WWR: Kathryn, since this is your first interview with WeWriteRomance.com I'd like to start off by having you give our visitors a brief rundown of how you got started writing romance? What inspired you to enter this field? How long have you been writing?
Kathryn: I’ve always wanted to be a writer and penned my first short story at fifteen. It was about a female reporter who goes to New York City to work on a newspaper and butts heads with a very stubborn and chauvinistic editor. I should have known then that I was destined to write romance, but my life took a different turn and I became a teacher, a job which I loved. Later in life, I started reading romance novels—my first was by Judith McNaught, whom I still adore—and I decided, “I can do this.” It took three years, but I sold THE FATHER FACTOR to SuperRomance from the slush pile.
WWR: Having written over thirty books for both publishing giants, Harlequin and Berkley, can you tell us what you've found to be the easiest and hardest parts of being a romance author?
Kathryn: It’s so easy for me to write the story. Ideas pop into my head all the time, both for other storylines and the current manuscript. I’m constantly foraging out a sheet of paper in the grocery store, on the way to a movie, even in the church pew, to make notes on what I’m writing that day or for a future plotlines. The hardest part is making each book different since I write the same kinds of contemporary works for both presses. I can do it, but I have to stretch, which is good.
WWR: In that same light, what's been the most memorable moment of your writing career? What would you like to see in the future? And where do you see your career heading?
Kathryn: Probably the most memorable part of my career happened on one snowy afternoon, December 1st, 1994, at two p.m. when I got a call from Harlequin to buy my first book. I’d like to write more novels similar to what I’m doing right now, and maybe something a little different, like a science fiction romance or some women’s fiction, though my favorite to read and write remains contemporary romance. And, of course, I’d like to make the NY Times list.
WWR: Readers often like to know exactly how many books you've written, and if all of them have been published. If they all have, can you tell us by whom and when? Have you only been published by Harlequin and Berkley? (If there are too many to list and you have a backlist page on your site, can you share that url?)
Kathryn: I’ve written twenty-two published books for Harlequin and four books that, for various reasons, were not bought by Super. (Mostly I’m glad because their quality wasn’t very good.) I have ten books published from Berkley. You can view these at www.kathrynshay.com/favorites. I’m also writing a different kind of book that is still a work-in-progress, a big women’s fiction, that I keep trying to make perfect. I’ve only published for Berkley and Harlequin so far.
WWR: We'd love to know how you structure your time when you're working on a book. Do you have a set schedule? Do you work with an outline or synopsis...or do you "fly by the seat of your pants" so to speak?
Kathryn: I structure my time to write in the morning. I work on new material and may write one fully revised and edited scene. Or, I write a whole chapter that is very rough and then I spend a few days revising and polishing it. Sometimes, after I go to my volunteer work or yoga or out to lunch, I come back to the scenes and work on them. But, remember, I was a full time teacher for the first ten years of my writing career and I had to work in short blocks. It has carried over now that I’m retired, and served me well.
I used to write solely from a synopsis, but these days, even though I sell the book on just the outline, I most likely veer from it when my characters decide to go their own way and do what they want, and not what I planned!
WWR: For the writers out there reading this interview, can you share your thoughts on the romance genre and where you think it's heading?
Kathryn: I love romance. Even when I was young and read works like THE SCARLET LETTER, I was thinking, “Darn it, why aren’t there more scenes between Hester and Arthur?” People will always be reading romance because it focuses on what’s most important to us in life, relationships. I also think, since it tends to be redeeming in the end, it’s a wonderful genre to immerse yourself in. Having just finished Cormac McCarthy’s THE ROAD, a post apocalyptic novel, I’m ready for a good Linda Howard or Nora Roberts storyline.
WWR: Do you belong to any writing groups? Do you recommend aspiring authors join groups? If so, can you suggest which ones are the best investment for your career?
Kathryn: I suggest RWA National and your local chapter. When I started out, I found a wonderful mentor, Suzanne Barclay, at a chapter meeting in my home town. She took special interest in me, read my manuscripts and critiqued them. After the first one was published, we became good writing buddies and personal friends. I also had another critique partner for years.
WWR: Alright, I'm fairly careful about putting in my personal opinion of a book before I read it (and often I don't even then)...I leave that to the WeWriteRomance.com reviewers...but I have to say that Taking the Heat, your upcoming May 2008 release, sounds hot! ;-) A sexy, female firefighter and an Irishman—what more could you want? But, alas, we'd like more details. LOL!
Can you give us a brief rundown of the story, and tell us if it's part of a series or any connected stories you've either written or that are in the works?
Kathryn: Early reviews are saying the book is hot, which surprised me. I guess because I write the story that needs to be told and never think about how sexy it should be. But looking back, there are some pretty steamy love scenes in this one and the sexual chemistry is sizzling. TAKING THE HEAT is the story of Liam O’Neil, part of the O’Neil clan established in SOMEONE TO BELIVE IN and CLOSE TO YOU—but don’t worry, the book stands alone. Liam is a widower, with two troubled sons, and the cook at Bailey’s Irish Pub in New York City. He meets Sophie Tyler, a female firefighter who later becomes a part time waitress/bartender at the pub. There’s chemistry and a lot of respect between them, but how can this man possible risk his and his boys’ hearts on someone who routinely walks into burning buildings? On her part, Sophie never pictures herself with a salt-of-the-earth guy like Liam and a ready made family. An arsonist on the loose exacerbates their concerns about getting involved. But guess what? They do!
WWR: For all those who will fall in love with Taking the Heat and want to read something else quickly, can you tell us how many books you expect to have out in the next year? If you already know, can you tell us the titles and release dates?
Kathryn: I have two Supers already scheduled for January and August 2009. I’m waiting to hear about the next book from Berkley and am also shopping around some new projects.
WWR: Do you like to hear from readers? If so, how (emails, blog posts, etc.)? Also, what's the strangest comment or question a reader has ever sent/asked you?
Kathryn: I love to hear from readers. You can contact me through my website or on my blog. The strangest comments I have ever received have come from prison. Every month or so I get one from a state penitentiary commenting on a book of mine the inmate has read, or how he’d like to write a book or, mostly, why he’s in jail—really, I’m not kidding.
WWR: Kathryn, thank you for visiting with us! We’re definitely looking forward to seeing what’s coming next for you. And now, here’s a peek at the trailer for Taking the Heat...just click play! =)
