I am so excited to welcome the amazing Kristin Kisska to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave:

I always have some sort of beverage near me in my writing cave, usually coffee, tea, or water. Sometimes I have more than one at hand!

Things that distract you from writing:

Noise, such as voices and music, keeps me from entering my writing zone. Oh, and social media is a huge temptation for me, but one that I have a hard time managing.

Hardest thing about being a writer:

Staring at a blank page with no idea what to write next, especially if you are writing on a deadline. Writer’s block is very real, and I dread the experience. I’m grateful it doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, my blood pressure escalates.

Easiest thing about being a writer:

Those rare, blissful moments when your characters hijack the story take over. Then, you are no longer creating the story but recording it as best as you can while it unfolds in new directions you hadn’t planned. The best part is that these writerly waves usually require the least amount of revising later on.

Things you will run to the store for at midnight:

Coffee grounds, especially if I don’t have enough to make a pot the next morning!

Things you never put on your shopping list:

Soda.

Favorite snacks:

Cheese, cheese, and cheese. My favorite type is brie, which I enjoy on pretzel chips, sandwiches, omelets, and even straight up by itself. Oh, did I mention cheese?

Things that make you want to gag:

I can’t stomach olives or liver. Yuck!

Something you’re really good at:

Parallel parking. I lived in Chicago for five years and learned how to street park the hard way.

Something you’re really bad at:

I can’t pronounce *epidemiologist* on the first try. EVER. And it’s been a fairly common word these past couple of years, for obvious reasons.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid:

As a kid, I always wanted to be a veterinarian. In high school, I was able to volunteer at a local (human) hospital and changed my career aspirations to be a doctor. All it took was one chemistry lecture in college to reject medicine in general.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do:

A writer! I ended up majoring in business and even got my MBA. I worked on Wall Street and have owned a marketing firm for almost twenty years. So, about fifteen years ago, discovering that I had a story (actually many stories) to tell was a shock to my system, but here we are…I’m very grateful for my writerly muse!

Something you wish you could do:

I’d love to be able to whistle through my fingers—the really loud whistle. I’ve been attempting for years but still can’t get the hang of it, even by accident.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do:

Sewing buttons. I somehow became the button-sewer-oner in my family & I quit!

Things to say to an author:

I can’t wait to buy/read your (upcoming) book. Can you talk to my book club? I just loved your (insert story title).

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book:

“You write fiction? What do you do for real?” Or, “Anyone can write a novel.”

Best thing you’ve ever done:

After college, I bought a one-way flight ticket to Prague. I ended up finding a job and lived there for three years. The best part was I got to travel all over Europe while I stayed there. My family and friends all thought I was crazy for doing it, but they all ended up visiting me and touring Prague anyway. I guess I got the last laugh.

Biggest mistake:

I turned down an offer to spend six months in Australia with my cousins while my uncle was on sabbatical. It meant I would’ve had to delay starting college by a year. Back then, a gap year wasn’t as common as now. Years later, I had the opportunity to visit Down Under and learned exactly what I’d missed by not saying “yes.”

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

“I wish I’d written your story.” This was from an author I idolized, so the compliment was especially meaningful.

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

A critique partner once read the first third of my draft novel and commented that nothing was happening in the story. The comment made more sense once I realized he was expecting the story to be a high-stakes thriller, not a slow burn suspense novel, but still…a lot was going on in the story. Ouch!

The most exciting thing about your writing life:

I absolutely adore book signing events. They make me feel like Cinderella at the ball.

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life:

After writing and polishing my first novel, I focused my time on researching and querying literary agents. In retrospect, I wish I’d continued writing during those months as it would’ve offered me both a distraction from what is a deflating process and a new manuscript to shop around sooner. At the end of the day, though, I found my writerly home with The Stringer Literary Agency, so everything worked out for the best.

About Kristin:

Kristin Kisska used to be a finance geek, complete with MBA and Wall Street pedigree, but now she is a self-proclaimed fictionista. Kristin contributed short suspense stories to nine anthologies, including Malice Domestic’s Agatha Award-winning anthology, MYSTERY MOST EDIBLE (2018). She’ll be releasing her tenth short story, “Vendetta by the Sea” in VIRGINIA IS FOR MYSTERIES: VOL III in February 2022.

Kristin is a member of International Thriller Writers, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, James River Writers, and is the Vice President of the Central Virginia chapter of Sisters in Crime. When not penning suspense novels, she can be found reading murdery books while cuddling with her kitty. Kristin lives in Richmond, Virginia with her family.

Let’s Be Social:

Facebook – KristinKisskaAuthor

Twitter - @KKMHOO

Instagram - @KristinKisskaAuthor

Website - www.KristinKisska.com