Broken Pieces

@KimberlyShursen Opens Up About #Family, Support and Success #AmWriting #Thriller

Saturday, September 13, 2014


Tell us about your family? I am a widow, so my handsome, bright sons are the cornerstone of my life. After my husband passed from cancer was when I moved from Minneapolis to the Midwest to take care of my aging mother.

How do you write – lap top, pen, paper, in bed, at a desk? Everywhere. It depends on my mood. In the winter months when it’s below zero, I bring the computer into my bedroom. If it’s 75-80 degrees outside, you might find me with my laptop on my deck.

Where do you get support from? Do you have friends in the industry? I have a ton of friends in the industry. Many I interviewed when I was first started my website. My friends live all over the world; Italy, Germany, the UK. I don’t ever want to lose even one of them.

How much sleep do you need to be your best? I don’t sleep well, I’m always thinking, thinking, thinking. I think this is the lament of most women. If I have five hours of continuous sleep, I’m good to go.

Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge and thank for their support? Katie French, who is an excellent author, and I have been beta readers for each other’s books for three years. My books are enhanced by Katie’s input. We are brutally honest with each other, and that’s what we both want.

Every writer has their own idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you? Don’t we all want to be at the top of the New York Times Best Selling list? I’m no different. I’m not going to try to woo anyone with words such as “I just hoped and prayed that someone would read my books.” I want everyone to read my novels and applaud the fact that I am a bold writer who isn’t looking to “fit it” to what the most popular genre of the months is, as I’m ready and willing to take a chance.

It is vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing, tell us about your marketing campaign? I market the first thing in the morning every single day. Marketing doesn’t have to be about your book, it can be about building a relationship - one person at a time. I try to seek out people who I find interesting, and hope they find me interesting too. I have a “facebook team” that are unbelievable supporters who shout out the word to their friends whenever I have a release, a book signing, or radio interview. But make no mistake, this team is about friendship first and not marketing.

Tell us about your new book? What’s it about and why did you write it? Psychological thriller Lottery just came out this month. Mental illness has always fascinated me. I don’t think the public really understands that mental illness is just as real to the person afflicted as the so called “normal” person’s mind. In Lottery, Caleb O’Toole is described as “Jekyll and Hyde meets Dexter.” The human mind is fascinating, and there have been instances where we find that the person next door is not who we thought he/she was when their dark secret is exposed.

If you could have a dinner party and invite anyone dead or alive, who would you ask?
My father. He passed three years ago, and I have so much I want to tell him.

Do you have any tips on how writers can relax? Exercise. Make yourself work out the kinks of sitting at a computer writing for hours and days at a time. Set a time, place, and how long you are going to work those muscles and take a break from the computer. Your mind, your body, and those closest to you need you to take a breather. I’m also a golfer and try to get on the course as much as time allows.

hush

Soon after Ann Ferguson and Ben Grable marry, and Ben unseals his adoption papers, their perfect life together is torn apart, sending the couple to opposite sides of the courtroom.

Representing Ann, lawyer Michael J. McConaughey (Mac) feels this is the case that could have far-reaching, judicial effects -- the one he's been waiting for.

Opposing counsel knows this high profile case happens just once in a lifetime.

And when the silent protest known as HUSH sweeps the nation, making international news, the CEO of one of the top ten pharmaceutical companies in the world plots to derail the trial that could cost his company billions.

Critically acclaimed literary thriller HUSH not only questions one of the most controversial laws that has divided the nation for over four decades, but captures a story of the far-reaching ties of family that surpasses time and distance.

*** Hush does not have political or religious content. The story is built around the emotions and thoughts of two people who differ in their beliefs.
 EDITORIAL REVIEW: "Suspenseful and well-researched, this action-packed legal thriller will take readers on a journey through the trials and tribulations of one of the most controversial subjects in society today."

Katie French author of "The Breeders," "The Believer's," and "Eyes Ever To The Sky."

Buy Now @ Amazon
Genre – Thriller
Rating – PG-13
More details about the author
Connect with Kimberly Shursen through Facebook and Twitter

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