Dawn Kunda

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As a former private investigator with a BS in political science and attendance at Thomas M. Cooley Law School,Dawn Kunda has reopened her legal books to create suspense in her writing.  She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Wisconsin Regional Writers’ Association.  When she’s not writing, Dawn also enjoys tending her acre plus walking garden of perennials and a self-made waterfall and pond, along with biking, and running, and cross-country skiing in the lengthy northern winters.  She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and three dogs, of which two are adopted. Dawn would love her readers to visit her website atwww.dawnkunda.com or contact her at [email protected].

Q: How do you decide the careers of your characters?   

A: I pick careers that are not the typical job or ones that hold a hidden interest in their performance.  It’s not about the income, but the richness of the subject and how I can use it in a story. 

Q: How many edits per story do you consider necessary?   

A: I do not have fixed number of edits in mind.  I edit a finished story about four times on my own, and then pass it on to my readers along with submitting sections to my critique partners.  I consider all comments I receive in case there is something I did not notice or know.  Also, I may check areas of my novel that relate to knew theories and techniques I learn through articles and workshops.

Q: What makes your story unique to the romantic suspense genre?

A: Many romantic suspense novels deal with suspense focused on the investigation of a criminal issue, and I love to read them, but I decided I needed to go further and include suspenseful courtroom scenes as they are of great interest to me.  Also, the hero and heroine are not part of the legal team, but rather their romance is greatly affected by the right and wrong deeds of the law.

Q: Where do you get your ideas?  Is this the same as other authors?  

A: I get them everywhere.  That’s probably the only similar thing to other authors.  As to how I interpret and use my environment as a trigger can come from a simple word, phrase, or subject at hand.  I may be listening to the radio, watching TV, or reading a newspaper, and then ideas and scenes “pop” into my head.  Sometimes a simple expression from someone can give me a whole story idea. 

Q: Have you ever been discouraged in seeking publication and if so, how did you overcome this?

A: No, I haven’t ever gotten discouraged.  I treat rejections from agents or editors as learning experiences.  I always attempt to use any comments they graciously offer as means to make a better story and to keep in the loop of what currently creates a great romantic suspense novel. 

Q: Have you made any mistakes in your publishing journey?

A: I feel that if I listen to those involved in the publishing industry and continue to learn and write better every time I sit at my computer, the only mistake would be to give up and stop writing, which I haven’t.  The multitude of avenues offered on this journey of publication could have led me in many directions, but I feel successful in my current position.

Q: After your first novel, Court of Lies, do you know everything about being published? 

A: Of course not.  To write well, I must continue to learn and improve.  The future of readers is not a stagnant issue, and I will do my best to keep up with their interests.

Q: Do you write one novel at a time? 

A: Sort of.  I do actually write one novel at a time but am always scribbling ideas and features of other novels that constantly brew in my head.  This way, when I am ready for the next story to be typed, I have a good pile of ideas to organize and expand on.

Q: Would you ever consider donating a percentage of a novel’s profit to a worthy cause?

A: Yes, I have already thought about this.  For my first novel, Court of Lies, I want to become more familiar and comfortable with the publishing process before I add another variable.  Also, to gain followers for future novels will help make a worthy donation down the road. Two of my favorite causes are the American Cancer Society and the Humane Society- I love pets, especially dogs!

Q: Are intimate scenes reality?

A: They are real to my characters. 

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