Pursuit of the Truth by K.D. Richards

K. D. Richards is the pseudonym for Kia Dennis. Kia was born and raised in the Maryland suburbs just outside of Washington, D.C. A writer since a young age, after college she earned a law degree and worked as an attorney and legal instructor for fifteen years but never stopped writing fiction. Pursuit of the Truth is the first book in Kia’s West Investigations romantic suspense series.

Behind the story of Pursuit of the Truth

Kia said, “I can’t really remember when the plot of the book began germinating in my mind but the character of Nadia Shelton grew out of my childhood dream of owning a hotel. That dream died pretty quickly once I realized owning a hotel was a lot more work than merely staying at one! And I love New York City so setting the novel there just made sense.”

Pursuit of the Truth revolves around family secrets that end up coming to the forefront and being important. Kia said that Nadia, the heroine, starts out a bit too trusting. “Nadia maybe turns a blind eye to things her brother has been involved in which lands her into hot water.”

Renvention might be the key to publication

“The most important things to me are my family,” Kia said. “I also like to keep reinventing myself. I have an uncle who once said to me ‘every ten years I reinvent myself’. That’s stuck to me. I like to keep busy, to keep moving forward, and to try new things.”

Kia said that prior to _ Pursuit of the Truth_, she’d written a few manuscripts, but she never pursued publication. “Maybe it was because I’d just turned forty but I finally got up the nerve to submit this manuscript and Harlequin bought it. So I’d say to anyone reading, if there’s something you want to do but you’re afraid or doubting yourself, do it!”

Mystery writers say the darnedest things

“I was doing some research for a manuscript about a law librarian so I arranged a couple informational interviews with legal librarians. At one of the interviews the librarian gave me a tour of the new library that happened to have this gorgeous twisty staircase and balcony. My crime writer’s mind was immediately activated and I blurted out ‘this would be a great staircase to push somebody down.’ Luckily, the police weren’t called but my tour guide made sure to walk behind me down the stairs.

Learn more about K.D. Richards at kdrichardsbooks.com. Did you like this interview? If so, click here to read more Behind the Story interviews from your favorite authors.