you'll write any more fantasy in the future? Thanks.

What's the most challenging part when you start writing a book?

Are there any books of yours you would like to get back to, add to a series or continue with different characters?

Where did you get inspired to write Be The Girl?

Hello Ms. Tucker!

Among the books you've written, which one is your favorite to write and why?

What can you tell us about your current write in progress?

What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

If you could be any book character for a day, who would you choose and why?

Do you have a favorite character from one of your books?

When did you first realize your love for writing? =)

HI from Brazil!!
what do you do after finishing writing a book?

Have you ever considered co-authoring a book and if so who would you like to write with?

If you could only recommend one of your books, which one would you choose and why?

Dawn wrote: "Are you planning to write another suspense like He Will Be My Ruin?"

Hi Dawn! I had fun writing Ruin :D I have another suspense with murder and criminal elements (but with more romance) called Keep Her Safe I'm focused on writing contemporary romance/women's fic at the moment but that's not to say I won't write another thriller suspense if the mood strikes me :D

Steffi wrote: "Where do you get your inspiration?
How do you come up with names? I always hear new names and it's fun to know how you find em :)
What do you do to relax?
Thank you!!"

Hi Steffi! I get my inspiration from life :D From the news, from my past, from friends, from people-watching. My upcoming book has a cat modelled after my insane childhood cat.

Re: names, sometimes a name catches my interest and I jot it down to be used later on. For side characters, I tend to go through my Facebook friends list and poach names from there. My avid readers get a kick out of it when they see their name in there, especially if it's a unique name.

Re: relaxing... I'm not good at relaxing, LOL. I work a lot. But my greatest joys in life are summer at my cottage with my family and watching my youngest play hockey.

Grace wrote: "Do you listen to music when you write? If so what type?"

Hi Grace! I do listen to music when I'm in first draft mode (not while editing, because I need to be able to read the words and hear them in my head, for flow, etc.) I usually pick a song and put it on repeat so it becomes constant background noise and helps set the mood for the scene I'm writing. I listen to all kinds of music. It all depends on what I'm writing.

Betul wrote: "Hi Kathleen,
Are there any (sub)genres you would love to explore in regards to writing besides the ones you already written books in? If so, which one(s)?

Thank you :)"

Hi Betul, I'm on an urban fantasy tear right now, reading a lot of BDB. I've written paranormal fantasy before but YA. I'd love to delve into the adult world. I also have an idea for a high fantasy series, but that's a huge commitment.

Karen wrote: "Hello Kathleen, what are some of your favourite reads of 2018?"

Hi Karen! Hmmm.... you're making me think :D

In 2018, I think my favourites were The Kiss Quotient, The Home For Unwanted Girls, and Kingdom of Ash.

Cassie wrote: "What is your must-have when you are in writing mode?"

Hi Cassie!

I need a good block of time. I can't do these one hour here, one hour there writing sprints. I need a good 3-4 hours just to sink into the scene. Also, I need a full stomach. If I'm even the tiniest bit hungry, I get distracted.

What is your most anticipated read for 2019?

Kindling wrote: "Hi Kathleen, do you think you'll write any more fantasy in the future? Thanks."

Hi Kindling :D I definitely think I will at some point. I love fantasy :D

Carolina wrote: "What's the most challenging part when you start writing a book?"

Hi Carolina, I am a pantser by nature and while this has served me well with my stories, it has also caused me a lot of stress and rework. I'm slowly learning how to outline in a way that works for me--that gives me a sense of direction but doesn't constrict my scene-by-scene creativity. I like my characters to take me places and I can't do that if I've spelled out exactly where they need to go beforehand.

Katie wrote: "Are there any books of yours you would like to get back to, add to a series or continue with different characters?"


Hi Katie, I've always had a desire to write a spin-off series with characters from One Tiny Lie One Tiny Lieand Five Ways to Fall Five Ways to Fall

Jessica wrote: "Where did you get inspired to write Be The Girl?"

Hi Jessica! My daughter inspired me to write Be the Girl. The character Cassie is very much like her. I wanted to write a story that had an underlying message of awareness and acceptance for people with autism.

Beatrice wrote: "Hello Ms. Tucker!

Among the books you've written, which one is your favorite to write and why?"

Hi Beatrice, That's a very tough question and one I might not be able to answer with a single title. I give each story I write my undivided attention. Many, many, many hours have gone into developing the plots and the characters. None of them came easily (though I will say that Be the Girl was likely the easiest for me to write because I had a target right from the start.) I think I'd have to say that both and are two books that I am most proud of, though they are so widely different from each other. Both stories challenged me in a way that none other have to date.

Verna Loves Books wrote: "What can you tell us about your current write in progress?"

Hi Verna! I have a loose outline developed for a sequel to The Simple Wild and I'm also taking some time to decide what else I REALLY want to write over the coming 1-2 years.

Suzana wrote: "What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?"

Hi Suzana, figuring out where I want to go with my story :D I know that probably sounds obvious, but because I'm a pantser by nature, I have been known to write myself into corners and down paths I shouldn't have headed down. Sometimes I have too many ideas in my head and I struggle with deciding which direction to go. That can be paralyzing.

J. wrote: "If you could be any book character for a day, who would you choose and why?"

Hi J! Probably Aelin from because I love the world Sarah J. Maas has built (though the brutality would be hard to deal with LOL)

Maria wrote: "Do you have a favorite character from one of your books?"

Hi Maria, I have favourites plural, but I can't narrow it down to one. I tend to like strong-willed, hardened female heroines most. Kacey from and Reese from both fit that description, and Gracie in takes it to a whole new level. Ben from the Ten Tiny Breaths series is my favourite hot, lovable obnoxious jock. Jesse in is my kind of quiet, brooding male character. Hmmm.... I could probably go on and find reasons to love many more. Creating characters who feel real is my favourite part of writing

Emily wrote: "When did you first realize your love for writing? =)"

Hi Emily :D I used to write stories when I was as young as 6. We had a program at our school library where they would bind your "book" with a cardboard-and-ugly-remnant-wallpaper cover. I wrote 2 books that way. Unfortunately, they must have been destroyed when our house was hit by a tornado because they're gone! I so wish I had them.

MiDouradoP wrote: "HI from Brazil!!
what do you do after finishing writing a book?"

Hello MiDouradoP from Brazil! *waves*

I'm usually sleep-deprived, food-deprived, fresh-air deprived by the time I've written the last word, after scrambling to get it to the editor in time. I'd love to say I go out and celebrate but I usually just wander around the house aimlessly for a bit, have a shower (that I desperately need) and then "Netflix and Chill".
And then... I start thinking about the next book LOL.

You have the best book covers!! Do you come up with the idea for them? What is your favorite cover of yours?

What's one book, not one of yours :), that you always recommend- a must read?

When did you started to write and what motivates you? Thank you! 😘

You’ve written NA, YA, romantic suspense, etc. - what is you’re favorite genre to write and why? What’s the easiest? What (sub)genre do you want to write next?

Tiffany wrote: "Have you ever considered co-authoring a book and if so who would you like to write with?"

Hi Tiffany, I've often wondered about it, especially as of late. I'm not sure how it would work (if it would work, given the way I formulate a story) but if I did, I would want to team up with an author whose writing style I admire and who I think would complement my style well. Colleen Hoover, Elle Kennedy, Tarryn Fisher come to mind.

Melissa wrote: "If you could only recommend one of your books, which one would you choose and why?"

Hi Melissa! The Simple Wild or Keep Her Safe, because they are my most recent adult works and therefore showcase my growth as a writer over the years.

Brandilyn wrote: "What is your most anticipated read for 2019?"

Hi Brandilyn! I would have to say The Girl He Used to Know I love Tracey Garvis Graves' writing and I have a feeling this one will be unique.

Emily wrote: "You have the best book covers!! Do you come up with the idea for them? What is your favorite cover of yours?"

Hi Emily! The majority of my covers are designed by my publisher. The manuscript is never available when the design team is working on concepts so I give them ideas and they come up with concepts that they think might work. There's some back and forth (more with some covers than others) until we get a cover that everyone's happy with and that is on-brand. Sometimes I send inspiration photos to capture a mood I think would fit with the book (very much the case for which we had a tricky time nailing down).

Shannon wrote: "What's one book, not one of yours :), that you always recommend- a must read?"

Hi Shannon! Just one? Gosh... I'd have to say Ken Follett's I remember when, YEARS ago, my husband dumped a hardcover into my hands and said, "read this" and I said "what's this about?" and he said, "building cathedrals" and I said "no thanks".... well, to this day it's still a book that lingers in my mind.

Cj wrote: "When did you started to write and what motivates you? Thank you! 😘"

Hi CJ! As mentioned before, I wrote stories as a young girl. But life took over. I didn't start writing again until my second daughter was born, ten years ago. I had an idea and felt the compelling need to escape into another world (being at home with a newborn and a 2-year-old did a number on my sanity). I was almost instantly consumed by the joy I found in crafting a story.

Re: motivation, I'll admit some days are tough, especially as I toil away at first draft. Sometimes I wonder if the sacrifices I've made to hit a deadline are worth it. But I do this for a living so, while it's easy to find ways to distract myself from writing, I really can't. It's my livelihood. Thankfully it's a job that I love, and that seems to be motivation enough so far.

Ryan - Sweet Red Reader wrote: "You’ve written NA, YA, romantic suspense, etc. - what is you’re favorite genre to write and why? What’s the easiest? What (sub)genre do you want to write next?"

Hi Ryan! Yes, I've written in many genres and categories. I follow the story rather than write to a specific genre. That being said, I expect that the next few books I produce will be in the contemporary romance realm.

Re: Easiest, I'd never call a book easy to write, there are only degrees of least difficult LOL. For me, it comes down to how much of the story I know going into writing. Be the Girl is the first book I wrote with a full outline (a sparse one with room to move but the major plot points were there, the ending was there). Ten Tiny Breaths was easy to write in the sense that the pressure I feel as a writer now was not there then.

Hi :) Which character of your was your grates chalenge and why?