A Peek Behind the Curtain: Kirsten Weiss, Our Most Prolific Author

by Kassandra Lamb

I’d planned to do a fun post on aging today, since it’s my birthday (yes, aging can be fun, if you look at it a certain way, usually while sticking your tongue out at the mirror).

But then Kirsten Weiss had a new release this past week (again!), and we decided it would be interesting to interview her for today.

(So stay tuned for my “fun” aging post next week.)

Here’s Kirsten’s official bio:

Kirsten Weiss headshot

Kirsten Weiss has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching Ghost Whisperer re-runs and drinking red wine. The latter gives her heartburn, but she drinks it anyway.

Now based in San Mateo, CA, she writes genre-blending cozy mystery, supernatural and steampunk suspense, mixing her experiences and imagination to create vivid worlds of fun and enchantment.

If you like funny cozy mysteries, check out her Pie Town, Paranormal Museum and Wits’ End books. If you’re looking for some magic with your mystery, give the Witches of Doyle, Riga Hayworth and Rocky Bridges books a try. And if you like steampunk, the Sensibility Grey series might be for you.

Yes, she really does have that many series going!

Kass:  Your newest book with misterio press, Witch, is book 4 in the Doyle Witch cozy mystery series. Is it ever challenging to keep a story fresh?

Kirsten:  Absolutely! But I write as much for myself as for my readers, and I’ve told myself I won’t write a story unless there’s an actual story to tell.

I found myself wondering what happened after book three, when so much changed in Doyle, then I knew it was time to write more about the Doyle Witches.

Kass:  What inspired you to write about witch triplets in the first place?

Bound cover

The 1st Doyle Witch cozy mystery.

Kirsten:  There’s something magical about the number three and especially about triplets. I had this idea for the three books being told from each sister’s point of view, so triplets made good witchy sense.

Of course, now I’ve moved on to book four, and book 5 is coming out in October, so I decided to focus on one sister, Jayce, for those two books.

Kass:  Why did you decide to focus on Jayce’s point of view for those books?

Kirsten:  Readers gave me feedback on the characters and seemed to enjoy reading about Jayce the most. She’s more of a free spirit than her other sisters, with a more distinctive way of talking. As much as I love witchy sisters Karin and Lenore, writing Jayce really is more fun.

Kass:  When you write, do you have a fairly well fleshed-out outline, or do you just let the story/characters take you where they will?

Kirsten:  I need an outline to make sure I get all my clues and “beats” in, but it’s not as fully fleshed-out as other writers I know. I usually have a short paragraph or even just a few lines written for every scene. This gives me the flexibility to add ideas as I go along. Sometimes these additions mean I have to go back and make changes, but that’s the beauty of writing on a computer.

Kass:  If you could dream cast Jayce and Brayden for a movie, who would you choose?

Mila Kunis

Mila_Kunis (at Comic-Con in San Diego; photo by Gage Skidmore, CC-BY-SA 3.0 Wikimedia Commons)

Kirsten:  I think Mila Kunis would make a terrific Jayce. She’s got the look and the sense of humor. As for Brayden – Hugh Jackman. Then I might have to write a musical for them…

Kass:  That I want to see!

You are such a prolific writer, with five series with misterio, plus a couple of other series with other publishers. Having read most of your recent work, I know your stories are as good, if not better, than your earlier work.

How do you do it? Give us a peek into the process that allows you to produce so many good stories each year.

Kirsten:  First, thanks for the compliment!

I’m writing full-time now, so that gives me both the opportunity and the incentive to be more productive. But also as I gain more experience, I tend to write better faster.

That said, one of the things that has helped me the most is my prior experience as a financial advisor. The firm I worked at emphasized working from a set schedule, and not letting phone calls or emails interrupt it. If you’re making calls from 9-10, that’s what you’re doing, period. I’ve applied that same scheduling philosophy to my writing. If someone calls me when I’m writing, I don’t take the call.

Kass:  Can you give us a hint about what you’re working on now?

Kirsten:  Why hint? I’ll just tell you. 🙂 I’m working on books 4 and 5 of my Pie Town cozy mysteries. I still don’t know the names (sometimes my publisher takes my suggestions, sometimes they don’t), but there will be lots of Val and her crusty piecrust maker, Charlene.

Kass:  And of course, Fey, Book 5 in the Doyle Witch series will be coming out soon! If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice about writing cozy mysteries, what would it be?

Kirsten:  The mystery is important, but people go back to books because they love the characters and the character interaction. So that’s where my focus needs to be.

Kass:  Amen!  The “who” is as important as the “whodunnit.”

And there you have it, folks, a little insight into the mind and process of misterio’s most prolific author. Any questions? Toss them out there in the comments below.

And here’s the scoop on her new book:

Witch book cover

Witch, A Doyle Witch Cozy Mystery #4

The faerie curse that plagued the town of Doyle is over. Or is it?

Witch Jayce Bonheim has finally got her life back on track. Her coffee shop’s been rebuilt. She’s got the perfect boyfriend. And the murderous magic that imperiled Jayce and her witchy sisters has been defeated.

But when a customer dies in what looks like an animal attack, Jayce is pulled into an investigation that threatens the very sanity of her sister, Karin. Is the death something supernatural? Or is this a very human case of murder?

While she looks for answers, trouble is brewing even closer to home. And Jayce discovers her perfect relationship may not be so perfect after all…

Spells included at the back of the book!

Available at:    AMAZON   iBOOKS    KOBO   NOOK  

Connect with Kirsten at:
Email: kweiss2001@gmail.com
Twitter: @KirstenWeiss
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kirsten.weiss/
Instagram: @KirstenWeissAuthor
Bookbub: www.bookbub.com/authors/kirsten-weiss

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2 Comments

  • Reply
    Kassandra Lamb
    September 4, 2018 at 5:56 pm

    Great interview, Kirsten! I do hope you write a story with Lenore at the center again, maybe with more about her romance. Karin has her romantic suspense stories and Jayce has the Doyle Witch cozies now. Lenore needs some time in the spotlight (even if she probably would prefer not…lol).

  • Reply
    K.B. Owen
    September 6, 2018 at 11:47 am

    So happy to hear you have another two Doyle books coming out, Kirsten! I really enjoy that series (I enjoy all the series of yours that I’ve read!).

    Congrats on being a full-time writer now…you’re inspiring! Best of luck with your current and upcoming releases!

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