Welcome! Today I’m featuring an interview with author Vicki Vass as part of the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Dressed to Kill. Dressed to Kill is the 5th book in the Antique Hunters Mystery series. A synopsis, purchase links, and Rafflecopter giveaway links will be below the interview!

Thank you to Ms. Vass for being willing to answer my questions and complete the interview!

Author Interview

Q1: Do you have a day job in addition to being a writer? If so, what do you do during the day?  Do you enjoy your day job?

Ms. Vass’s Answer: Yes, I have a day job. I am the managing editor of a peer-reviewed medical journal. I actually hate my job currently and am actively seeking a new one.

Q2: Do you set aside time to write every day or do you write more sporadically? When you write, do you aim to complete a set # of pages or words? How does music/other noise affect your concentration when you’re writing?

Ms. Vass’s Answer: Yes, I set the evening aside during the week. I strive to write 2 pages every weekday and 10 pages each weekend day. I love to write when listening to music or other things. I am watching the Cubs right now as I type.

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Q3: When you’re writing, do your characters seem to “hijack” the story or do you feel like you have the “reins” of the story? Similarly, do you outline your book first or just sit down and write, seeing where it takes you?

Ms. Vass’s Answer: I do not outline. I rather write and try to figure things out as it goes. Sometimes the characters have their own ideas of what should happen. My books combine history and fiction so it can be challenging keeping it real.

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Q4: How did you break into the publishing world? How many rejections did you go through before finding a publisher? Did you ever think about quitting? If so, what did you do to keep yourself hopeful?

Ms. Vass’s Answer: I’ve been in the publishing field for a long time writing nonfiction for a variety of publications. I was very lucky when I submitted my first cozy that I did not have any rejections. It was accepted by the first publisher I submitted to. I’ve never thought of quitting as rejection is very common in my field. I’ve received so many rejections for nonfiction that I once thought about papering my wall with them.

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Q5: In general, how many revisions do you go through before a book is published? Do you have beta readers or is it just your editing team and their suggestions? Do you set your books aside for a period of time and then pick them up and edit them?

Ms. Vass’s Answer: I generally write three to four drafts. The first version tends to be more of an outline and then I flesh it out. I have a few beta readers and also an editor who I rely on to read and check for plot and characterization. I do not set the books aside for a time other than when my beta readers are reading and I’m waiting for their feedback.

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Q6: A good villain is hard to write. How did you get in touch with your inner villain(s) to write this book. Was there a real-life inspiration for him/her/it?

Ms. Vass’s Answer: Writing evil can sometimes be so much more fun than writing good. It allows me to get rid of my own inner demons. I work with some pretty demanding people and often picture them when I am crafting my villains.

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Q7: Do any family members, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, etc. end up showing up in your work or are your characters all truly fictional? 

Ms. Vass’s Answer: My antique hunter series is based on my two real-life best friends. They’ve evolved since the first book so it is not quite based so much on reality but I still stay true to their personalities though greatly exaggerated.

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Q8: If you could write about anyone fiction/nonfiction, contemporary/historical who would you write about? Why?

Ms. Vass’s Answer: This is a very difficult question. I have a deep love for history. I would probably choose Anastasia Romanov. I find the whole period of history and the loss of the Romanov dynasty intriguing. I also love looking at the crown jewels.

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Q9: What are some great books you’ve read recently?

I recently finished Radium Girls, a book about the women who worked in the radium factories back in the 1930s, and their fight for justice. I could not put the book down. I found it so horrifying, fascinating and heartbreaking. I also recently finished Fortune’s Children, the fall of the House of Vanderbilt. The book details the lavish spending by the heirs of the Vanderbilt fortune. It is amazing the extremes that individuals spent and I found the story fascinating.

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Q10: What books have influenced your life the most?

Ms. Vass’s Answer: This is also a hard question. I have always been a reader. I was influenced very early on by the Nancy Drew series and the complete Wizard of Oz collection. These works made me realize early on that I wanted to write, and I’ve always wanted to write mysteries.

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Q11: If you could spend one day with a character from your book who would it be? And what would you do during that day?

Ms. Vass’s Answer: I would love to and have spent the day shopping with Anne, the heroine in the Antique Hunters Mysteries. We both share similar tastes for fine things particularly antique jewelry, and it would be a fun relaxing way to spend the day.

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Q12: Do you read your reviews? Do you respond to them, good or bad? Have you ever learned anything from a bad review and incorporated it into your future work?

Ms. Vass’s Answer: When I first started, I read every review on Amazon and often thought of responding. I haven’t responded to them and won’t. I did have a reviewer on Amazon comment on editing on one of the books so since then I have hired an editor.

Thank you again to Ms. Vass for being willing to answer my questions! It’s always a pleasure to read the author’s answers! Below you will find a synopsis of the book, purchase links, Rafflecopter giveaway link, and the author’s bio. If you wish to visit other stops on the tour, please click on the banner at the bottom and visit the main tour page. You’ll find a list of tour participants there. Thanks for joining me today!

Purchase Link: Amazon

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Synopsis

In 1865, Elizabeth Keckley, Mary Todd Lincoln’s dressmaker, conspired to change the course of the Civil War. Crossing lines between North and South, the band of conspirators wove a plan that remained undiscovered for more than 150 years until Antique Hunter Anne Hillstrom finds one of Keckley’s gowns. She and fellow Antique Hunter CC Muller unravel the mystery that has left a trail of dead bodies, leading to the doorstep of their antique store, Great-Aunt Sybil’s Attic.

Dressed to Kill is the fifth book in the Antique Hunters Mystery Series. Rooted in history, the series reimagines real-life events blurring the line between fact and fiction.

About the Author

With a passion for shopping and antiques, Vicki Vass turned in her reporter’s notebook to chronicle the adventures of Anne and CC, two antique hunters who use their skills to solve a murder case.

Vicki has written more than 1,400 stories for the Chicago Tribune as well as other commercial publications including Home & Away, the Lutheran and Woman’s World. Her science fiction novel, The Lexicon, draws on her experience in Sudan while writing about the ongoing civil war for World Relief.

She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, writer and musician Brian Tedeschi, son Tony, Australian shepherd Bandit, kittens Terra and Pixel, seven koi and Gary the turtle.

Author Links –

Website – Blog – Facebook