Interview

Hi Kate and Welcome!  Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to interview you for Romance Junkies. First, can you let us know what projects you are currently working on?

 

Hi, I’m so pleased to be here!

 

I write under two names, which keeps me very busy. Right now I’m in the latter stages of writing a single title contemporary romance/mystery for my second name. When I finish, I’ll return to my Kate St. James projects. I’m going to try my hand at an erotic short story/novella under 15,000 words. So far all the novellas I’ve written and sold have been between 25,000 and 30,000 words, so it will be a challenge to see if I can write something emotionally satisfying at a shorter length.

 

Who/What inspired you to write? Who is your biggest supporter?

 

I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was a child, however, my third grade teacher read a series of novels to the class every day, and that’s the earliest I can remember entering fantasies of becoming a writer myself. As for my biggest supporter, it’s my husband, without a doubt. I’ve experienced a very long and bumpy road on the way to publication, and his faith in me has held strong the entire time. My parents and my little sister are also ardent supporters.

 

How did you celebrate the sale of your first book? Who did you call first?

 

I called my husband first and then emailed my former critique partners, who are all good writing buddies. My husband and I went out to dinner at a little Italian restaurant we’d never tried before.

 

What do you feel makes a great Romance Hero? How do you develop your heroes?

 

I like writing heroes who are willing to admit when they are wrong. Hey, it’s fantasy! J In fact, I wish they’d admit they were wrong more often than they do. But I also admire heroes who make the heroine work for their love. I don’t think he should be the only one who has to change or strive to overcome an obstacle in order for the couple to be happy. My heroes and heroines balance each other, challenge each other, and strive to fulfill each other’s goals and dreams. Plus, he needs to be hot!

 

As far as developing my heroes, I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer so I tend to come up with his name first and an idea of what he looks like. Then I just start writing and see what develops both for his character and the story. Sometimes I come up with his occupation first, because it can influence how I see him as a character.

 

What do you hope readers take away after reading one of your stories? What do you want them to feel?

 

I hope my stories offer my readers an escape. I want them to feel invested in the characters, to daydream about what they might be doing a month, a year, or a decade down the line. In other words, I want my readers to feel like they are reading about real people. At the same time, I write light erotic romance and erotic romantic comedy, so while I do want my readers to feel what my characters feel, to get upset when my characters are upset, to get excited when my characters are excited, I also like to leave my readers with smiles on their faces as they close the last pages of my stories. When a reader finishes one of my stories, I want them to feel refreshed and positive and invigorated--and looking forward to seeing their significant other at the end of the day.

 

Do you find it easier to write with a deadline or without? How do you feel when you write “the end” Are you ready to send your characters on their way?

 

I haven’t really experienced writing to a deadline yet as a published author, as so far I’ve always had a full manuscript to submit. I’m so used to not writing to a deadline--to having the luxury of allowing my characters and stories to develop at their natural pace--that it will be interesting to see how I fare the first time I’m faced with a deadline.  I’m talking about a deadline to write a whole novella or novel based on a proposal. I have of course worked to deadlines for revisions and other publishing necessities, and I haven’t had a problem doing so.

 

I totally love writing The End. It’s such a great feeling of accomplishment. However, my characters stay with me until I’ve sold a project and, if necessary, revised it to the editor’s specifications. Once I’m done the revisions and signed the contracts (and cashed the checks!), then I can let the characters go. Until I’ve completed revisions, however, the characters aren’t fully “finished” in my mind, because I’m aware I might have to tweak them as per the editor’s request.

 

Since you have started your career as a writer, what would you say are the most important lessons you have learned?

 

Perseverance, without a doubt. It took me a very long time to sell, and without perseverance and believing in my comedic voice, my characters and their stories, I would have given up ages ago. Publishing is a very difficult business. Not all great writers get published. You have to learn to develop a very thick skin and a professional attitude toward rejections. You have to learn that it isn’t personal, it is just business. That’s hard to keep in mind when an editor asks you to write something and then rejects it for the very same reasons she said she wanted you to write it, for example, but publishing needs change. The industry is very fluid. Trends come and go. So if you don’t believe in yourself and if you don’t have the strength to persevere, unless you hit a wild streak of luck, you might not get very far.

 

Do you feel a romance story has to have a Happily Ever After? Why or why not?

 

I don’t necessarily feel a couple needs to commit to marriage at the end of a romance, however I definitely feel they should commit to one another as a couple. Otherwise, it’s not a romance. That remains true for erotic romance. Now, if we’re talking about erotica, which to me is more about the characters’ sexual journeys than the story of their courtship, then, no, I don’t believe a Happily Ever After is necessary. The purpose of an erotica story might be the process of the heroine’s self-discovery. She might have relationships within the story, but she might end up alone, although still happy, at the end. That’s all fine and dandy. But as soon as “romance” is attached to the description of a story, yes, in my mind there needs to be a commitment of some sort, a Happily Ever After, if you will, between the couple at the end.

 

How did you meet you husband? What is the most romantic thing he has ever done for you?

 

I’ve known my husband since I was a teenager, so I met him in the halls in high school. J He was a star athlete, so I probably noticed him before he noticed me. However, I had my eye on another guy at the time, but my husband and I ran into each other at a party, and he wouldn’t leave me alone after that, so I gave in and agreed to go out with him. Seven years later, I finally married him. I made him work for it! J

 

One of the most romantic things he’s ever done for me is surprise me with a poem and a beautiful necklace when we met in San Francisco following an RWA conference. However, I also thought it was just as romantic when he helped demolish our kitchen prior to renovations. I believe in finding romance in everyday life.

 

What is the last book that you read that left a big impression on you?

 

I recently read LOOK ME IN THE EYE, by John Elder Robison, a memoir about growing up with Asperger’s Syndrome. I really enjoyed it, because I’ve read three of his brother’s (Augusten Burroughs’s) memoirs, and I found it very interesting to read about the same family from a different viewpoint. Also, reading John Robison’s story helped me come to a greater understanding about the behavior of certain people I’ve known throughout the years. John Robison didn’t discover he has Asperger’s Syndrome until, I believe, he was in his early forties, so I really empathized with his struggle to fit in.

MORE FUN…

 

What is your favorite time of day? Why?

 

Oh, gosh, I’m horrible with these types of questions, because I don’t really have a favorite time of day. Unless it’s the weekend, and my husband is available to accompany my dog and me on our daily walk. I love those mornings.

 

Do you prefer a cozy night in or a night out on the town?

 

It depends on the circumstances. (Told you I was horrible with these types of questions). By and large, I probably prefer the cozy night.

 

What characteristics do you love in a person? Which ones do you despise?

 

I love a great sense of humor. I love honesty and integrity and stick-to-it-iveness.

 

Despise is a strong word. I’m not fond of impatience, but if the person has other excellent qualities, I can overlook it. Being quick to anger, jumping to conclusions. Those are also qualities I could do without in a person. However, like I said, it depends on their positive qualities, too. None of us is without fault.

 

If you could meet anyone from the past or present to have a thought provoking conversation with whom would it be and why? 

 

My husband’s brother, who died in his mid-twenties before we were married and was a friend of mine as well as being my potential future brother-in-law. He’s been gone nearly 27 years, and I still miss him. He never had a chance to meet our children. We named one after him, and the other shares several of his personality traits. I’d like to ask him if he came back reincarnated in my son, because sometimes the resemblances between them are uncanny. But mainly I’d just want to hug him and tell him how much he is still remembered and loved.

 

What is the best/worst part of spring for you?

 

The best part of spring is the sun! I love spring, because I adore balmy weather, not too hot and not too cold. I love feeling the fresh air on my face when I walk my dog in the early mornings. The worst part of spring is easy--yard work! I love a great-looking yard, but I’d rather write than dig in the dirt. Unfortunately, we have a huge yard, so dig I must.

 

Kate, thank you so much for spending time with us.  Best of luck with your writing.

By Kim Atchue-Cusella

Romance Junkies Publishing Editor

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