221: Kathy Maresca - Author of Porch Music

This week’s guest is Kathy Maresca (Porch Music, Touch Point Press, October 2022) In her debut novel, set in 1950’s Gainesville Florida, Kathy utilized stories from her Seminole family history to tap into a story of racial inequities, Southern culture, country music, and religious hypocrisy. Her research included not only books and museums, but also her own memories of working at Six Gun Territory, a local theme park, and absorbing the rhythm of Native American dances. When it came to marketing, her most effective tool turned out to be contests, where she used her awards to publicize her book. Her least effective? A blog tour which failed to correctly target her ideal reader.   

A native Floridian, Kathy Maresca grew up with a grandmother of Seminole heritage. Kathy served in the Air Force, working at the Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel and then in special operations at Hurlburt Field, Florida. She edited for the University of Florida and taught English, journalism, and drama. While she was teaching, Kathy became ill with trigeminal neuralgia. She then earned a master’s degree, became credentialed as a rehabilitation counselor, and served as the Director of Patient Services for the Trigeminal Neurgalgia Association.

Kathy recently finished her second novel, Sky Kiss, and is working on a prequel to Porch Music. She has been a Guardian ad Litem and has taught classes for a prison fellowship ministry. Kathy lives in North Carolina with her husband, Keith. They enjoy traveling and spending time with their toy fox terriers.

To learn more about Kathy, click here.