Author Interview: Kaye Spencer

EQ Welcomes Kaye Spencer

EQ: Welcome to EQ! Tell us a little bit about yourself!

KAYE: Thank you for inviting me over for an interview today. I'm romance author, Kaye Spencer. In my early days of publishing, I wrote under the pen name, A.L. Debran. I write steamy romances from my basement hovel in a small, rural town in the far southeastern corner of Colorado. I tend to break into spontaneous singing from Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, and La Bohème (no, I don’t speak French, I sing along phoenetically). Shakespeare quotes occasionally roll off my tongue, and I speak 'movie lines' especially from my favorite movie, The Princess Bride. To the dismay of my long-suffering family and two dogs, I am afflicted with ACD—accumulative cat disorder—with no cure in sight. I am a review editor for Joyfully Reviewed, and I take on occasional manuscript editing projects. I retired from a long career in education in June of 2012, and I'm enjoying being a full-time writer and spoiler of grandchildren.

EQ: If your novel was adapted into a movie and won an Oscar for best screenplay, what would you say in your acceptance speech?

KAYE: This is a fun question, because my life-long writing dream is to see my name beside the words "Based on the novel by" in the credits of a major motion picture. So here's my Oscar speech:

The author—the writer—conceives the idea that becomes the words of the story or screenplay, but it is the director and actors who interpret those words in their own unique ways that brings the screenplay to life. Clint Eastwood, without your direction, my story would not have become the screenplay and ultimately the Oscar winning movie that you made it. And congratulations to Gerard Butler for your Best Actor win and my deepest admiration for understanding the inner darkness that drove my hero. And to Anne Hathaway… Congratulations to you as well, because you so richly deserved the Best Actress Oscar for portraying my heroine with all the spunk and never-give-up attitude I wrote into her character. Thank you all.

EQ: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your writing?

KAYE: I grew up immersed in all things western on a cattle ranch, from not missing an episode of any western television show to going to the local theater to watch John Wayne on the big screen. But, my biggest influencers on my writing were Louis L’Amour’s novels and Marty Robbins’ gunfighter ballads. This is where I truly acquired my love of the OldWest—truths and myths alike—which is the genre I’m drawn to for creating stories. I’m most comfortable with writing in historical settings as opposed to contemporary. I like the challenges of working the plot around the inconveniences of the past.

EQ: What is the biggest risk you’ve taken in your writing?

KAYE: I haven’t taken my biggest risk yet, but it’s just around the corner. I’m going to jump into the self-publishing arena. I’m planning on Indie-pubbing a novella length historical romance that is in final edits right now.

EQ: Tell us a little bit about your most recent release.

KAYE: My latest release is a short story called Gifts to Treasure. It’s one of 15 stories in an anthology offered by Exquisite Quills (A Holiday Anthology, Vol. 1 available for FREE download here: Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/374815). Gifts to Treasure is about ‘getting by’ during the American Great Depression. The hero, Mike, finds himself disinherited, homeless, and bitter at having his playboy lifestyle snatched from his grasp. He is now just one of countless men hopping freight trains for a free ride from somewhere, going nowhere. Then an encounter with two young fatherless children on a snowy Christmas Eve causes him to reassess what is important in his life. This story is ripe for expansion, which I hope to accomplish before the end of this year.

Check out these titles by Kaye Spencer:

Lonely Places

Gunslingers & Ghostriders

In the Cards, the Vampire Oracle: Life

The Dance

Gambling with Love

Get Branded

Gifts to Treasure (short story in an anthology)

Kaye Spencer's Links:

Website - http://www.kayespencer.com

Blog - http://kayespencer.wordpress.com/blog

Twitter handle - @kayespencer

Facebook link - https://www.facebook.com/kayespencer23

Amazon Author Central:

Kaye Spencer http://www.amazon.com/author/kayespencer

A.L. Debran http://www.amazon.com/author/aldebran

The Genesis of a Book - Just One Look by Joan Reeves

Inspiration for Just One Look

Book ideas can come from some unexpected places and events. Everything an author does is filtered through a convoluted brain that sometimes, in my case at least, can see humor in the strangest situations.

The idea for my romantic comedy, Just One Look, is a perfect example of this. Many years ago, I had a lunch date scheduled with some of my writing friends. Prior to the lunch though, I had my annual appointment for a mammogram.

At the women's clinic, with me wearing the not-so-cute gowns we have to wear, I waited for the technician to enter the room. When she walked in, I was surprised to see that it was someone I knew but had lost touch with over the years. I must confess that I saw the humor in renewing our acquaintance while baring my breasts, but we both laughed about it and proceeded with the mammogram.

When finished, we promised to get together again soon without the big X-ray machine, and I hurried to the Olive Garden to meet my friends for lunch.

Over lunch, I was telling my friends about how I spent my morning. Interestingly enough, one friend said, "How embarrassing."

To which I laughed and replied, "Not really. What would be embarrassing was if a woman went in for her annual GYN exam and the doctor turned out to be an old boyfriend!"

We all laughed, but my throwaway comment triggered my writer's imagination. I went home and wrote the first chapter of what would become my best selling book of all time, Just One Look. That book sold to Kensington when I submitted it. Later, it sold in hardcover then in a large print edition. In 2011, when I decided to become an indie author and publish it as an ebook, it took off like hot cakes.

Just One Look has sold more than 100,000 copies since 2011. This sexy romance–and 2 other of my romantic comedies–also brought me a French World Rights deal with Bragelonne, my wonderful French publisher. They brought it and the other two books out in print and ebook in 2012. I'm happy to report that they proved just as popular in French as in English. Oh, and it's on audio also with one of the best narrators I've ever heard bringing it to life.

Want to know what my best-selling contemporary romance is about? Well, the tagline is: "Kids play doctor, but these doctors play seduction games." Seduction, romance, sweet revenge, comedy, and a strong sense of fun.

BLURB

What would you do if the gynecologist subbing for your regular doctor turned out to be your old high school crush?

Successful psychologist Dr. Jennifer Monroe does what any normal, well-adjusted woman would do. She makes an excuse to send the doctor and nurse from the room, dives into her clothes, and flees!

Unfortunately, her running away makes conscientious Dr. Matt Penrose conclude she has some kind of sexual hangup. He's determined to refer her to another doctor for her health's sake. If he can just talk to her, he'll suggest counseling for what he thinks are emotional problems.

Jennifer refuses to take his phone calls and hopes never to see him again. After all, Dallas is a big city. What are the odds that she'll ever run into him again? Even money when Fate lends a hand.

When Jennifer and Matt meet at a charity gala, he earnestly urges her to seek professional help. Jennifer is incensed that he thinks she's some frigid old maid -- and that he doesn't remember her. All the old high school resentment floods back, fueling her determination to teach him a lesson he won't soon forget.

With Jennifer, payback is a scorcher. Kids play doctor, but these doctors play seduction games. And they're playing for keeps. Will Matt recognize Jennifer? Will Jennifer lure him into her bed?

Seduction and sex can be pretty funny when both sides play dirty!

LINKS

 Audible: http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?asin=B008OXYYZ2

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Just-One-Look-ebook/dp/B004TSCOK8/

Apple Bookstore: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/just-one-look/id576205204?mt=11

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/just-one-look-joan-reeves/1100327170

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/just-one-look

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/51565

First Kiss Wednesday

It's  First Kiss Wednesday!

 
Kisses are the mainstay of romance writing.  No matter how sweet or spicy our stories are, they usually involve at least a kiss or two.  And the first kiss is especially lovely - that first, soft touch of lips - or perhaps the kiss is fierce and hungry.  Maybe the characters murmur words of love or words of teasing while discovering the texture and taste of each other.  Maybe the only sounds they can emit are gentle, timorous moans or deep, throaty groans.

Okay, now that we've set the premise, here's what you can do for First Kiss Wednesdays.  In the comment box, give us a maximum of 300 words of the first kiss of a published work or a work-in-progress and one link to your website or blog or Amazon Author Page. 

Read and luxuriate in the glories of the first kiss...

Oh, and lips only...  ;-)

Set the Scene in Six Sentences Sunday - Share the Six!

One of the finest aspects of fiction writing is the ability to set the scene.  Characters act and react, but they don't do so in a vacuum.  In their world, they meet, fall in love, solve problems, sometimes horrendous problems.  Maybe it's a small town, maybe the big city, the green, humid jungle, dust-dry desert, a mountainous region.  On the sea.  Under the sea.  In space! 

Setting the scene sets up the unexpected. It's also done by using character dialogue to paint a picture of loveliness, danger, evil, trepidation, excitement, awe...

Give us six sentences that set the scene.  Set the Scene in Six Sentences - Sunday is a new opportunity on the Exquisite Quills Blog to tout your talent.  How have you set the scene or the lead-up in your books?  How have you put the reader into the life of your characters?

Every Sunday, the blog will be open to six-sentence scene-setting.  Just post your six sentences, your name, and one link in the comment box.  We can't wait to read you!

Pass the word!  Open to all!