This week on Author On The Couch,
I conduct a session with
Kathryn Jane.
GIVEAWAY! Kathryn is giving away a Kindle copy of her novel LIES.
Me: Tell me about an experience that had a profound impact on your life.
Kathryn: I was diagnosed with cancer when I was only thirty, and the first prognosis I was given was “at best, fair.” It was a scary year, but I came out the other end with a grand appreciation for life. Thirty years later, I can still say that cancer was a gift that changed my life for the better.
Me: I love the way you’ve found the bright side to a dark diagnosis.
What personality trait of yours helps you most as an author?
Kathryn: I’m an optimist who believes anything is possible, so I have no problem finding ways for my characters to overcome adversity.
Me: What personality trait of yours hinders you most as an author?
Kathryn: I’m an introvert, so getting “out there” and promoting my books is not natural for me.
Me: A lot of introverts have that same problem.
What was your high point as a writer?
Kathryn: Shortly after publishing my first book, I got a five-star review from a total stranger and I was blown away. Sure my family and friends loved my stories, but this was a someone who didn’t know me, like me, love me, or have any other reason to leave a good review other than she loved my book!
Me: What was your low point as a writer—a time when you questioned your path as a writer?
Kathryn: When my editor said I was being disingenuous to my readers because I wasn’t sharing the heroine’s secrets with them and was too focused on the mystery. It took me a while to come to terms with this because for one, her tone was upsetting, and two, I believed the suspense would be ruined if the reader had all the information too soon.
I handled it by sending the manuscript to a couple of author friends, and some beta readers. They all loved the mystery and the way it lead up to surprises along the way.
When I told them what the other editor had said (more than once in the ms) they all disagreed with her, suggesting that maybe she didn’t like mysteries.
I scrolled through her other authors and found this to be true, then shopped around for a new editor who I’m thrilled with. She pulls no punches, but is a well-seasoned, retired New York editor, a professional who knows the job inside and out, and, she works with authors who write in my genres.
Me: If you could be any character in any book for a day who would you be? Why?
Kathryn: Eve Dallas from the JD Robb, In Death series. Why? Um, Roarke. Oh, and I adore everything about her, right from the messy hair she cuts herself (yep, me too) to her lack of comfort in social situations, her honesty and fierce loyalty, and of course her gumption. When I read JD Robb, I feel like Eve.
Me: If you could have dinner with any famous author who would it be? Why?
Kathryn: Walter Farley. I’d like to tell him that his Black Stallion books made a huge difference in my life. As a child, they gave me a wonderful place to go. As an adult they are a wonderful memory.
Me: What do you collect? Why? What personal meaning does this item have for you?
Kathryn: Beach glass and shells. Because they take me back to the ocean where my soul can breathe.
Me: I collect shells too. Every time we visit Florida we return with a bucket full of them.
Tell me about your romantic suspense novel LIES.
Kathryn:
The last thing Tara needs is a nosey man.
The last thing Jake needs is an uptight female with a grumpy cat.
When Meyers Security is hired to find a stolen, multi-million dollar Thoroughbred, Jake uses the opportunity to chase down the one woman who’s hovered at the edge of his mind for far too long. Tara isn’t his type, yet he can’t shake the image of her lean, mean attitude, long black hair, and mysterious dark eyes.
Tara has a rep–handles whatever comes her way, and is paid top fees as an international equine escort. Jake is the one man who can get her to talk but at what price? She has enough information to blow his case out of the water, but she’s been lying so long it feels like the truth.
One horse is missing. Will there be more?
Find out in the latest edition to the Intrepid Women series by award-winning author, Kathryn Jane.
Me: Share with us a favorite paragraph or two from your newest release.
Kathryn:
Everything about the case could have changed if only she’d had the balls to step up and own what was hers.
She took a deep breath and raised her voice. “I have something to say.”
All eyes turned her way and, suddenly, she was small. A speck among these strong men and women. She pulled the talisman from her pocket and held it firmly between her hands. Her backbone straightened and her chin came up. She looked right at Jake and sweat dampened her skin as she prepared to say the words he needed to hear. Words she hoped she’d never have to say out loud again.
If you enjoyed this post, you could you please do Kathryn and me a favor? Hit one of the handy-dandy Click-To-Tweet buttons and share it with your friends. Thank you.
[Tweet theme=”basic-full”]Romantic #suspense, horses, and a grumpy cat…Check out the excerpt to LIES by @Author_Kat_Jane. Via @Abbie_Roads http://wp.me/p5h5aN-l4[/Tweet]
[Tweet theme=”basic-full”]Stop by #AuthorontheCouch to see how @Author_Kat_Jane found the bright side to a cancer diagnosis. Via @Abbie_Roads http://wp.me/p5h5aN-l4[/Tweet]
To Purchase LIES:
You can find Kathryn here:
Website: http://kathrynjane.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kathryn.jane.921
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Author_Kat_Jane
