Karynne Summars Interview: Author of “Desperate Pursuit In Venice”

Today I have Karynne Summars, author of the hugely entertaining Desperate Pursuit in Venice, with me. If you like suspense, romance, and a lot of thrills, you’ll definitely enjoy this book. Check out our exclusive interview!

Tell us a bit about yourself.

KS: I was born in Berlin, Germany and came to the U.S. to live when I was an adult already. I worked as an international corporate finance professional for over 20 years in New York. During that time I always felt that something was missing in my life. I am happy to say that I found my passion when I started to write. I thank the universe for giving me the gift of storytelling and entertaining readers so they can take a break from reality for a little while. I also like to pay it forward and help other people as much as I can.

From what I know you penned Desperate Pursuit in Venice, or DPIV, later in life. Was the book your first writing assignment, or did you write before that and simply hadn’t been published yet?

KS: I never wrote a novel before DPIV, but I had put together storybooks about former colleagues when they left our employer. I enhanced the text with photos in a show-and-tell fashion and called these books ‘This Was Your Life at XXX’. A lot of work went into that because I wanted to provide a great memory of this person’s experiences at our workplace and how we interacted and became friends. Other than that, I had to write in connection with my work as an international banker, which would either be marketing related or an analysis of a financial transaction. I pursued or prepared board presentations as well, which, needless to say, was serious non-fiction and required enormous attention to detail.

Who are some of your favorite authors? What works have inspired you?

KS: Definitely Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. It just speaks to me. I can totally relate to the protagonist. As far as more recent authors are concerned, I have enjoyed books by Michael Crichton, David Baldacci, John Grisham, and Robert Ludlum.

How much work goes into writing a story that has different international environments/landscapes, etc.?

KS: That depends on how well you know these environments. In Desperate Pursuit in Venice, for instance, I used locales I am very familiar with and have visited at least once or even lived there, like Berlin, Hawaii, and New York. However, for Desperate Pursuit in Rio de Janeiro, I had to do some research because I am venturing into areas which I have not visited, which can be challenging because they are an important part of a major plot. But don’t let the title mislead you into thinking that all the action takes place in Rio de Janeiro!

What kind of readers will find DPIV interesting?

KS: Males and females 21 and up who like an intelligent story, a clever mix of romance, drama, and intrigue, and a huge portion of suspense/thriller. Readers who are not looking for the typical mindless romance novel but for a thought-provoking, emotional, seductive, sophisticated story, which will let them ponder ‘what if’. Readers who enjoy living vicariously through captivating characters and wishing they could be that person. The male readers will easily fall in love with Kataryna and the female readers will find two enigmatic men to fall for in Luca and Roberto.

What can you tell us about Kataryna Taylor as a character?

KS: Kataryna Taylor is the protagonist in Desperate Pursuit in Venice and the sequel Desperate Pursuit in Rio de Janeiro. A strong female lead. She is a very savvy and ambitious businesswoman and a beautiful human being, inside and out. She is seductive in a sophisticated way, and compassionate, which ultimately, but unintentionally, puts her and Luca, the main male character, in extreme danger.

What message do you hope your readers will get from reading DPIV?

KS: Get professional help immediately if you find yourself in a position like the antagonists in these stories.

Some new writers tend to spread themselves too thin on various social media sites to promote their work. Any advice for them when it comes to promotion?

KS: Set a certain time of the day aside for social media/blogs to promote your work and stick to it. Then get back to writing and don’t let social media distract you. Also, make a good effort to promote your work by getting publicity in either magazines (online and print), radio interviews and, if possible, local TV. Try to find publications that relate to your stories, contact them, and offer content.

Tell us a bit about DPIV’s sequel, Desperate Pursuit in Rio de Janeiro. What can readers expect?

KS: More extremely thrilling twists and turns for the characters they know from DPIV. I am also introducing an important new character, which will definitely surprise the audience. Readers of this genre will not be disappointed as I take them to exotic locations with pulse-accelerating action.

You can learn more about Karynne Summars as well as the release date for Desperate Pursuit in Rio de Janeiro by visiting her website. You can also follow her on Twitter and check out the Facebook pages for DPIV and its sequel.

Have you read Desperate Pursuit in Venice yet? Let us know!

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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