An Interview with Kate Kelly

Thumbnail_2What did you want to be when you were a child? Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

When I was a child I wanted to be, ahem…an orchestra conductor. Or the leader of the rhythm band at school. Whichever job offer came first. I spent hours waving a knitting needle around to imaginary music while standing on my grandmother’s tomato juice can stool. I wish I could tell you my imagination is so wild that I made that up, but it’s the truth.

Do you have critique partners?

I have the best critique partners in the world. Not only are they all multi-published and super talented, they put up with me. For years! There should be some kind of award for that.

Tell us about your current series/WIP.

For me, this a double-pronged question because I’m a hybrid author and I’m working on two books at the same time – sort of. The book I’m most excited about at the moment is When Adam Came to Town, Harlequin, Super Romance, Sept/2013. That’s right, it hits the shelves this week and is also available as an ebook at all the usual places. I’ll have that information later in the interview.

Here’s the back cover blurb:
Temptation moves in next door

Sylvie Carson has no idea what she’s going to do with the rest of her life! Artistically blocked, she hopes a prolonged stay in the seaside village she grew up in will help her get over this hump. But when Adam Hunter moves in next door, things only get more complicated, not less.

The artist in Sylvie is immediately intrigued by her new neighbor—the haunting lines of his face, the natural athleticism of his body. Maybe Adam is the muse she’s been looking for…but his shadowed eyes suggest he’s just one more person keeping secrets from her. Though Sylvie can’t deny that Adam inspires passion in her, the last thing she needs is a romance…right?

What is your next project and when will it be released?

My next project is a romantic suspense, In Plain Sight, and I hope to release it in October or November. I’m having a wonderful time researching jewel thieves and also how to make jewelry. In Plain Sight is the third book in my Stolen Hearts series.

I’m also writing a sequel to When Adam Came to Town, telling Dusty and Teressa’s story. I don’t have a release date for it yet.

Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses.

Poor Adam Hunter! I plucked him out of his horrendous background of bikers and junkies and dropped him into a tiny fishing village where everyone knows everyone’s secrets. The last thing he needs is for his violent past to become common knowledge. I suppose one of his weaknesses is that he doesn’t believe in himself, and his strength is his determination to make a better life for himself.

Tell us about your heroine. Give us one of her strengths and one of her weaknesses.

Sylvie Carson turned out to be a fascinating character. She’s a successful artist who suffers from a fear of success. Her weakness is she’s always trying to please people at the expense of her own happiness, and her strength is her courage to make necessary changes in her life even if she disappoints the people she loves.

What genres are you drawn to as a reader?

Going for an easy question this time! I read everything. Well, okay, not everything. But almost.

Are you a panster or plotter?

One hundred percent panster. When I try to plot, my mind goes blank. So much so, that when I have to write a synopsis for Harlequin, I can’t recall how I pulled it off, but I suspect it has a lot to do with an editor prodding me along!

However, I know a lot about my characters before I start writing, and I generally know what’s going to happen. What is that great saying? That the outer conflict reveals or creates the Big Black Moment, and the inner conflict helps resolve it. That’s good writing advice.

Do you have a view in your writing space? What does your space look like?

I have a world class view of an inland bay surrounded by hills. At first I worried the view would distract me. But it doesn’t. (Excuse me a minute while I look through my telescope. Is that my neighbor on his dock or a stranger renting the place?) I also wondered if my office was going to be too small, but it’s just the right size. And I have a desk that goes up and down so I can stand up to work. Except I usually forget until it’s too late in the day.

Where can readers find you?

My website is http://www.katekelly.ca. You can find all my books and the links to buy them on the website rather than list all that information here.
I’m on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/pages/Katekellywriter/269392426496088?ref=hl
And twitter @katekellywrite

Here’s my blog link http://katekellywrites.blogspot.ca/

I’m giving away PDF ARCs of When Adam Came to Town to the first ten people who sign up for my newsletter here. http://eepurl.com/s6UNH

Thanks for having me, Cindy!

EXCERPT:
He let the dishes clatter into the sink and turned on the water as he did his deep breathing exercise. Okay. None of this was his business. Keep things on track and get out.
“They never had a chance to teach you how to cook,” he said as he started washing the dishes. “Doesn’t mean they won’t now. You should ask them.”
“I have.”
Adam closed his eyes and prayed he hadn’t heard her voice tremble. He grabbed the frying pan, scrubbed it with more gusto than needed. “I gotta go. Cal’s going to be here soon.” Keeping his back to the table where Sylvie sat, he drained the sink and bolted for the door.
Not sat, huddled. Man, why did he look at her? He’d almost made it out the door. What was it about this woman that unhinged him? He liked women well enough, had even fallen victim to a couple of semi-serious relationships. But he’d always felt a measure of reserve with them, because truthfully, he didn’t quite get women, and that usually resulted in him saying as little as possible. So far, that didn’t seem to be happening with Sylvie. If anything he had to work at keeping his mouth shut.
He walked back to the table. “I’m not saying I’ll be available every morning, but okay, maybe tomorrow. I’ll show you how to make an omelet. You’ll have to get up early, though.”
Her eyes twinkled as she beamed up at him. He sighed in resignation and tore his gaze away from the stunning picture she made, with the morning sun kissing her face. “And you’ll have to clear it with your father first,” he added.
Her twinkle dimmed at the same time the delicate line of her jaw hardened. “I’m twenty-six years old. I do not need my father’s permission for anything.”
But he did. If he pissed off her family, he could lose Cal’s help, and work on his house would grind to a halt. Things were getting off-track, and he’d just started working on his house. “We’ll try one morning.”
“And go from there.”
Adam backed up fast when Sylvie jumped up from her chair, looking grateful enough to give him a hug. Not going to happen.
“I’m not making any promises. Just so you know.” He rushed the door and escaped outside.
Teach her how to cook. He shook his head and headed toward his house. Most people when they met him kept their distance because of his size and that he looked like a scrapper. But for some reason Sylvie seemed to have locked right into the fact that he was a push-over. He didn’t want people to be afraid of him, but neither did he want it getting around that he was an easy mark. Saying no to anyone had never been his strong suit. Another reason to stay away from Sylvie. Half an hour, and she’d convinced him to teach her how to cook. What next?

BIO: Kate Kelly has had a love affair with books her entire life. Writing came in fits and starts, and she didn’t take it seriously until her forties. Now she can’t get along without it. She has finaled in the RWA Golden Heart and has been the recipient of the RWA Daphne du Maurier award. She has the good fortune to live on the east coast of Canada with her husband (the children have flown away). She writes, grow herbs and perennials and sails when the wind blows her way.

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