Guest Author: Kathryn Shay

Author Kathryn Shay writes for both Berkley and Harlequin. She is with us today to talk about her new book, Taking the Heat, among other things. So if you have any questions for Kathryn, be sure to leave a comment!

Book Binge: Can you tell us about your first book sale?

Kathryn Shay: I began writing in 1991 and sold a manuscript in
1994. The first was never published, thankfully, because it wasn’t very good. The second one was good, but got a lot of rejections. I began to wonder why I’d even started down the publishing path when I had such a nice life: I was a full time teacher, happy in that job; I had two great kids and was married to a wonderful guy. (He wondered the same thing.) The book, which turned out to be THE FATHER FACTOR, was pulled from the slush pile by Zilla Soriano at SuperRomance, after another editor met me at a conference and asked what I wrote and said she’d alert Super that I had something there. It sold within three weeks. I couldn’t believe it!

BB: You write both category romances and single title romances, what’s the difference in writing a Super Romance for Harlequin vs. a single title like Taking the Heat?

KS: Though I write the same kind of thing, contemporary romance, for both presses, the length requirement is much shorter for Super. Because of that, in Berkley books I get to develop the characters more, and add subplots. Also, the content is a bit different: for example the firefighters in Berkley books are grittier, their language is more raw and I guess I’d say they’re more flawed. But I love writing for both presses and hope to keep doing so.

BB: What is your writing process like? Do you outline or just fly by the seat of your pants (so to speak)?

KS: I sell each book on an outline, and I used to follow it pretty well. But about five years ago, probably when I got more confident as a storyteller, the characters in both my Supers and Berkley books began to take off on their own and do things I never expected. Honestly, it sounds crazy, but sometimes I’m yelling at them not to do something, or sometimes I wonder, after what was supposed to happen in chapter 13 happens in chapter 3, “What am I going to do now?”

BB: What is your typical writing day like?

KS: I get up early, have coffee, watch a little news and do email. Then I write—mostly the initial drafting of scenes. Since I was a full time teacher when I started, I got used to writing a scene in a very short time period, so some mornings, I’ll do more than one. Midmorning I go for a walk with my little dog and often my best friend Mary Jane, then write some more, and around noon go out to the volunteer work I do, or my twice a week yoga class. On other days, I may out to lunch with a friend. When I come back, I look at the scene I wrote that morning and revise it. This is not the last revision, though. I go over all my chapters several times, both on the screen and in hard copy. Late afternoon I’m done. Sometimes I work on weekends, sometimes I don’t.

BB: You’ve done a lot of research on Firefighters…do you always do a lot of research for your books?

KS: Yes, of course, if the book needs it, and if I don’t know anything about the profession. For my teacher books, I drew on my own experiences, but did research the incidents of school violence, or gangs, or whatever else was required. I’ve followed around public defenders and district attorneys, consulted with doctors, interviewed cops, FBI agents and Secret Service people. I’ve gone to places they live: police stations, the secret service headquarters in Washington, many firehouses and fire museums, the court house and lawyers’ offices. I also do a lot of reading about the professions I can’t research in person, about different types of things like flowers, buildings, ducks, gambling, college, football and many other areas.

BB: Do you ever receive mail from readers that are Firefighters? Do they praise your accuracy or tell you what you’ve missed?

KS: Oh, yes, I get a lot of mail from firefighters and their families. Almost always, they tell me I write accurately about the job, and ask how I got to know about their profession or their personal lives.

BB: Your book, Promises to Keep, touches on the very sensitive subject of school violence. What kind of reader reaction did you get when it was released in 2002?

KS: I got a great deal of reaction from mothers of teenagers. Some were frightened by the book’s topic, most thanked me for writing it. Many said they wished their kids had teachers like those in the book. I also got letters from other teachers thanking me, too.

BB: When you first started writing Someone to Believe In, did you plan on writing books for the O’Neil brothers? Do you have plans for Dylan O’Neil? Will his book be the last in this series?

KS: No, originally I planned to do just Bailey’s story. But those brothers came to life on the pages and had to have their stories told. I’m hoping to do Dylan’s story next, and finish with Patrick’s.

BB: For a reader that has never read one of your books, which one would you recommend they start with?

KS: The current Supers, and if she likes them, she can backtrack. For the O’Neil books, they all stand alone, but she might want to start with SOMEONE TO BELIEVE IN.

BB: What made you want to be a writer?

KS: When I was fifteen, I wrote a story about a woman who goes to NYC to be a reporter and butts heads with the very chauvinistic editor. Of course, they fall in love. I was destined to write romance, I guess. In college I took as many creative writing courses I could, but also the teacher education curriculum, just in case. What happened shocked me. I loved teaching the first time I stepped in front of a class, so I did that first!

BB: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?

KS: A teacher, which I was!

BB: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

KS: To be persistent and find a way to deal with the rejections. Second, to read within the genre you’re writing.

BB: Who is your favorite romance author?

KS: Nora Roberts, Linda Howard and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

BB: What is your favorite romance novel to re-read?

KS: Nora’s IN DEATH series.

BB: Pepsi or Coke?

KS: Either

BB: What’s your biggest weakness (shoes, books, chocolate, etc)?

KS: Chocolate

BB: Chocolate or Vanilla?

KS: Are you kidding? Chocolate, of course.

BB: Coffee or Tea?

KS: Coffee

BB: Favorite movie?

KS: THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR

BB: Favorite T.V. show?

KS: GREY’S ANATOMY

BB: Favorite color?

KS: Red and Pink.

BB: Mexico or Hawaii?

KS: Hawaii

BB: Fly or Drive?

KS: Fly

BB: Beach or Mountains?

KS: Beach

Thanks to Kathryn for spending time with us today! Also, be sure to stick around for a chance to win a copy of Taking the Heat, available now by Berkley Sensation. You can also check out the trailer of Taking the Heat below!

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