Shelf Full of Books: An Interview with Kit Cole, author of Justice for All Time

Today I have the privilege of interviewing Kit Cole, author of "Justice for All Time". I hope you enjoy getting to know her a little better.

Kit Cole writes romance novels that not only faithfully orbit science-fiction themes, but meld them into the storyline like Caprica-Six managed to infiltrate Earth. Honestly, the nerd and the writer live in peace in Kit Cole's body, and sometimes, they generate a novel that you really must read to believe. But you must WANT to BELIEVE.

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Describe your favorite way to write:

I write long-hand, in ruled Moleskine notebooks using a ballpoint pen. I’ve tried to write on my laptop, on legal paper, on my iPad using a stylus… none of that works for me. I can’t explain it, but it’s the way I write. Justice for All Time was about 100k when I finished transcribing it, and it took up 5 Moleskines!

Where do you call home?
I live in Canada, and have for most of my life.

Do you have any unique talents or hobbies?
I recently learned to mosaic, I’ve been experimenting with building furniture (most recently I learned how to dove-tail wood by hand), and I enjoy learning new programming languages.

What do you do to relax?

I love to read (obviously) but I also am an avid online gamer, enjoying World of Warcraft, Diablo, and various others.

Do you write under a pen name?

Kit Cole is my pen name, which I chose specifically for this genre (time travel/romance). For some reason that name appealed to me in that it sounded romantic and mysterious.

What book are you currently reading and in what format (ebook/paperback/hardcover)?

I am reading Kat Kruger’s book ‘The Night has Teeth’ on my iPad

Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?

For a living person, I would love to meet Stephen King as he is my favourite author, and one of my heroes. For a person who is not alive whom I would love to meet, I’d have to say Queen Elizabeth I because of the amount I have read about her and the great admiration I have for her.

What is your favourite motivational phrase.

“Be the change you want to see in the world” – Mahatama Gandhi

What made you decide to sit down and actually start something?
Interestingly, what motivated me to write Justice for all Time was a family vacation to Joshua Tree National Park in California. Something about the landscape struck me and made me want to write about it. The colors were so vivid in the range of oranges, yellows and reds (so different from anywhere I had ever been before) that I started writing, and Cassie Becker is who came out of my head and into that landscape.

Do you ever get writer’s block?

Of course, everyone does. My way of pushing through is to blog, research ideas that will take me to the next scene, draw scenes (I actually do this, though very ill), and try to read up on the times and places I am writing about. I find that gets me excited again about the story and gives me that ‘push,’ to put pen to paper again.

So, what have you written?
Justice for all Time is my first sci-fi novel, and I am in the midst of writing the first in a series called The Kings. My idea for that series is that there are three sisters who experience something (an accident of some kind) and that drives them each into the past at different times and in different places. I also write detective fiction under a different pen name and I have written a historical fiction novel when I was 20 that I am scared to open up again (in case it’s really bad writing). The historical fiction is in hardcopy only and is hidden in my closet until I get up the nerve (someday) to open it up and read it again.

Where do your ideas come from?

For sure my ideas come from stories I’d like to read. It’s funny, but I love time travel adventure stories, and it was when I started having trouble findings ones I liked that I started writing them. I have since found several indie authors online who satisfy my need for this genre of reading, but I have lots more ideas about stories that I want to tell.

Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?

I’ve tried writing outlines and it just never works out for me. I put pen to paper and what flows out is what you read (with lots of editing, trust me). Only once has this not worked (for one of my detective stories) and I cannot explain what went wrong with that story. I think I over-thought the ending too much and I just never finished it. The moleskin for that story sits on my shelf waiting for inspiration.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

I recently read Wynne Channing’s What Kills Me, and am really looking forward to her sequel I am Forever, coming out soon. Twilight somewhat ruined vampire story-telling for a few years, but I think authors like Channing are going to bring it back.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

About two months if you include the writing (long-hand), the transcribing (into my laptop) and my editing. I then send it to a real editor before sending it to anyone else.

Give us an insight into your main character. What does she do that is so special?
Cassie Becker is one of my favourite characters for many reasons: she is not a kid (she’s 37 in the novel), she’s tough but not damaged, and she’s not a time-traveller – she’s an FBI agent who got sucked into the past through no fault of her own. She’s a great character and I really enjoyed following her through this story.

What genre is this book?

I had a bit of trouble defining my genre initially because I think sci-fi gets a bad rap and romance gets a bad rap. Put them together and how could you not get judged poorly? But the truth is that this IS the kind of story I enjoy reading. So Sci-Fi Adventure Romance is how I would categorize Justice for all Time.

How did you come up with the title?

Oh Lord, this was hard. I’m still not sure about the title! In addition to loving sci-fi and time travel, I enjoy detective fiction; which is why Cassie spends a lot of the book solving crimes and unearthing mysteries. I was trying to hint at that ‘Law and Order’ part of the storyline with the title.

How much of the book is realistic?

I hope (except for the time travel bits) that most of it is pretty realistic. I did my research on Sacramento in the 1850s and on the FBI in 2013, so I hope it is believable and realistic.

If your book was made into a TV series or Movie, what actors would you like to see playing your characters? Feel free to add pics.(see attached image timothy-carrie.jpeg)
Oooh I love this! Ok, so Cassie would be played by Canadian actress Carrie-Anne Moss (from The Matrix) and Brendan would be played by Timothy Olyphant (of Justified). I’m giggling maniacally as I imagine this by the way.

What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?
Because this is my first sci-fi e-book, reviews are key, so if my readers could post even a short review on Amazon/GoodReads/Kobo, that would be amazingly helpful.

Do you think that giving books away free works and why?

I don’t know from the author end, but I do know as a reader, I love free e-books and always review and push to the authors I enjoy through my various social-media resources. I don’t think anyone (other than the Shades of Grey author) is going to get rich by e-publishing, so this is not my goal.

Do you have a strategy for finding reviewers?

My strategy was to use social media to find readers who enjoy the same kinds of books as I enjoy. My assumption was that if I like to read my genre/type of stories, they will enjoy Justice for all Time. It’s too early to tell if that was a winning strategy, but I’ll let you know!

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Just a real thank you to people who take the time to read my book. I really appreciate it, and the kind words that have been written about me and to me.

How can readers discover more about you and you work?