Tell us a little about your childhood.
I grew up in the Midwestern U.S, in a small city near Kansas City. The youngest of four kids. Cold winters, hot summers. I had a great time. I loved school, had lots of friends. I used to ride my bike everywhere! I lived in a big neighborhood and would spend my summer days just riding from one friend's house to another all day long, as long as I was home when the street lights came on. My elementary school was out in the country, and I used to ride the bus past farms and fields. To this day I love a country landscape. I remember so much snow in winter we used to build our own snow igloos.
Do you remember the first erotic romance you ever read?
It was by Lora Leigh, Marly's Choice. What a crazy book! But I was hooked. It made me want to write it.
Have your parents always been supportive of your writing career or did it take some time for them to warm up to it?
I began writing poems and short stories when I was in elementary school, editor of my high school paper, wrote for my college newspaper. So I've always been a writer, and my parents loved it. When I began writing books they thought it was a great idea. I didn't, however, tell them when I started writing erotic romance, not until my 4th book came out. My parents were older and a little old fashioned. But they were quite proud to have a published daughter, though they never could read my erotic romances.
How did you come up with the idea for your book "Cherry Pie"?
Driving to the beach one time, we used to drive through a town that became the inspiration for Mercury, or I should say a couple of towns since it's an amalgamation. And Miranda Lambert's song The House That Built Me came on--I love that song--and the story for Cherry Pie just came to me, fully formed, like Athena it just stepped out of my head.
Where and how do you find the models for your book covers?
Free stock photos! Seriously. I can't afford special photo shoots, lol.
Your book "The Courage To Love" features a female protagonist recovering from rape. Do you know anyone that's ever been through a traumatic experience? What would you say to any of your readers out there who may have suffered through such an ordeal and don't believe they can find the strength to love or be intimate with anyone again?
Whew, heavy question. I don't know anyone personally who's been through something similar to what Kate went through. But I know a lot of women who have had traumatic experiences with men, from the mild to the extreme, unfortunately. I think that I am not the person to whom they should turn to for advice, because I'm just an author, but if they see themselves in traumatized characters, or they suffer feelings of depression or anxiety or stress for any reason, they should seek advice from a professional therapist.
When you're not writing, what are some you like to do to kick back and relax?
Knit, embroider, color (I'm working on an intricate Golden Ratio coloring book right now), read, of course, watch t.v. with my daughter and husband (my sons don't really watch t.v.), and bake. I have quite a few hobbies, lol.
Did you model any of the characters in the "Birmingham Rebels" series after any famous football players?
I didn't, actually. The truth is, I'm a hockey fan. But when I imagined this series it just insisted that it was a football team. So I had to learn all about football. I knew the basics, and I knew some famous players, but I had to educate myself quite a bit.
How did you begin writing the Mercury Rising series?
I just sat down and began to write. I think I mentioned that Cherry Pie just flowed right out of me, the story fully formed. It's really the only book that has ever come to me like that. And the writing process reflected that. I was also writing about places I knew and where I'd been.
Was the process of writing the book, Broken Play, any different from your other books?
The research! I knew very little about football and suddenly I was watching the NFL network all day, watching every football game on t.v., reading books on football. I was a football junkie, lol. Coming from a history background, researching historical romance was second nature to me. But football research was a whole new game, so to speak.
Have your children and husband ever inspired or helped you think of book plots or characters?
No. lol. My daughter is only just becoming interested in the fact I'm a writer. She's 14 now. I'm working on a middle grade time travel book and she's interested in that one, and in helping me with that, but that's the first time.
When researching for a book, do you prefer to talk to people or read books or articles for research? Or a combination of both?
I prefer to read my research, and that's mostly due to how I learn things. I'm not an auditory learner. So talking to people means I'm going to miss half of what they tell me. Lectures, interviews--I just don't process them. I have to read something for the information to stick.
What are some of your most memorable memories working as a high school social studies teacher?
I don't really have specific memories, just that I loved it. I loved the kids and teaching and I had fun with it. One thing that stuck with me, and that I'm proud of, is when a special needs teacher told me that everyone in her department loved me because I made the subject understandable for their kids and I helped their kids be successful in a class that normally they struggled in. I had kids from all levels in my classes--I taught the general classes, not AP or honors. So I had straight A kids, and kids who struggled, side by side, and I had to make it work for both. And I think I did that.
How many plot ideas are just waiting to be written? Can you tell us about one?
So many! I'm thinking of writing a serialized romance about a young English woman, an English gentleman, and an Irish prizefighter who cross the Atlantic together on a ship in the early 1900's, and eventually end up in San Francisco during the earthquake of 1906. I've been sitting on that one for years.
What has your experience with AllAuthor been like so far?
I love it! You guys are great. It's so wonderful to have a reliable source of promotion and marketing that you don't have to think about, so you can concentrate on writing. And with things like the Magic Tool to make banners for social media, it's such a time saver.
