Interview with Author Kathryn Kane.
This week we have author Kathryn Kane as our guest. Let’s see what she has to say to some Q&A.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Though I was born and raised in Arizona, I now live in Boston, Massachusetts. I was a museum and historic house curator for several years, but now I test educational software for a living. My favorite romance author has always been Georgette Heyer. In fact, her historical novels inspired me to become a history major in college, which I thoroughly enjoyed. (Thank you, Georgette!!!) I still do a lot of history research, but these days, I study what I want and am not answerable to any professor. It is a lot more fun that way.
Tell us about your latest project.
Though my first novel is a Regency romance, I am actually working on a fantasy romance right now. The story just came to me out of nowhere and I found I had to write it. It is about a young woman who offers to sacrifice herself to save the forest she loves, which is dying. The wizard who is the guardian of the forest accepts her offer, then finds he cares for her and cannot bear to see her loose her life. But, by then, she also knows that if the forest dies, he will die, and she has come to care for him, too. They are at odds, but, at the last minute, they find a solution which allows them their happily ever after as well as ensuring a healthy future for the forest.
What is your favorite book and why?
That is a tough one. If you are talking about romance novels, The Nonesuch, by Georgette Heyer is my all-time favorite. In my opinion, it is her best Regency romance, because I find all her characters in that story so believable. And, I have a wicked crush on the hero of that story. For me, it is a delight to read, every time.
If you are talking about history books, my other love, I tend to enjoy the one I am reading at the moment most, because I am learning something new. Biographies are my favorites because I like learning about how individual people lived in the past, how they coped with the challenges in their lives.
What do you like to do when you need a break from writing?
Either a long bicycle ride or a long session of needlework. Though sometimes, it ends up just being housework, since elves never come to my house to do the laundry or vacuum the carpets. I have to admit that I am a fair-weather cyclist. I don’t care to ride in the rain or snow. A long ride on a nice day helps me clear my head and more often than not, solutions to story problems just pop into my head as I am riding along. Needlework is also a wonderful escape for me. I love to crochet, tat, embroider and quilt and doing any of them for any length of time is very absorbing and afterwards, I feel like I have had a nice vacation.
Where do you usually write? Do you write in silence or with music or other background sounds?
Depends on the time of year. I have a laptop, so I can write wherever I like. In the summer, I prefer to write on my back porch, which is screened in on three sides. It is like being outside without having to commune with the insects. In the cold weather, I write in the house, and tend to follow the sun. I usually write in the living room or dining room, depending upon which room has the most sun. The light and warmth give me energy.
Usually I listen to classical music when I am writing. I love rock and roll, but I find I cannot ignore it when it is on. Classical music, if I keep it low, is relaxing and it helps me get into the right mood to write.
Who is your inspiration? What inspired you to become a writer?
Georgette Heyer, for sure. Though I will never approach her mastery of the genre, I discovered the Regency period in her books. But after having read all of them several times, as well as the work of many other Regency authors, I wanted more. With my background in history, I felt confident that I could write a Regency romance which fellow Regency fans would enjoy.
My particular inspiration for writing Deflowering Daisy, which is a first time story, were a number of conversations I have had over the years with various ladies who were rather disappointed by their first time. I wanted to write a story for them where the hero got it right, so they would have an alternative “first time.”
What is your least favorite part of being an author?
The administrative duties. It is like being a small business person, so one has to handle promotion, keep track of commitments, as well as expenses, not to mention reporting and paying taxes 🙁 None of that is my idea of a good time.
What is your favorite part of being an author?
Creating characters and worlds for them to inhabit. I love the past, especially the Regency period, and I love being able to wander through it as my characters come to know and trust one another as their relationships grow and deepen.
What is your favorite motivational phrase, and why?
Just do it!
When I first thought about becoming an author, that is what I did, I thought about it. A lot. Then it dawned on me that did not make me an author. I had to get on with the business of actually writing. Once I started, it pulled me in and I just had to get those stories down on paper. And the more I wrote, the more confident I felt about my characters and their story.
Do you have a writing space? Tell us what it’s like.
My apartment is not big enough for me to have a dedicated writing space. But that is all right, since I have a laptop. With that, I can work anywhere I please, as the spirit moves me. I love being able to work on my back porch in the summer, since it is nearly the same as being outdoors. I value those days, since the Boston winters can be very tough and it is no fun being outdoors then. Plus, since I have my history books in more than one room, it is convenient for me to work in the room where the books I am using at that time are located.
Blurb from Deflowering Daisy
“She cannot remain a virgin!”
For so she was, after nearly a decade of marriage. When she was sixteen, Daisy had willingly, happily, married a man more than fifty years her senior, to escape a forced marriage to a man she abhorred. Though Sir Arthur Hammond had been a wild rake in his youth, he was so deeply in love with his late, beloved first wife that he never considered consummating his second marriage, certainly not with a woman he considered a daughter. But now, knowing he was dying and that he would be leaving sweet, innocent Daisy ignorant of the physical intimacies which could be enjoyed between a man and a woman, he felt that it was imperative she be given the knowledge which would prepare her for the life of a wealthy widow. Armed with the knowledge of physical intimacy, she would be much better prepared to deal with any fortune hunter who might try to seduce her into marriage for her money. And who better to initiate Daisy into the pleasures of the bedchamber than his godson. David had become nearly a recluse since a tragedy which occurred while he was serving the Crown against the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte. Prior to that, his skill as a tender and considerate lover had been bruited about in certain circles. Therefore, Sir Arthur believed that David was just the man to introduce Daisy to physical pleasure. And what might spending time with true and gentle Daisy do for David?
Author Bio
Kathryn Kane is a historian and former museum curator who has enjoyed Regency romances since she first discovered them in her teens. She credits the novels of Georgette Heyer with influencing her choice of college curriculum, and she now takes advantage of her knowledge of history to write her own stories of romance in the Regency. Though she now has a career in the tech industry, she has never lost her love of the period and continues to enjoy reading Regency novels and researching her favorite period of English history.
Where to find Kathryn Kane
“Thanks for joining me today. I’d love to hear your thoughts and I’d love it if you could use the little share buttons to share with your friends. I can also be found on Facebook * Twitter*LinkedIn* Google+ * Pinterest. Sign up for my newsletter over on the sidebar to the right, and you will be notified when my next book releases. When you sign-up you will also receive a FREE copy of Love on the Screen.”
