Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Kathryn Longino is the pen name used by the writing team of Kathryn Dionne and Shondra C. Longino.
Ms. Longino writes under the pen name, Abby L. Vandiver and has authored two books. In the Beginning, an Amazon #1 bestseller, and its stand-alone sequel, Irrefutable Proof. She has a ton more books in her head, and is working on getting them all written down on paper and published.
Kathryn Dionne is the author of The Eleventh Hour Trilogy, also a #1 bestseller on Amazon, as well as a children’s book, Derek the Fireless Dragon. Her next book is a follow up to the Eleventh Hour Trilogy entitled Chasing Time and will be out in the Summer of 2014.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of our book is At the End of the Line.
Like the characters in our book, we’ve never met, but speak often over the phone. At the end of one telephone conversation, Kathryn asked, “What about if we wrote a book about two women that form a friendship but have never met.” And we did!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Abby: I jot down thoughts I have on the book on paper napkins, receipts, the backs of envelopes or on the recorder app on my phone. I don’t do outlines, but will sometimes write down the chapters and a two or three word description of what’s in the chapter. I don’t use music or anything to inspire me. I just write. Sometimes writing chapters out of order and shuffling them around once I’m done.
Kathryn: I like to use an outline. I start at the beginning of the book and write straight through, not worrying about the editing or anything until I’m done. For the most part, I can see the entire book in my head.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
We inspire each other. We’ve both found authors that we like, and may learn from their style, but we pretty much do our own thing.
What are you working on now?
We are working on getting the word out about our new book, At the End of the Line! Marketing is a full-time job. Coauthoring the book was such a wonderful experience, and we’re sure that we’d do it again, so look for more from Kathryn Longino. But our next project will be our own individual books. For Kathryn, she will be writing Chasing Time. And Abby will work on a paranormal romance book hopes to release June 2014.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Of course Awesome Gang. We have both come here when we release a book (just like we are now). And we love Ereader News Today. They are a great organization that really likes helping Indie authors. We recommend everyone look into what they have to offer. We think that book tours are an awesome marketing tool and we are doing one in May with Fabulosity Reads. (Can we do all of this free advertising here in our interview?) And, last but not least. Twitter. A great way to stay in touch with readers and other authors.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. GET AN EDITOR! And if you can’t afford one, at least get a proofreader. Very important. So many reviews being left on books that are self-published are not based on content, but rather on form. If the grammar is bad, or even the formatting is off, it’s mentioned in the book review. To avoid those negative comments have someone look over our book.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Abby: Show don’t tell. And use “he/she said” instead of “she exclaimed,” or “he giggled.” And not to use a lot of tags around the dialogue.
Kathryn: Be careful of logic gaps.
What are you reading now?
We are reading At the End of the Line. It’s so good, not only couldn’t we put it down, but when we got to the end, we wanted to read it again! (And again.)
What’s next for you as a writer?
Like we said, we have many more books inside of us screaming to get out. We encourage our readers to “stay tuned.”
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
At the End of the Line
The Eleventh Hour Trilogy
In the Beginning
Irrefutable Proof
Kathryn Longino’s Social Media Links