Interview with Kit Donner

Jen: Today we welcome debut author Kit Donner to the blog. Kit, will you please share a short bio with us?
Kit: Thanks Jen, glad to. I’m a twin and one of five siblings who grew up on a dairy farm in central Pennsylvania. I graduated from WMC with a BA in English Lit and became a Meeting Planner, which has nothing to do with writing or English lit! I finally came to my senses about writing fiction and poetry in the early 90’s and wrote a book and several poems. Then life intervened. Jobs, moving, family, husband. Two years ago, my writing came back with a force that has totally changed my life in many ways, all for the better.

Jen: Tell us about The Notorious Bridegroom and where it's available.
Kit: My very first novel is part of the Zebra debut author program from Kensington and takes place prior to the Regency period. The heroine, Patience, believes the hero, Lord Londringham, is a French spy and has accused her brother of treason to cover his own sins. What else is a girl to do but spy on the handsome earl and discover his secrets? It won’t be easy to spy on the very attractive Lord Londringham, but Patience is determined to save her brother- even if it means seducing the enemy, but somebody’s got to do it.

It will be sold in Borders stores/online, Barnes & Noble stores/online, most independent bookstores, and online at Amazon, Booksamillion, and many more.

Jen: At what age did you discover writing and when were you first published? Tell us your call story.
Kit: At age ten and heavily influenced by Agatha Christie, I wrote “The Mystery of the China Cat.” It was a tidy little mystery solved in twenty pages, each page was a chapter. Did I mention I wrote it in one night at the kitchen table? (Close to finishing, my margins were wider than when I began.) But the actual publishing part happened last fall when I received a call from Kensington and was offered a 2-book contract. My editor called me on the phone, and we discussed all the details while I sat in my hot car, sweating. I wasn’t sweating because of the call; it was the heat, even with the windows rolled down. Did you think I was going to wait until I got home and have her call me back?

Jen: Are there any other writers, published or not, in your family?
Kit: Indeed. My twin sister, Kim, is a writer/producer for a film production company and actually created my book trailer for me. She has written a few romances but is now concentrating on a woman reporter’s story, who goes to Africa during the Boer War. Then there’s my younger sister, Jill, who has started writing several books, and completed a couple. She’s trying to get her writing career started. My younger brother, Lee, who, when he isn’t working, acting, singing, or playing in his band, is writing stories about growing up on the farm. And finally, my brother, Todd, is a Sports Writer for a newspaper in central Pennsylvania. Apparently, it’s in the genes because my grandmother wrote short stories, and I also have an aunt who has co-written a book with a friend and has started another. (You probably weren’t expecting such a long answer!)

Jen: How does your family feel about your career?
Kit: They couldn’t be more proud or supportive! We’re very close and keep in touch often. My success is their success because I couldn’t have become the writer I am without them (and my husband, Frank, my aunts, many friends, - I have a large network of supporters, as you can see.)

Jen: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Easiest?
Kit: Putting the first words down on paper is the most challenging. The easiest part of writing for me is the rewriting, when my voice comes through, and I can play with scenes, and word choice, and hear my characters talking to me.

Jen: What’s the most rewarding aspect?
Kit: Finishing a manuscript and seeing my name on a book cover. That can never get old!

Jen: What five authors or people, from the past or present, have been important to you as an author? What question or comment have you always wanted to say to them?
Kit: That’s a tough one. Let’s see, for romance writing, it’s Amanda Quick and Teresa Mederios, hands down. Through their books, I learned everything I needed to know about building a world of love, passion, adventure, and humor. For literature, there is none other than Jane Austen and Shakespeare, (as an English lit major, you’re required to say that), Mary Shelley and her Frankenstein, and Wordsworth and Keats’ poetry. And I can’t forget Stephen King’s On Writing, which taught me the basics. One more, already mentioned, Agatha Christie. Oh, and, my sister, Kim, my most important influence of all. One question for Mary Shelley: What was Percy really like and did you really have a dream about the monster? One question for Shakespeare: Did you have any idea that your writings and influence would last for centuries? One comment for Stephen King: Thank you for writing On Writing (I’m sure I’ll think of some other terribly intelligent answers later, after this appears on your blog.)

Jen: What did you do to celebrate your first book?
Kit: After receiving the news that my book was to be published, my sister-in-law, Alice, my mother-in-law, Margaret, and my husband, Frank all went to the Yardley Inn for dinner and champagne.

Jen: Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
Kit: I was reading The Reader by Bernhard Schlink until I left it at my brother’s when visiting. I’m reading Sally MacKenzie’s The Naked Baron, along with Janet Evanovich’s How I Write, which is basic but lots of fun to read. I’ve always loved Helen MacInnes (I have a love affair with spies), Sue Grafton, Willa Cather, F.Scott Fitzergerald- The Great Gatsby, one of the best books ever written. I weaned my teeth on Kathleen Woodiwiss and wish I could have met her. (I would add more here but we had to box my books in my library since we’re moving, so I don’t have anything handy to reference.)

Jen: What's next for you?
Kit: “The Vengeful Bridegroom” is due from Zebra next fall, 2010. I’ve just finished “The Wrong Bridegroom,” about love and body snatchers, which I hope Zebra will want. Then, onto love and white slavery. (I like to add a little intrigue to every story.)

Jen: Where can you be found on the web?
Kit: www.kitdonner.com or Facebook or Twitter or YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNn0LBj966g

Jen: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Kit: Is there any type of historical romance book that you’d like to read but it hasn’t been written yet? What would it include and what time period?

Jen: Thank you Kit for stopping by our blog. Readers, Kit is giving away a signed copy of The Notorious Bridegroom to a random commenter. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment either asking a question of Kit or answering her question. Then you must either leave your email address in your comment or send a message to admin.bookblog@gmail.com. The winner of the contest will be chosen on Friday, August 14.

Excerpt from "The Notorious Bridegroom" by Kit Donner

She pressed her back to the door, holding her mouth with one hand to muffle her breathing. Thankfully, no indignant person leapt from the large tester bed. She leaned against the door and listened as the footsteps continued past her door and the earl's rooms. Who could that have been? If it was the captain, why had he not stopped? Putting a hand to her heart to calm herself, Patience peered into the room, her eyes adjusting to the moonlight laced faintly through the window. She slowly and cautiously circled a long chaise-lounge in the darkened room while holding out her left hand to guide herself to the wall which she thought must adjoin the earl's room.

She leaned an ear to the silk damask wall and with her senses tuned for sound, she strained to hear. A moment passed and then another. She held her breath and waited. Nothing. Were the walls too thick for the convenience of eaves-droppers or would-be spies?

If only she had not fallen asleep. She shook her head and sighed, regret as unfamiliar to her as poverty to a king.

Patience straightened up with an idea. Perhaps the captain had not yet arrived for their rendezvous? A puff of wind just then wafted a ribbon of white curtains into the room. The upper housemaid must have forgotten to close the window.

The window. Might she be able to hear something if the earl’s windows remained open? Not willing to give up yet, she hurried across the room. In her haste, she stubbed her toe on a small chest at the end of the bed. A knuckle in her mouth helped to stifle a moan as she rubbed her sore toe while hopping on one foot. Clumsy must be my middle name.

Had anyone heard the noise? After a few uneasy minutes and no one barged into the room, she sat on the chest in relief, her toe still throbbing. All remained quiet, though she did not want to examine exactly how long her luck or the silence would last. Her heart might give out before then. At last when she felt she could move safely, she limped to the window and drew the white drapes aside. Clouds paraded past the moon dulling its white light. The night offered damp possibilities as Patience contemplated her next move.

When she stuck her head out the window, she discovered the earl’s windows still open. Her moment of glee was cut short quicker than wind to a flame. The distance seemed too great to learn anything of value. She perched on the window sill, her nightdress and wrap smoothed underneath her, her toes curling against the cold stone, her chin resting on her hand. Disappointing. It was times like these that Patience Letitia Mandeley had no idea what she was doing. She was not normally the adventurous type, but she had to do something to help Rupert.

Interview with Jess Granger

Jen: Please help me welcome Jess Granger to Book Talk. Jess, will you please share a short bio with us?
Jess: I grew up in the center of California with two brothers, two cats, and two dogs. I loved camping, going to the beach, and reading romances while camping or lying on the beach. I went on to college at the University of California at Davis, studied literature, German, and occasionally German literature. I developed a serious obsession with Shakespeare and Harry Potter, then settled into life as a military wife and mother.

Jen: Tell us about Beyond the Rain and where it's available.
Jess: Beyond the Rain is the story of two people caught behind enemy lines of a dangerous war. She’s a warrior nun with a death sentence lingering over her head. He’s a tortured slave who had his blood leeched to make sexual narcotics for the shadow trade. As they travel from planet to planet, bringing them closer to their homes, they discover the power of freedom, of choices, and the terrible price that must be paid for both. Beyond the Rain is a Berkley Sensation release and is available at major booksellers and online retailers like Amazon.

Jen: At what age did you discover writing and when were you first published? Tell us your call story.
Jess: The first thing I remember writing was a story about a princess who wanted to escape from her castle because her brother was being mean to her. I believe she tried to hide behind a tapestry at one point. I was eight.

I loved writing, and used to annoy my teacher in High School because I wrote stories like Red Rose the Pirate in the back of my binders. When I got “the call” for Beyond the Rain I was two days shy of giving birth to my second little one. I’m surprised that didn’t put me in labor immediately, actually. Within a week I had a beautiful little baby, a new agent, and a two book deal. Let’s just say I got hit with the happy truck that week.

Jen: Describe your writing in three words.
Jess: Dark, emotional, and explosive.

Jen: How do you approach your writing? Do you plot or go with the flow?
Jess: I think I had to turn my pantser card in a while ago. I plot out my books. Okay, that’s an understatement. By the time I’m done with my preliminary writing I have a rough synopsis of the story, the formal synopsis of the story, a breakdown of the chapters of the story, and several notes on world building. When I work on my outlines, I focus on the structure and point of the story, then while writing, I really delve into the detail and emotion with everything I’ve got. It’s exhausting, but so far it’s working for me.

Jen: Do you have a specific time or place that you write?
Jess: I’m a night owl. I do my best work in that quiet time right after the kiddos finally go to bed. And while I do all my preliminary plotting in a beat-up old green spiral notebook, I do all my writing at my little writing desk in our office.

Jen: What kind of research did you do for this book?
Jess: I actually did a lot of research to help build the four different worlds in Beyond the Rain. I drew a lot from classes I took on entomology, cultural anthropology, evolutionary biology, and psychology. (I tried a lot of weird things out in college) I also studied African weaver birds, talked to a couple of nurses on neurological problems and symptoms, and had some fun playing with the idea of pheromones and what they can do.

Jen: What did you do to celebrate the sale of your first book?
Jess: Well, I cried, but I was pregnant so you’ll have to forgive me. Heck, I probably would have cried anyway. Then I went to bed early. LOL. Sometime after the sale, (and birth) my husband and I shared a bottle of red wine we’d been saving since I started writing. It was about eleven years old, and it was wonderful.

Jen: Is there a genre that you’d like to write? Is there a genre you’ll probably stay away from and why?
Jess: I’d really like to do some steampunk, but I’m not entirely sure I can capture the atmosphere of that sort of story yet. I’d like to try. The one thing you probably won’t find is a vampire romance from me. I know people are gasping in shock right now, but I’ve got a serious phobia when it comes to anything that sucks blood. You should see me if a mosquito is in the room. Consequently, vampires and I don’t get along so well.

Jen: Do you become attached to your characters and have a hard time letting them go, or are you happy that their story is told and you can move on?
Jess: I love my characters. They are real to me, and I get very invested in them. By the time I’m done with a book, I’m excited about working with my new characters, and so I transition pretty well to the new story, but I love talking and writing about my other characters. I do try to keep the focus of each book solidly on one couple though. I don’t want my romantic arcs getting tangled with others, so in each book, there will be only two points of view, the hero and the heroine’s. I guess I can only focus on one couple at a time, but I find I prefer it that way. Old heroes and heroines might make an appearance here or there, because I love them and like to see them again.

Jen: If you could travel back in time for one year, what time and place would you choose? And if you could only take 3 things with you, what would they be?
Jess: That’s actually a really hard question, because I like history, and I don’t take the darker elements of history for granted. I think here and now is pretty darn good. I’d hate to go back in time and end up being fed to lions or catching the plague. My first thought was ancient Rome, but only if I had a lot of money. I’d like to see the Roman baths. I think I’d probably be more comfortable in Elizabethan England. I’d love to see an original Shakespeare play. If I had to take three things with me, they’d be mouthwash, my contacts, and probably my Complete Works of Shakespeare in the case I could trick him into an autograph.

Jen: Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
Jess: As a former literature major, I love the classics. Frankenstein is probably my favorite book, along with Harry Potter and Shakespeare. To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men were very powerful. I also enjoyed Cannery Row which surprised me, because I’m usually interested in stories with more forward momentum in their plots.

As far as romance goes, I’m reading Beyond Heaving Bosoms, which is hysterical, insightful, and not for the faint of heart or easily offended. I’m also reading The Warlord's Daughter by Susan Grant, and rereading The Accidental Demon Slayer.

Jen: What's next for you?
Jess: The sequel for Beyond the Rain will be out in the Spring. It’s called Beyond the Shadows. It’s every bit as dark, sexy, and intense as the first book. I had a great time writing it. I’m plotting out a potential third book in the series, then depending on what is on the table when, I might spend a little time working on something else entirely, we’ll see.

Jen: Where can you be found on the web?
Jess: My main website is http://www.jessgranger.com. I’m trying to make it the hub for all my author news and promotion. I update the main page frequently with news, like the locations of giveaways, where you might find signed stock, and information on my releases. At the website you can find my bookshelf, which includes first chapter excerpts, and the fun stuff page is constantly evolving with more content, including the comprehensive collection of all the Ethel the Space Pirate posts from my blog.

http://jessgranger.blogspot.com is my Butterfly Blog. I post regular posts every week on Saturday, and continue the interactive adventure of Ethel the Space Pirate every other Wednesday. I enjoy interacting with people on the blog, so be sure to check it out for writing insights, or the pretty pictures from my butterfly garden.

I can also be found on MySpace and Facebook. I’m always looking for new friends. I’ll admit I pay more attention to Facebook. I enjoy the quizzes.

Jen: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Jess: Since I’m constantly looking for new ideas for fun things to include on my website, I guess my only question is, what are some of the coolest features you’ve seen on your favorite authors’ sites?

Thank you so much for inviting me for this amazing interview. I had a lot of fun.

Jen: Thank you Jess for stopping by and giving us a look into your writing. Readers, Jess is giving away a signed copy of Beyond the Rain to a random commenter. To enter the drawing, you need to leave a comment or question for Jess. Then you must either leave your email address in your comment or send a message to admin.bookblog@gmail.com letting us know you'd like to be entered. The winner will be chosen on Sunday, August 9.

Excerpt from "Beyond the Rain" by Jess Granger

Cyani pried open a dead laser lock with her flick knife and crept into the dim interior of the slave cells. The large stone blocks closed in around her, making her shudder. She stilled, waiting, watching. Water dripped on stone. The soft plink-plink echoed in the empty hall. With silent caution she crept farther down the passage.

K-bombs echoed outside like thunder but seemed distant from the interior of the small stone fortress. She set her com to high alert and scanned her surroundings. Cyani snuck along the walls to the cell door and turned the heavy latch. Pulling the door open with all her strength, she peered inside.

Warning, humanoid life-form encountered.

She flicked her holo-map off, so her eyes could adjust to the dim light.

Cyani stared in awestruck horror at the naked man chained to the wall. She felt her heart race as her stomach clenched in outrage and disgust.

Slave bands dug into his arms, waiting to inject him with whatever torturous poisons the Garulen needed to keep him submissive. As if that weren’t enough to control him, chains bound his hands and feet so tightly that the cuffs dug into his blood-caked skin. Severe-blinders hooked into his temples, and his toned back and chest bore deep, ugly contusions from a recent beating. Though lean, he seemed in prime physical condition, not starved like most slaves. His knuckles swelled with open cuts and bruises, as if he had done some damage in retaliation during that beating. In spite of everything, an aura of power and menace clung to him.

What was he capable of? She crept closer to the wall, inching toward him. Her hand hovered over her weapon. She couldn’t forget he was dangerous, a crouched wild beast wary and ready to strike.

Her heart raced, and Cyani felt a tingle rushing through her arms as her mind fought back the memory of lying beaten on the floor, listening to the mob chant in the halls.

She forced the dark echoes from her mind and focused on him. Who was she dealing with? What did they use him for? Was he a pit fighter? Or worse?

He clenched his jaw but remained silent. He watched her, even though she was certain he could see nothing through the smooth black plates covering his eyes.

Interview with Chelle Cordero

Jen: Readers, please help me welcome Chelle Cordero to Book Talk. Chelle, will you please share a short bio with us?
Chelle: I am a full-time freelance writer with both non-fiction articles (newspapers and magazines) and romantic suspense novels to my name. The younger of two daughters, I was raised in the Bronx (NYC) and studied theatre and drama in high school and college. My parents were very progressive and supportive; they encouraged both my creativity and my individualism.

Today I live in the lower Hudson Valley suburbs, married for 33+ years, and am mom to 2 grown offspring’ daughter is married and son has a special gf. I volunteer for my local ambulance corps as an EMT and do my darnedest to try to keep busy and out of trouble.

Jen: Tell us about Hostage Heart and where it's available.
Chelle: Life was hard after the hurricanes swept through, destroying her parents' home and livelihood...Deanna did the only thing she could do. She moved to New York City, found a job, worked hard, scrimped and saved to send what little she could manage back home to Louisiana to her parents. An errand for her boss - a chance encounter with a crew of bank robbers - a kind man who tried to help her and deserved her courageous help in return... But he wasn't the man she thought he was...no, he was so very much more! It’s available through Amazon in both print and Kindle and at Smashwords in various formats.

Jen: At what age did you discover writing and when were you first published? Tell us your call story.
Chelle: I “discovered” writing in high school and enjoyed making words work. I wrote on my high school yearbook staff and in college I wrote for my school newspaper. I was about 19 when I wroite a hard news story about a 16 year old boy who had been killed when he came to the aid of a woman who was being mugged - this story was run by both my college newspaper and in a local weekly paper in the Bronx where I lived. It was a rush to see my first professional byline.

Jen: How do you approach your writing? Do you plot or go with the flow?
Chelle: Actually I create my characters, give them a situation and let them write their own story. Occasionally I will throw them a few extra curves.

Jen: How do you pick the character’s names?
Chelle: Mostly I pick character’s names that I like the sound of; sometimes I will modify a name slightly if I think it suits my character better.

Jen: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Easiest?
Chelle: The most challenging part of fiction writing is typing “The End”. I wind up getting so involved in my characters’ lives and suddenly I have to put them back into a manuscript and get all business like and start promoting my story to a publi8sher and eventually to the public. Like a mom often finds it hard to cut the apron strings, I find it difficult to let go of my characters.

The easiest part of writing is allowing my characters to become real and working with them to create a story.

Jen: What’s the most rewarding aspect?
Chelle: When someone reads one of my books and then after either writes to me or leaves a review somewhere and expresses how much they enjoyed the book – then they follow it up with comments about my characters and emotions and it just seems the really “got it”.

Jen: Do you do anything special to celebrate a sale, new contract, or release?
Chelle: Depending on how quickly money comes in afterwards, I try to pay a bill or two,,,

Jen: What five authors or people, from the past or present, have been important to you as an author? What question or comment have you always wanted to say to them?
Chelle: I think I would just tell each person what they have meant to me in my writing career 1) Daisy Alden- Ms. Alden was my creative writing teacher in high school and encouraged me to use words to communicate and get inside people; she was also a published author and poet and she inspired me since she was the first “real person” I knew to have books in print. 2) Hank Spallone- former NYPD Detective and eventually Yonkers Mayor. Hank was the liaison between the community and the local police and I was an Auxiliary Police Officer that had the wonderful opportunity to shadow him and learn the true importance of communication. Hank was certainly my mentor. 3) My sister Bobi Du-Bois, she has always told me “you can do it” and has managed to be there just whenever I need an ego boost. 4) Barbara Moroch – she is an editor with my local newspaper and I have had a wonderful and long term working relationship and friendship with her for almost 2 decades. 5) Kimberlee Williams – she is the managing editor at Vanilla Heart Publishing and believed in me with my first manuscript, Bartlett's Rule and each manuscript since. Her enthusiasm is definitely the “vitamin” every writer needs.

Jen: If Hostage Heart was made into a movie, which actors would you choose to play the hero and heroine?
Chelle: LOL, whenever I write my stories I cast my characters in my head. The role of Ryan would be played by Eric Martsolf (Brady Black from Days of Our Lives) and the role of Deanna would be played by Christel Khalil (Lily from The Young and The Restless)

Jen: Most people only dream of becoming a published writer. Now that you’ve accomplished that goal, is there anything else you dream of doing?
Chelle: I dream of writing the next book. Eventually I would love to see one (or more) of my books made into movies,

Jen: What do you do in your free time?
Chelle: I don’t know if I really have what you call free time. It certainly isn’t that I work all of the time – I enjoy writing so much that it is hard to realize (most times) when writing for work and writing for pleasure begins and ends. As I said earlier in my bio, I also volunteer to ride as an Emergency Medical Technician with my local ambulance corps where I also sit on the Board of Directors. Then, and this is certainly NOT in order of importance, I try to spend time with my family (hubby, son & his gf who live at home, my daughter and her hubby who love nearby, and 3 rambunctious cats).

Jen: What's next for you?
Chelle: I just want to keep writing and maybe one day get on some best seller lists for my novels AND maybe a Pulitzer for my non-fiction articles? Who knows, I believe that anything can happen.

Jen: Where can you be found on the web?
Chelle: My website is http://chellecordero.com/ and I have blog all about my writing at http://chellecordero.blogspot.com/

Jen: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Chelle: Aside from asking everyone to read my books, I would love to ask 2 favors - 1) If your local bookstore doesn’t already carry my books on their shelves, please ask them to and 2) I love to hear from my readers so please let me hear from you. Tell me what you thought of my writing; let me know what you would like me to write about. Mainly, I just want to hear from you, my email address is ChelleCordero@gmail.com

Jen: Readers, Chelle is giving away a ChelleCordero.com t-shirt (XL) to a random commenter. To enter, you first must leave a comment. Then you have to either leave your email address in your comment or send a message to admin.bookblog@gmail.com letting us know you'd like to enter the drawing. A winner will be chosen on Friday, August 7.

Excerpt from "Hostage Heart" by Chelle Cordero

“If we had met under different circumstances, you wouldn’t be questioning me if I did things for you.” Ryan wished he had met her under different circumstances. From the moment he saw her in the bank, he wanted to get to know her.

“But we met while you were robbing a bank. And then you helped to kidnap me.”

“You were kidnapped because you couldn’t mind your own business.”

“So you’re saying it was my own fault?”

“Hell! Why couldn’t you have just minded your own business? Why did you have to try to be heroic?” He wasn’t sure if he was angry at her or at himself.

“You seemed like a nice guy and I thought you needed help.”

He laughed and turned to look at her. “But now you know I’m anything but a nice guy.” Ryan walked back to her and sat on the bed next to her. “I bet now you really do wish someone had pulled the trigger when the gun was pointed at my head.”

“I... I don’t wish harm on anyone.”

Damn it, he thought, why couldn’t she just be a vicious bitch? Why couldn’t he find something about her to dislike? “Yeah. You aren’t the type that would want someone hurt. And you don’t deserve any of this that’s happened to you.” He watched her quietly for a moment then he put a finger under her chin and made her look at him. “I really would like to kiss you... for real.” At her frightened look, he quickly added, “I won’t force myself on you. I’m asking for your permission.”

Her look of fear quickly turned to puzzlement and then resignation. “Alright.”

Ryan didn’t hesitate. He wound his fingers in her long brown tresses and pulled her to him gently for a kiss. He was ecstatic when he felt her lips part slightly and he took full advantage. He caressed a shoulder and ran his palm down her arm. Deanna lifted her hands to his shoulders and rested her palms there. It just felt natural. She was surprised by how much she was enjoying the kiss but worried that he might press for more.

Finally he reluctantly broke the kiss. “Your burger is getting cold.” Ryan sounded even more irritated than before. He walked away from her again. She wasn’t the only one confused, he thought. The kiss had been everything he had expected and a whole lot more. He had been hoping he would be disappointed. If only he had met her under different circumstances. If only she could feel something for him besides contempt. “Thank you for the kiss.”