SHORT BIO: Kari Kilgore finished her first published novel Until Death in Room 217 at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, where a rather famous creepy tale about a hotel sparked into life. That’s just one example of how real-world inspiration drives her fiction. Kari's genres include mystery, romance, contemporary fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and everything in between, and she’s happiest when she surprises herself. She lives at the end of a long dirt road in the middle of the woods with author Jason A. Adams, various house critters, and wildlife they’re better off not knowing more about.
REAL-LIFE THRILLER MOMENT: I’m very lucky in that the closest I’ve been was the incident from my story “A Late Rush Hour Hissy Fit” in the upcoming “Gadgets” issue of Thrill Ride. All I’ll say here is a random driver decided to follow me, with behavior that got scary pretty fast. Writing the story did put me back there, but it was nice to have a lot more control over the situation.
WHO I ADMIRE: I’ve always admired trailblazers, especially when it comes to creative women. People who refuse to let someone else change their art or take control of it. Kate Bush producing her albums herself since 1982, Dolly Parton insisting on keeping the rights to “I Will Always Love You” and her other songs, and yes, Taylor Swift rerecording her albums to reclaim the rights. Just this week when the singer Melanie passed away, I learned she started her own record label right before her biggest hit “Brand New Key” came out. I love the fierce protection of their work, and determination to share it on their own terms. So, many of my characters are strong, tough women who aren’t afraid of collaborations or relationships, but know very well how to take care of themselves!
FAVORITE MEDIA MOMENT: This is a tough question, since we finally got good enough internet for streaming in March of 2023. We’ve been catching up on so many things! I’d have to say the HBO show The Last of Us made the biggest impression. There’s a lot going on in that world, but at its heart, it’s the story of two damaged people learning how to care for and take care of each other. The whole show was a highlight as far as I’m concerned, but the high-stakes moment that stands out for me was in Episode 5, “Endure and Survive.” There’s a point when Ellie has to completely trust Joel to cover her, and just put her head down and run. So tense and beautifully done.
WHAT I’M WORKING ON: My biggest writing news is we have a brand-new online bookstore! Spiral Publishing handles fiction from me and my husband Jason A. Adams, and nonfiction from my uncle Frank Kilgore. It’s been a real treat getting that set up and thinking of great things we can do that we couldn’t with traditional vendors. One of those is offering coupons for special occasions, so here’s one for Thrill Ride readers! Head over to https://spiralpublishing.myshopify.com/ to take a look around, then enter ThrillRide25 for 25% off your ebook purchases.