EQ Welcomes Kaye Spencer
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.
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
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
4 comments:
Oh, Kaye, I love the premise of your story, Gifts to Treasure. And I love your choice of music, Phantom, etc. Thanks for coming to EQ's interviews.
Thank you, Jane.
I love Marty Robbins' ballads! I'll have to hunt some down now. :) Enjoyed the interview Kaye. Best luck.
Rose,
Marty Robbins' music always makes my list for "What music would you take with you on a deserted island?"
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