Check out this interview with Author Diane Rapp's character, Kayla Sanders!

I'd like to introduce Kayla Sanders.   She is the heroine of the High Seas Murder series by my very talented friend and Author Diane Rapp.   

Murder Caribbean-Style and Murder On A Ghost Ship are published, and Murder For Glacier Blue is scheduled for release in 2013. 

Kayla Sanders is a successful travel-guide author but also investigates crimes for Constellation Cruise Lines with her fiancé Steven.  She’s blonde with bright blue eyes and freckles, about five-six, and twines her hair when she’s nervous.  Raised in California, Kayla looks more like a farm girl, healthy, robust, with freckles, and well-toned muscles.  She walks confidently, preferring comfortable tennis shoes to high heels, and jeans or shorts to tailored slacks or skirts.  Kayla is intelligent, able to analyze a situation quickly, and doggedly follows a course of action she believes is correct.

So Kayla,  how do you feel about being the main character in a series of mystery novels?

(Blushing)  I enjoyed the adventure, but it’s difficult to see my life in print and on e-books.  In the first novel, Murder Caribbean-Style, my ex-lover falls dead at my feet and I must discover who killed Patrick.  I learned a lot about his past, and it’s not easy to examine your failures in a relationship.  In that adventure, people also see me fall in love with Steven and…(She blushes again and lowers her gaze.) Can we change the subject now?

How long did it take to explain your predicament to the author, Diane Rapp?

She understood me right away, perhaps because I resemble her real life daughter—who worked on the cruise ships and married an Englishman.  Of course her daughter doesn’t solve murders for a living now.  Diane and I talk while she’s dreaming.  We don’t argue about the plot, (she grins and her blue eyes sparkle) because I get my way.

Do you think anyone in your world is crazy? 

In the second novel, Murder On A Ghost Ship, the ghost acts crazy.  “The Lady” forced me to see visions about her days on the ship to pass messages along.  She also threw a mean temper tantrum.

How did you deal with this? 

It was really spooky, let me tell you.  I didn’t believe in ghosts at first, but then I realized she needed to prevent another murder.  Solving her murder was the key to stopping the haunting, but it was touch and go.

Who is the most interesting side character you’ve met?

Jason is the most intriguing character in the second book.  He’s a real spy who can change his physical appearance and personality in the blink of an eye.  Steven admires his abilities and emulates him.  I liked him and Natalia was smitten by the guy.  He’ll be in our next adventure—the wedding cruise to Alaska.

Why did you choose your current profession?

The profession chose me.  I worked as a purser on the cruise line but discrimination prevented me from getting the promotion I deserved.  Next thing I knew, I was out of a job and working as a typist in Colorado.  I wrote a tour guide because I knew ports in the Caribbean.  While promoting my book, I took a free cruise on my old ship.  After Patrick died, I realized my friends and I were suspects.  I set out to solve his murder and became an investigator in the process.

What is your greatest strength?

Loyalty.  I’m a steadfast friend.  If someone is in trouble I’m the first one to offer support and help.  You can always count on me.

What is your greatest failing?

Curiosity and stubbornness, according to all my friends, and they’re probably right.  If there’s a puzzle to solve, I just can’t leave it alone.  That’s an asset for an investigator.  I’m also pretty good at coaxing people to tell me things.  (She flashes an innocent smile.)  I guess I don’t seem like a threat.

If you could change one thing that the author wrote about your life, what would it be?

I’ve always wanted to be part of a big family with sisters and brothers to care about me.  That’s why I enjoy living on board a ship.  People on the crew are like a big family, but I miss having a place to call home when I’m not on a ship, especially during holidays.

Do you have a favorite character in the series?

Well I love Steven but my favorite character is Natalia.  She’s a knockout, looks like a young Cher, and performs a mind reading act on the ship.  She claims to be the descendant of Rasputin, but her Russian accent vanishes when she’s among friends.  Natalia can actually see the future when she touches someone.  It spooks her.  She wouldn’t let the ghost speak to her because she was too afraid.  I guess that’s why “The Lady” connected with me by default. 

What makes you happiest?

Solving crimes and traveling.  It’s a satisfying feeling to unravel the clues and discover the culprit.  I used to enjoy piecing puzzles together and now I do it for a living on the high seas.  It’s great!  I also get to work with the love of my life, Steven.  He’s so cute and sexy.  I just hope this wedding cruise won’t be spoiled by another murder.  But it is a murder mystery, isn’t it?

Will the new adventure be published soon?

Diane took a cruise to Alaska to gather information and I’m whispering to her while she sleeps.  Those other characters interrupt but I’ll keep working with her.  It should be an interesting story.  There’s an art heist, a bunch of crazy golfers who want to play golf at midnight, bears, eagles, fantastic scenery in Alaska, and a murder to solve.

Where can readers find your books?

The books are available in Kindle format and as print editions on Amazon.  Diane’s author page is http://www.amazon.com/Diane-Rapp/e/B005H7HNEW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

You can also learn more about Diane’s books at her QuickSilver Novels website www.quicksilvernovels.com.  She has a blog, reviews of other books, and links to all of her books.

Thanks to Diane for introducing her character to us. :-)

~About the Author~

I met Diane soon after I first published. She is an extremely brilliant and creative author.  Although it's Diane's very giving personality that stands out most to me, trust me when I tell you... her novels absolutely rock.   If you enjoy fantasy or sci-fi, she'd have you right away.  If you're like me, you won't be able to put them down until you've read the last page.  Her novel's- all the ones I've read, are well worth checking out.

Below, is more detailed information on this author.  You can also search on amazon under Diane Rapp, to get a view of all her books that are currently available.

Diane Rapp became an entrepreneur when she started her own dog grooming salon in Santa Barbara, California. She spent the next thirty years as a small business owner; she sold real estate, started an office supply store in Telluride, Colorado, and performed free-lance advertising design.

During all those years Diane wrote stories as a cure for insomnia. She wrote short stories about dogs for a German Shepherd Dog Club newsletter, and then expanded to full length novels. After Diane and her daughter Laura co-authored a travel guidebook entitled Cruising the Eastern Caribbean (four editions were published by Hunter Publishing), Laura gave Diane the idea of writing a mystery set on cruise ships in the Caribbean. The first novel of her High Seas Mystery series is "Murder Caribbean-Style" (now available in print edition and Kindle), the second book in the series is "Murder on a Ghost Ship" (available in a print edition and Kindle edition). A third novel (featuring a wedding cruise to Alaska) is scheduled for release in 2013.

Diane's new science fiction series, Heirs to the Throne is set on the planet Drako. Originally colonized as a recreation planet the monarchy revolted against technology and closed the planet to off world visitors. When fugitives from civilized space land on the planet, they encounter superstitions, hatred, and eminent danger. The crew must adapt to a feudal society without using modern tools or weapons. Fortunately the leader of a pack of telepathic wolves decides to help them, and they learn how to use their own special abilities to survive. All three books in the trilogy are complete. "Howl of the Wolf," "The Havenshire Resistance," and "Dragon Defense" are available as Kindle editions on Amazon. The print editions will be available soon.