Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Vicky Kaseorg.
Thank you for joining me today!
INTERVIEW
What name(s) do you write under? If you write under a pseudonym, what helped you choose that name?
I write under Vicky S Kaseorg, my actual name.
Where are you from?
I am from upstate NY for most of my life, but currently reside in Charlotte, NC
What is the name of your most recent or upcoming release? Can you give us an idea of what the story is about? What genre is it? Where can we find it?
My most recent release is The Bark of the Covenant, a Christian mystery. It is my first fiction work. It is about a young despairing woman who cares for her despicable dying father, and after his death remains in the tiny town where he lived. Her suicide attempt is thwarted by a gun that misfires, and she is distracted from further attempts by a wild dog, that approaches her home. The story unfolds as she slowly develops the trust of the dog, and grows to understand her father through a journal she finds. Meanwhile, a pack of feral dogs uncover clues to solve a murder mystery in the tiny town, and along with the heroine's feral dog, bring about healing, uncover a fortune, and lead to unexpected redemption and faith.
The book is available on amazon in print or ebook at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LNA7T4G
When did you start writing, and when did it turn professional?
I started writing when I was old enough to hold a pencil. I kept journals and wrote stories my entire life. I became professional in 2011 when I found a dying dog, nursed her back to health, and she became vicious. Rather than euthanize her as everyone suggested, I began a year of intense, and difficult rehabilitation, and in the meantime, learned in a way I had never known about redemption and the value of all life.
I was advised to tell the story to help others, so I wrote my first book, I'm Listening with a Broken Ear. It was surprisingly successful and was #1 for a year, and in the top 50 for three years in its category on Amazon.
What or who inspired you to being writing?
No one person inspired me to write - I always loved it. I find that it is difficult for me to process deep emotion unless I write about it. I also find I cannot organize my thoughts very well unless I write them. Stories are always in my head. I don't know that anyone is inspired to become a writer, so much as revealed to BE a writer.
Who are your greatest literary influences?
My literary influences are the classics. I love all of them. James Joyce was very influential, especially Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
Did you hire or use an editor prior to publishing? Did you use a graphic artist to create your cover art? If so, what helped you decide on the cover(s) of your books?
I have only used gracious friends and family as editors up to this point. I do my own cover art. I am an artist as well as a writer, so designing covers in terms of artistic vision is not hard...though my technical skill leaves much to be desired! I hope to use pros on my next book and give me more time to just write!
What have you learned on your journey from writing to publishing that you think should be passed along to those interested?
On my journey from writing to publishing, one of the most important things I learned is that if you have something worth saying, people will read it. If not, they won't. Find something worth saying.
I know some authors set writing goals, such as so many words per day. Do you set any goals for your stories?
I do try to write every day, but don't have a word count goal. I write a daily inspirational blog which is about how God is always speaking through His creation. It keeps my skills growing as a writer.
Do you have a favorite character of your own and what makes him/her your favorite?
My favorite character is Honeybun, the dog in my first book. She is real, and furry, and lovable...
As far as fiction characters, I love Danielle in my sequel to The Bark of the Covenant, which I am working on now. She is very vulnerable, and conflicted. She wants to do right, but is tempted by wrong. She feels very real to me.
Do you have any projects your working on now?
I have 3 books in the works. The sequel I mentioned, another one (nonfiction) about my work as a pro-life sidewalk counselor at abortion centers, and a third about a crazy dog based on another real life story. I always have several projects going simultaneously.
Do you have any blog tours or upcoming events we should know about?
No promo tours coming up immediately, but my author page at FB and my blog always announce any new events. Thanks for having me!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
[Pictured: Vicky & her sister]
Vicky Kaseorg, describes when she first knew she would become an author: "I used to ride my horse through the neighborhood,though all the neighbors could see was a girl on a blue bicycle.Sometimes I ended up falling off the edge of the earth, but rode to safety on the back of a friendly dragon, rising unexpectedly through the mist. My brain rarely paused in the internal narration of stories. I should have known I would either end up in an institution, or become a writer."
Kaseorg, born in Pennsylvania in 1956, studied art and writing at Binghamton University, and became a professional artist early in her career. She went on to graduate school at USC Los Angeles where she studied Occupational Therapy. She owned her own Occupational Therapy practice for many years in NY, and with the birth of her prodigiously gifted first son, began homeschooling. She has bicycled across the USA, run a marathon, completed a biathalon, learned to ski at age 50, successfully graduated two of her three children to prestigious universities, yet still feels the most difficult task she has ever had to accomplish "is living a consistent, righteous life before God and my family."
Between running a business and homeschooling, Vicky never stopped writing. Upon moving to NC, she retired from Occupational Therapy and focused on art, teaching art, and homeschooling her three children. She began writing her first book in 2009 when the rescue and rehabilitation of a homeless, hopeless, vicious dog sparked the desire to capture the story in prose.
She is the mother of three children, two now grown. She homeschooled them all from Kindergarten until graduation. The oldest, Anders, graduated from MIT. The second son, Matthias, graduated from UVa, and then law school at Washington and Lee. A 16 year old daughter, Asherel, remains at home, and is being homeschooled, taxing Vicky's abilities in highschool subjects..
"This is proof that God exists," she says, "As there is no way I could teach those on my own power."
"This is proof that God exists," she says, "As there is no way I could teach those on my own power."
She is the published author of I'm Listening with A Broken Ear (published July 2011), which was a top ten dog training best seller for two years on Amazon ebooks. It continues to be among the top highly rated dog training books after three years from publication. Her second book, God Drives a Tow Truck was published in February 2012 and within the first weeks of publication had 25,000 downloads. When released, it was the top best seller in the Angel category and remained in the top ten in its genre on the Amazon E-book list for several months. While clearly spiritual in nature, she wrote both books with the desire that the books be accessible to believers and non-believers. Her books are spiced with humor throughout, as she recognizes " that life is very hard. If one doesn't seek the humor in how miserable and weak we humans tend to be, we would spend most of our hours weeping. Laughter is a gift of God." Following her two non-fiction adult books, she published three illustrated books, designed for children and adults alike- Tommy: A story of Ability, The Good Parent, and The Illustrated 23rd Psalm. Turning Points- the Life of a WWII Milne Bay Gunner was published in Oct. 2012. Her sixth book, The Well Trained Human, explores the way that our canine friends mold and shape us. Saving a Dog is a sweet story, illustrated and written by Kaseorg to introduce children to the rewarding world of animal rescue and caring for creatures less fortunate than us.
Family members and friends used to chide Vicky for "seeing God in everything", when she would squeeze out a biblical message in not only the common-place events of her day, but in secular movies, books, and activities. With the rescue of the dog that led to her first book, Vicky realized that perhaps this tendency of hers was not a flaw. Perhaps it could even be used to help others find that God was indeed speaking to them...had always been speaking to them. To this end, she also is going on her third year of writing a daily inspirational blog, which she illustrates, at vickykaseorg.blogspot.com.
She is currently at work on her latest book, while continuing to homeschool her highschool age daughter. Vicky is active in volunteer work, promoting responsible animal rescue, kayaking, bicycling, running, skiing, and art. She continues to teach art classes, and coach various teams in which her daughter is involved. She lives in Charlotte with her husband of 33 years, Arvo, along with her daughter, two dogs,and countless spiders which her daughter and she actively rescue and set free whenever possible. She is a regular contributor to converservativefifty.com , a political blog.
OTHER BOOKS BY VICKY
Vicky currently has 10 published books and her list can be found on Amazon.
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