Welcome to BookEnds, Kate Collins!

What genres do you write? Read?

Naturally, I love the mystery genre, but I’m also a fan of humor, biography, and history. One of my favorite books, a story I’d never have picked up had it not been for my book club, is DEAD WAKE: THE LAST CROSSING OF THE LUISITANIA, by Erik Larson. I couldn’t put it down.

​​

​​Plotter or pantster?

I’m a plotter up to a point. I write a very general outline, first knowing the beginning and ending scenes, then I fill in the story from the seat of my pants, or, as I’d prefer to call it, my gut instinct on how to turn a dry outline into a plot with surprises that I can’t even predict.

​​

​​Synopses, love them or hate ‘em?

Honestly, I’d rather have a tooth pulled. With that said, I would never write without one. I compare it to getting on a train in  Chicago and not knowing where I was supposed to get off.

​​

​​Do you have a writing playlist or a vision board? If so, what’s on them?

I keep a stenographer’s notebook on my desk with each day’s events listed, as my stories move along day by day.

​​

​​Drink of choice when writing? When not writing?

When writing I stick to tea — organic green, chamomile, dandelion root, and coco coconut. Ah, but then for dinner I pour myself a glass of a good red wine, my current favorite being Gothic Red, and relax after a long afternoon at the computer.

​​

​​Day or Night writer?

Daytime, most definitely. I consider this not just my passion but also my day job. Evenings are for relaxing my brain so it’ll be ready the next day.

​​

​​Twitter or Instagram? Or Facebook? Where can we find you?

Facebook is my favorite haunt. Look me up at @katecollinsmysteryauthor

Twitter: @flowershopmyst

Instagram: @flowershopbooks

​​

​​If you could meet any author, living or dead, who would you want to meet and why?

That is one tough question! I’d love to meet Agatha Christie, or Rex Stout because of his Nero Wolf books, but my number one choice would be Jean Shepard (A Christmas Story.) I learned how to write humor into my stories by reading his books, and I grew up just two blocks from his childhood home, so I’ve always felt a connection to him.