KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench, where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site, so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

~~~

THE AUNT
PI Mystery Thriller
BY COURTNEY PSAK

Blurb

THE AUNT
PI Mystery Thriller
BY COURTNEY PSAK

Interview

Before we get started talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself, where you’re from, what you do for a living (if you’re not a full–time writer) what hobbies you have, etc. Whatever you’d like to share to introduce yourself.

Hi, I’m Courtney Psak. I am currently a full-time writer and stay-at-home mom. I started my career off at Cosmopolitan, Self and Modern Bride and was a project manager for Nickelodeon. I grew up in New Jersey and lived in New York for a period of time before my husband’s job brought us down to Palm Beach. My family and I like to travel, go hiking and skiing. When I’m not writing but my fingers can’t stay still, I bake macarons and listen to audible books.

1. How did you get started writing?

I’m an avid reader and it was always something I dreamed of doing. I wrote a lot of books, but also threw a lot of them out because I didn’t think they were good, though I did learn from them. I started to really study the craft and then I hired a writing mentor who was very encouraging. She helped me think about writing in the right way. Once I was confident enough, I sent out my query and after 142 rejections I finally got 1 who said yes. My agent was a former editor, so she really worked with me to help me see my potential.

2.  What genre(s) do you write in and why?

I write mystery/thrillers because it’s what I love to read. It’s also a hard genre because you really are building a puzzle and when someone writes a perfect twist, it’s hard to think you can compete in that space. But like I said, I kept writing and reading books and finally it all started to click.

3.  What do you think about when you’re alone in your car?

When I’m alone in the car I’m either thinking about the plot of my story, trying to come up with ideas or listening to an audio book.

4.  What is your favorite part of writing?

When the story starts to come together and your mind seems to work faster than your fingers. It’s that drive when you wake up and you can’t wait to get to your laptop.

5.  What is your least favorite part of writing?

I would say the worst part is writing the end. Not only are you saying goodbye to these characters who have lived in your head for months, but there is also that fear of will I ever come up with another book idea.

6.  Pick two celebrities to be your parents. Who would they be and why?

This is a hard one, but I guess if age didn’t matter, then I’d love Jack Black to be my dad. He’s hysterical and you never hear anything negative about him. For a mom, if alive or dead didn’t matter either, then Betty White. I love her because she always had this wholesome appeal, but she was hysterical. Her timing and wit were iconic.

7.  Where do you get the ideas for your stories?

I read a lot in my genre, and I find it tends to inspire me. But it also comes from TV, social experiences or in the case of The Hostess, my own paranoia. While nothing bad ever happened to me in a vacation home before, the idea sprung to me at 3:00 a.m. when I couldn’t sleep and would hear noises of the house that I couldn’t explain.

8.  Tell me about your ideal reader.

My ideal reader is someone who likes everything from fast-paced popcorn thrillers to slow-burn psychological mysteries. Someone who likes to pick up a book and go wow, something like that could easily happen to me. What would I do in this situation?

9.  What is your “go to” routine that helps you get in the mood to write? Special beverage? Music? Etc.

I sometimes like to go for walks in the morning after I drop my kids at school. I will put on my Spotify playlist of suspenseful music, and I’ll think about my storyline. Does it make sense? Are there any plot holes? What would be a good twist? Then I come back, shower and make myself a cup of coffee and get to work.

10. Tell us about your next book & when is it being published?

I am excited about my next project and hopefully I will have something to report soon!

About Author Courtney Psak…

Links to Courtney’s websites, blogs, books, #ad, etc.:

Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Aunt-must-read-gripping-thriller-suspense/dp/139974819X/