Friday, March 22, 2013

Fiery Friday with Kate Davies

Welcome to another Fiery Friday. Today's guest is author Kate Davies. Kate sat down with me to answer a few questions and tell me about her latest novel, Most Likely to Succeed.

Hi Kate and welcome to Fiery Friday!

We’ll start by letting the readers get to know you. So tell us about yourself.

Hi! Thanks for having me. My name is Kate Davies, and I write sexy contemporary romance. I have a new series coming out starting on Monday, called The Girls Most Likely To. All three novellas are set at a ten year high school reunion.

I would love to say that my life is filled with excitement and intrigue, but in reality, I spend most of my time trying to get all the family schedules to match up. It's a red-letter day when I can manage to get everyone where they need to be on time and with all their sports equipment in hand.

Now for the questions:

What do you feel is critical to developing a novel that will glue the reader’s ebook device in their hands until the last page?
      I think having characters you can relate to is vital to that can't-put-it-down reading experience. You can have the most exciting, angsty, remarkable plot ever, but if you don't care about the characters, it won't matter what happens next.

      Women relate to women and, more often than not, we’re left shaking our heads at men. As a woman, how do you write your male characters in their point of view and make them the hot alpha heroes us romance readers fall in love with?
      I love men who think, talk, and act like men. Does that mean they're all interchangeably macho and domineering? Hell, no. I write alpha heroes, beta heroes, and everything in between. But I also listen to guys, talk to guys, really try to make my heroes behave like guys would. But they're also guys who listen to the heroine, put her first, and always want the best for her.

      Why romance? Do you believe it exists in the real world?
Oh, I absolutely believe in real-life romance. I think it's messy and awkward and hard work sometimes, but it's also supportive, passionate, and real. And I write romance because I believe in the happy ending that's also a hopeful beginning.

What is your idea of the perfect hero? Heroine?
I don't know if there's any single perfect hero or heroine. I believe there's a hero or heroine who is perfect for that other person, and it's in finding that person who meshes with you despite the flaws and foibles of being human that makes a relationship work. There are some qualities that I find heroic, though - listening, following through, admitting wrongdoing and setting things right.

If you had access to a time machine, what year would you travel to and why?
Ooh, good question! I'm not picky about the specific year - just send me back to some point before the Globe Theater burned down so I can see an original Shakespeare production!

If you could have dinner with any three people in the world, who would they be and why?
If we're talking about currently-alive people, I'd choose Eric Sheffer Stevens, my favorite actor, as the first. I've gotten the opportunity to interview him over the phone before, and I'd love to talk with him in person. Fascinating conversationalist. Second would be Suzanne Brockmann. I'd love to talk dialogue and characterization with her. And if I really truly had to hold it down to three, the final choice would be Jon Stewart, because I think he's hilarious, and would keep the conversation going if it started to flag.

Who is you favorite character that you’ve created and why?
Man, this is like asking who my favorite child is! Hmm...I guess I'd have to go with Tess, the heroine of Life of the Party. She's just so unaware of her own self-worth, and she's absolutely worth so much! (It could also be due to the fact that I'm working on revisions for that story right now and she's freshest in my mind, LOL)

You wake up one morning and realize you’re suddenly a kid again, but you remember everything about being an adult. What advice would you give yourself?
Don't take life so seriously. Go out and play some more. And eat your vegetables.

Did you have a predetermined plan when you began your writing career and, if so, has that plan changed since your books have been released?
Oh, I was going to be a famous fantasy writer. That's worked out well, don't you think? :) Actually, since switching to the romance genre, I haven't been too caught up in plans. I just want to write books I love, and share them with readers who enjoy them.

Aspiring authors are always eager to hear advice. What would you say to them?
Write, write, write! And then revise, revise, revise. Not every word that you put to paper is brilliant and profound. But every word IS a step to building the writing "muscle" needed to be in this career for the long haul. A gymnast doesn't perform a perfect 10 floor routine the first time on the mat. He or she practices long and hard to get to that place. Writing is the same way. Practice is key.



Available at Carina Press

Book one in The Girls Most Likely to…

Ten years after being voted Most Likely to Succeed, Kelsey Moore is still living in her hometown, still working in her family's flower shop, and too embarrassed to attend her high school reunion. Only the chance to reconnect with her study buddy—and secret crush—Nathan Barrow tempts her to go.

Nathan isn't sure why he came back for the reunion after spending the past decade working abroad. But when he runs into his former lab partner, Kelsey, he's sure glad he did. The chemistry between them is as potent as ever, and when she offers him a weekend of wild, no-strings-attached sex, Nathan knows he'd be a fool to say no.

Nathan can't be tied to one place for long. But the more time they spend together—in and out of bed—the more Kelsey wonders if their reunion could become something more permanent. That is, if Nathan is still interested when he finds out she's been less than honest with him about her life since graduation…

Want to know more about Kate and her novels? Visit her at the following sites:


www.kate-davies.com (under construction)
www.ninenaughtynovelists.blogspot.com



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