kristinkisska

[kristinkisska]

Book Signing Event

Join me at Books, Beads, and More (Central Virginia) on November 2nd from 11am to 2pm. I'll be chatting with readers and signing copies of my debut novel, THE HINT OF LIGHT.

Location and event details can be found <here>.

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I'm delighted to share that FIRST COMES LOVE, THEN COMES MURDER, which includes my short mystery story, "Cruise to Nowhere," won second place in the BookFest award for Best Anthology!

The full announcement can be found <here>.

[kristinkisska]

Book Signing Event

Join me at Books, Beads, and More (Central Virginia) on November 2nd from 11am to 2pm. I'll be chatting with readers and signing copies of my debut novel, THE HINT OF LIGHT.

Location and event details can be found <here>.

[kristinkisska]

Save the Date

In Richmond, Virginia?

Stop by Books, Beads & More, a local indie bookstore and gift shop to say hi! Saturday, November 2, 2024 from 11am to 2pm.

PS - signed books make great holiday gifts!

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Author Expo

Join me and twenty-six other Virginia authors this Saturday afternoon at Lancaster Community Library in Kilmarnock, Virginia.

You can find details about the Author Expo 2024 event as well as all participating authors <here>.

I hope to see you there!

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#ThisOrThatThursday with Heather Weidner

I'm honored that mystery author, Heather Weidner, hosted me on her #ThisOrThatThursday blog series. You can read the interview <here>.

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Save the date - June 26, 2024

Join me and Virginia author, Katharine Schellman, as we discuss her newest Prohibition Era mystery, A NOTE OF WARNING.

Fountain Bookstore, Richmond Virginia

June 26, 2024 from 6-7:30pm.

The event is free, but registration is required. Find all details <here>.

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Celebrating Women's Fiction Day

Are you a fan of Women's Fiction? Often times, I think the term can be interchanged with *Book Club Fiction*. I write and read Women's Fiction, because these novels showcase and reflect on the often overlooked facets of relationships and life.  

To celebrate Women's Fiction Day, several authors provided reasons why we read and write women's fiction. You can see all the reponses, including mine posted above, in the YouTube slide show <here>.

Looking for a good read this summer? Check out the Goodreads bookshelf sponsored by the Women's Fiction Writers Association. I'm honored that the WFWA collection includes my debut novel, THE HINT OF LIGHT, which also happens to be a June Kindle Deal.

Happy reading!

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Story Street Writers' blog post

Author Kristin Kisska and her debut novel, THE HINT OF LIGHT, were featured in the "Fill the Chairs: How to Elevate Local Authors" blog post by Michele Alouf.

You can read the entire Story Street Writers' article <here>.

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SINC UP with Kristin Kisska

My writer self-care tip is called the “Wall of Fame.”  Happy writing! 

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Women's Fiction Day - June 8th

To celebrate the upcoming Women's Fiction Day on June 8, 2024, I'm giving away a query critique (query letter and first five pages) to one lucky winner.

No purchase necessary. If interested, enter my contest <here>. I'll announce the winner on my social media (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram) on June 8th.

Good luck!

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BookTrib listicle - Mental Health

I'm honored that the Women's Fiction Writers Association chose to include my debut novel, THE HINT OF LIGHT in their Mental Health Awareness BookTrib listicle.

One of the novel's main characters, Kyle Dobrescu, is a recovering alcoholic who is struggling to maintain his sobriety through both a residential rehab facility and daily AA meetings. His long-term addiction is central to both his character development and the novel's plot.

You can read the BookTrib listicle <here>.

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Wicked Authors' Interview

I was delighted to be included in this interview panel for the 2024 Agatha Award nominees for Best First Mystery!

See the complete interview <here>.

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Save the Date ~ Event with Katharine Schellman

When: Wednesday, June 26, 2024 at 6pm

Where: Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, Virginia

Details and a link to register for the book event <here>

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Suffolk Mystery Authors Festival

Near Suffolk, Virginia this weekend? Stop by the 2024 Suffolk Mystery Author Festival and say hi!

I'll be a panelist and signing THE HINT OF LIGHT throughout the day.

You can find more details <here>.

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Ale You Need is Love

Below is the transcript from my guest post on the crime fiction blog, Sleuthsayers. <You can read the original post here>

Confession time.

I’m not a beer drinker. Never have been. In my early days of enjoying spiked beverages, I reached for wine coolers (shoutout to my two college friends, Bartles and James). Then Scotch whiskey, both single malt and blends, took over as my libation of choice. These days, I favor crisp Italian white wines.

Which is a long way of saying, I was in store for some fun new-to-me research to help craft my short story of suspense, “Not Yo’ Mama’s IPA” in Murder, Neat, a SleuthSayers Anthology. I took Happy Hour fieldtrips to a few of Richmond, Virginia’s finest brew pubs. Tasted flights of beers. Studied the origins of IPAs, as well as the proper way to pour and serve. Did you know India Pale Ales (a.k.a. IPAs) have their own dedicated glassware? I didn’t when I started plotting my story idea.

Well, then if not beer, what inspired my story, you might wonder?  An insurance statement delivered by snail mail not so long ago. Sexy? Maybe not, but I found it pretty compelling.Kristin Kisska © Lindsey Pantele Photgraphy

As the beneficiary of my husband’s life insurance, I received what would be the final premium invoice for his term policy. That auspicious morning, I’d ripped open the envelope, looked up from the paystub to him, and joked that for one final year, he’d be worth more dead than alive—crime authors can be sensitive and thoughtful that way. It’s a good thing my husband shares my humor!

But my muse took my dark quip, noodled it for a while, and ultimately ran with it. What would it take for someone to cash in on a loved one’s expiring policy? How deep and dark would an injustice need be to give them motive?

Let me introduce you to Lynn and Jack, the unlucky-in-love, beer-drinking couple at the heart of my short story of suspense, “Not Yo’ Mama’s IPA”. Lynn finds out that ignorance can indeed be bliss…until the truth hits you like a sledgehammer.

Happy reading!

For the true crime enthusiast with an interest in insurance as motive for murder, I recommend reading the creative nonfiction, The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, which dramatizes the chilling story of serial killer on the loose in Chicago at the turn of the twentieth century. The murderer, H.H. Holmes, mastered the art of convincing his many victims to take out insurance policies with him as the beneficiary. Spoiler alert ~ his prey had a very short life expectancy after signing on the dotted line.

Insurance fraud can be deadly.

At the end of the day, you may or may not find me savoring a fine IPA at happy hour. But one thing I’ll forever be preaching from my soapbox is, don’t let your life insurance policy be used as a weapon against you.

Note ~ No real-life husbands were harmed in the plotting of this short story. On the contrary, mine enjoyed being my plus one as I conducted my IPA and brewery research. I’m happy to report that we both survived the expiration of his insurance policy.

Cheers, y’all!

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Award nomination for THE HINT OF LIGHT

I'm excited and honored to share that my debut novel, THE HINT OF LIGHT, was nominated for the Agatha Award for Best First Mystery Novels!

Below is a complete list of all the nominees in the five award categories:

The winners will be announced at the Malice Domestic conference in April. Good luck to all the nominees!