Hi, Jenn and thank you so much for having me on your blog today! I’m a YA and adult contemporary romance author who lives in the Adirondack Mountains of northern New York. I’m married and have a daughter, a cat, and two dogs, all of whom I adore. I’ve pretty much written all my life, starting when I got my first journal—somewhere around age nine or ten. I loved being able to express myself in any way that I wanted, in poems, song lyrics, short stories, rants… it helped to come home from a tough day at school and have that “other” space in which to lose myself. I wanted to someday give readers that same experience, stories and worlds they could lose themselves in, that’d take them away from regular life for a while.
What was your inspiration for HIS KIND OF COWGIRL?
Love and Happily-ever-after always inspires me. In this case, I wanted to write a second chance love story because more and more people are finding that sometimes the timing was off or they weren’t ready for love the first time around and wish they could go back. This story is the chance for two characters, who are at a crossroads in their lives, to do just that. Also, I love western romances and wanted to set one in Texas with a rancher’s daughter and a rodeo bull-riding champion. I’m a big fan of secret child romances and being able to bring all of these elements into a compelling story made it a dream to write. I’m excited for the novel to be released this month!
What three words would you use to best describe HIS KIND OF COWGIRL?
Romantic, Uplifting, Emotional.
Can you tell us if you’re working on anything else at the moment?
I have another Harlequin Heartwarming, UNDER AN ADIRONDACK SKY, coming out in July, 2016 and the first in my three book Harlequin Blaze USCG military series, HIS TO PROTECT, releasing October, 2016. I have three more books coming out after that, including the one that I’m working on now, Claire’s sister Dani’s romance which is another western, this time set in Colorado, and a suspense. Additionally, my sister-in-law and YA co-author, Joanne Rock and I have another camp story to add to our Sun Kissed series, CAMP CRUSH, coming out in May, 2016.
What was your very first book that you wrote?
The first book I wrote was a YA called CAMP KISS. The first solo book I wrote was WISH ME TOMORROW. I’m thrilled that it’s won two awards and was selected, by Harlequin, to be offered free to readers interested in trying the Harlequin Heartwarming line. You can download a digital copy, free by clicking HERE or at http://bit.ly/1MVzpJf.
Other than your own, what are your favorite books?
I love so many! Ah! How to choose? I guess if I was stranded on a desert island, I would want my Lord of the Rings series
When you are writing do you like to listen to music?
What is on your playlist? I am so easily distracted it’s ridiculous! I like the sound soother on—like thunderstorms or rainfall… stuff like that, while I’m writing. When I’m driving or relaxing, I’m a huge Adele fan and I also love Hosier and Fun.
Who is your favorite character in your books?
I love my heroes and heroines so much, but sometimes the quirky secondary characters catch my eye. I really loved creating Jonathan, the freckle-faced son of my heroine in HIS KIND OF COWGIRL. He’s got ADHD, which makes it hard for him to hold still and he’s constantly getting into trouble. He has a huge heart, loves superheroes and sneaking out with his terrier, Roxy.
Do you ever take characteristics or nuances from close friends or family when working on character development and if so has that friend or family member noticed and what was their response to it?
I definitely have done that, to some degree, in all of my novels. Probably the character that’s most like someone close to me is the heroine in HIS HOMETOWN GIRL. Her son is autistic and while she tries hard, she always feels like other people are looking at her, judging, thinking she’s a bad mom for not making her child behave better in public. This character was based on my sister and her daughter Abbie, who’s autistic.
What’s your favorite treat?
Fresh baked cookies! My parents nicknamed me cookie when I was little and I have it still
What’s your Favorite place to read/write?
Reading is always best lying down, preferably outside, for me! Writing needs to be in my comfy chair, my puppy Zoey on the recliner part by my feet.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
St. Thomas or St. John’s- U.S. Virgin Islands. I’ve been there three times and every time I say, “We need to move here!” Oh- and Disney, of course ;)
Thank you for stopping by Karen, we had a lot of fun chatting with you and learning more about His kind of Cowgirl!
Thanks so much for hosting me today on your blog, Jennifer :)
ReplyDeleteI love hearing about the nuances that go into the writing process. HIS KIND OF COWGIRL is so real and charged with emotion, it's easy to get caught up in the story. I'm so glad you took that first step with CAMP KISS, Karen! And I'm with you on living in St. Thomas or St. John. Maybe we can talk our husbands into moving there!
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