Blog | Kelly Boyer Sagert

Author Interview: Writers of the Purple Sage

January 18, 2020

Deep From the Archives

This is an author interview that I wrote in the 1990s.

Writers of the Purple Sage by Barbara Burnett Smith

Barbara Burnett Smith proves that persistence pays. After having an agent for four years, belonging to two active writers groups, and penning several books — yet making no sales — she threw her hands up in the air and quit.

At least briefly.

“I stopped writing, stopped marketing, and even severed my connection with my agent,” Smith said. But, after another mystery writing friend, Susan Rogers Cooper, told her she was too good to not be writing, she gave it another try.

Author Interview: Ruffled Feathers

January 16, 2020

author interview: Barbara Taylor McCafferty

Deep in the Archives

This is an author interview I wrote in the 1990s.

Ruffled Feathers by (Barbara) Taylor McCafferty

Barbara Taylor McCafferty was born on September 15, the same day as Agatha Christie. She loves figuring out a good puzzle, like those found in novels by Christie. So, what does McCafferty do for a living?

Writes mystery novels — just like Agatha Christie!

Well, not exactly like Christie. McCafferty has her own unique style, sticking her unsuspecting characters in bizarre situations and watching them wiggle their way out of them.

“I always start a story with a question that begins with ‘wouldn’t it be funny if?'” she said. “Like in my book, Ruffled Feathers, a guy gets a ransom note and the person allegedly kidnapped is standing right next to him. So, you wonder, ‘Is this an error in timing? A gag?'”

author interview, Nonfiction Writing Advice

Author Interview: Fool’s Puzzle

January 14, 2020

Deep From the Archives

This is an author interview I wrote in the 1990s.

Fool’s Puzzle by Earlene Fowler

Toss in one fresh, sassy, 34-year-old ex-cowgirl, mix in two parts of a murder almost spoiling a folk art museum quilt display, add a dash of a fifty percent Anglo, fifty percent Latino, one hundred and ten percent macho cop with gorgeous eyes, and what do you have?

You have the deliciously intense, tangy-tasting romance of Benni Harper and Gabe Ortiz, in Earlene Fowler’s first mystery novel: Agatha Award nominee, Fool’s Puzzle.

author interview, writing advice

Author Interview: Final Jeopardy

January 12, 2020

Deep from the Archives

This is an author interview I wrote in 1997.

Final Jeopardy by Linda Fairstein

All good people, unit! Be glad that Linda Fairstein is on our side.

Fairstein has worked as a prosecutor in New York for over two decades, and she has been the chief of their sex crimes prosecution unit since 1976. She frequently speaks out against the cruelties of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and other types of violence against women, lecturing in the highest spots of the land. Those places include Harvard Law School, Kennedy School of Government, the Radcliffe College Alumna Association, Vassar College, and Cornell Medical School.

author interview, writing advice

Author Interview: The Death of Tarpons

January 12, 2020

Deep From the Archives

This is an author interview I wrote in 1996.

The Death of Tarpons by Les Edgerton

“Not long ago, I returned to the town of my youth, and made a disturbing discovery. It had weathered the intervening thirty years better than I had, at least physically, and that had the effect of giving me a bit of a jolt, as if the events of the summer of my fourteenth year hadn’t been as cataclysmic as I’d imagined.”

With those two sentences, Les Edgerton skillfully draws us into the harsh world of Corey John, a boy who reached out for love, but found kindness in meager supply and affection all too rare. When Corey dared to soar with the natural optimism of youth, his hope was carelessly crushed by those who should have loved him most.

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Blog Content: Art of the Longform Post

January 5, 2020

Just an FYI that I’ve written a guest blog post on the subject. (Yep! That’s it. If you find yourself in need of blog content for your website, whether B2B or B2C, please contact me at kbsagert@aol.com to talk about my ghost blogging for you.)

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Writing Tips: Muddle in the Middle

January 5, 2020

dazzling readers — Photo by Mike Enerio on U nsplash

Whenever you start a new nonfiction writing project, it can be a thrilling time. You’ve come up with the most incredible idea and you envision the marvelous story you’re about to tell, full of dazzling insights, with an ending that will cause readers to become breathless with amazement, dizzy with excitement, in complete and utter awe of your talent!

You may know exactly which anecdote, statistic or quote will create the best beginning to draw in readers, and you may also know the final point that needs to be made. But, what about the middle?

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Author Interview: The Strange Files of Fremont Jones

January 5, 2020

Deep From the Archives

This is an author interview that I did in 1996.

The Strange Files of Fremont Jones by Dianne Day

After Dianne Day’s youngest son started college, she awoke one fine Saturday morning and realized, “Hey, I can do whatever I want today, as long as it doesn’t cost too much.”

“And, that was when I knew that i wanted to write a whole novel more than anything else in the world,” Day said. “So, I bought an electronic typewriter from Seas on the never-never plan, and I wrote one. That experienced hooked me and I’ve never stopped writing since.”

author interview

Author Interview: The Orchard

January 5, 2020

Deep From the Archives

This is an author interview that I did in 1996. Seriously! In fact, it’s the first of many that I’m bringing up from the deep archives of my work.

The Orchard by Adele Crockett Robertson

While reading The Orchard, you can almost breathe in the sweet, fruity scent of apples. Tipping your head slightly to one side, you might hear the distant buzzing of bees dripping rich honey into elaborate combs.

Adele Crockett Robertson writes as she must have once farmed apples. Gently, but with a purposeful hand; practical, yet ever observant of the poetic beauty of life. Her clear, lyrical phrasing draws you completely into her world of 1932-1934: the weather harsh, the living rough, the people strong.