AUTHOR INTERVIEW - K D Grace

PNA would like to welcome K D Grace to our blog.  

She writes steamy erotic romances and resides in beautiful England.  
So sit back and take a few moments to learn a few great things about her.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?   I’m addicted to writing. That’s probably the most important thing about myself. I’ve never NOT written and I can’t imagine life without it. The best part of my life now is that I get to write and sell my stories.

My husband and I are long distance walkers. We walked across England last summer, which was an amazing experience. I find most of the inspiration for my stories through walking. One of my favourite places to walk is in the English Lake District and it was walking there that inspired my paranormal erotic romance, Body Temperature and Rising, which is the first novel of the Lakeland Heatwave Trilogy.

I raise my own vegetables, which also inspires my writing. I've got a reputation for writing ‘garden porn.’


Who is your favorite author?  My favorite author of all-time is probably Marion Zimmer Bradley. All-time favourite novel is her fabulous Mists of Avalon. I also really love Nora Roberts.

What is your favorite genre to read?  I don’t really have a favorite. I like most any genre as long as the story’s good.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?   I've never not written, as I said. Before I could actually write, I used to make up stories and draw pictures to illustrate the stories.


What surprised you the most about the writing/publishing process?   The biggest surprise for me is just how much hard work is involved. The actual writing itself is always a total joy for me and when I’m writing the story, I’m in heaven. However the hardest part, after actually getting published, is promoting. I would say promoting what I've written takes up a good third of my time, but it’s essential if I want my stories to sell and get the attention I think they deserve.


Where does your inspiration for a new book come from?  As I said, I get inspiration from walking or gardening. I got most of my inspiration for Body Temperature and Rising from walks in the English Lake District, which is not only breathtakingly beautiful, but also very atmospheric for paranormal writing. Walking always clears my mind and switches on the creative part of me. I never come back from a walk without new ideas.


How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?  When I get an idea, which usually involves a very loose plot and characters, I go for a walk. I walk out the plot in more detail. Once I've done that I write a very sketchy chapter by chapter synopsis, which is really nothing more than sort of a road map. While I do that, I write a blurb, which helps me tighten and clarify the story in my head. The blurb evolves with the story. Once I've reached that point then I’m ready to write the first draft.


What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?  I think a good story has to have well-rounded, interesting characters and a tight plot. I think one of the key elements is pacing. A story has to move from point A to point Z at a pace that will pull the reader in and keep her reading.


How long does it usually take for you to write a book?   If I’m not doing anything else (which almost never happens, of course) I can write a rough draft in four to five weeks. But for that to happen the decks have to be completely clear. Usually the process from start to finish takes more like four months.


Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?  If so, what do you do to get out of it?  My problem is the opposite. I have way more ideas for novels than I’ll ever have time to write, and I keep on getting new ones all the time. A good problem to have. J


We would like to hear about your process of writing, ideation, and average time to actually write.  Also your typical day hours devoted to writing vs everything else.  I write almost every day. I don’t really have a set writing time because there are just too many things that interfere. However, I would guess I write an average of six hours a day. PR takes up a good chunk of time, so I don’t get the kind of hours to write the story that I fantasize about. In an ideal world, I would have nothing else to do but write the story J I like to start my day with a walk. The writing always goes better after a walk.  At the moment, my husband is working on an MBA, so while he’s studying in the evening, I’m writing or catching up on PR.


Do you have a favorite book that you have written?  Fortunately for me, my favorite book always seems to be the one I’m working on at the moment, which is a good thing because it keeps me excited about my work.


We would love for you to paint a picture for us of you writing your books.  Do you always write in your office?  Do you ever go outside on a beautiful day and write there?  Are you listening to music when you write?  Drinking wine?  Do you do your best work during the day?  At night?   When we moved into the house we’re in now, we set aside a room to be my office. I wrote in there maybe two or three times then ended up moving to the black leather recliner in the living room because from there I can look out the sliding glass doors onto the garden and watch the birds. I have to have a view when I write, and I didn’t have one in the ‘office.’

I always write in either the recliner or at the dining room table. Both places have a good view. The chair at the end of the table and the set of nesting tables beside the recliner serve as the repository for everything that accumulates while I’m writing. I drink coffee and iced tea while I write. There’s always an on-going glass or cup. Sometimes on the rare occasions when I’m able to write into the night (I’m a morning person and am rarely worth much after ten PM) I drink red wine, preferably South American. I don’t listen to music. I listen to the birds singing in the back garden. Also, since I read everything I write out loud, music would interfere.

I can write any time any place, and I don’t need a huge block of time set aside for it. I’ll take what I can get. I have been known to write whole chapters on my Blackberry on the train to London, then email them back home to myself. I seldom write long-hand anymore because I edit as I write, and I also find that I can’t write long-hand fast enough to keep up with my thought process, so most of my work is done on the laptop.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?   Body Temperature and Rising started out as a project for National Novel Writing Month. I started writing it in one of the most Pagan places in England – Avebury Stone Circle --  on Celtic New Year. I wrote the very first words in the most haunted pub in England, The Red Lion Inn, in the middle of the circle. It was misty and pouring down rain at the time, and my writing friend and I may very well have had an encounter with the resident ghost. The jury’s still out on thatJ. I think that was a very auspicious beginning.

Since I spent several years in a Wiccan coven in England, and I knew I wanted to base my novel in the world of witches and magic. Body Temperature and Rising and the Lakeland Heatwave Trilogy is about the Elemental Coven, a coven of witches that practice a very specific, very rare form of Sex Magic which allows ghosts the opportunity to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh. Mind you the sex magic idea is all an invention of my imagination, there was no sex magic in the coven I was in, and the coven high priestess would have been horrified at the thought. But the idea of magic that involves sex, magic that basically is sexual in nature has always been in the back of my head. I just needed a context in which to put it. Add a nasty demon who wants revenge on the coven’s leader and the action – both sexual and otherwise – heats up.

BLURB:

American transplant to the Lake District, MARIE WARREN, didn’t know she could unleash demons and enflesh ghosts until a voyeuristic encounter on the fells ends in sex with the charming ghost, ANDERSON, and night visits from a demon. To help her cope with her embarrassing and dangerous new abilities, Anderson brings her to the ELEMENTALS, a coven of witches who practice rare sex magic that temporarily allows needy ghosts access to the pleasures of the flesh.

DEACON, the demon Marie has unleashed, holds an ancient grudge against TARA STONE, coven high priestess, and will stop at nothing to destroy all she holds dear. Marie and her landlord, the reluctant young farmer, TIM MERIWETHER, are at the top of his list. Marie and Tim must learn to wield coven magic and the numinous power of their lust to stop Deacon’s bloody rampage before the coven is torn apart and more innocent people die.

EXCERPT:

The image of a dark figure approaching her through the fog tightened her belly and her nipples, and yet at the same time sent shards of ice down her back. It was a dream, she told herself. Surely it had to be, as she gathered herself to run.

It was a gentle touch of her arm that woke her with a start, and she looked up into the dark eyes of Anderson. ‘Come with me, out of the rain.’ He offered her his hand and helped her to her feet. She was amazed to find that he was still in the black suit, no anorak, no water proofs, no proper walking boots.

‘I lost my compass,’ she said.

‘I’m very sorry to hear that,’ he replied.

Almost before she knew it they were descending. ‘Don’t worry,’ he spoke close to Marie’s ear. ‘I know the fells like I’ve lived here forever.’ Once we get to Grange, Tara will be waiting for us.’

He made no attempt to explain who Tara was, nor did he introduce himself. That was her first clue that he might have been aware of her voyeuristic escapade.

‘We’ll be down before you know it,’ he added, turning his face into the storm.

But they weren’t. The weather worsened to a downpour. Bent double in the wind, Marie was soaked to the skin and shivering by the time Anderson pulled her into a cave that she hadn’t even seen until they were safe inside.

‘We’ll wait it out here,’ he said. He offered her a smile and gestured around the cave. ‘There are lots of caves and quarries around the Lake district. Some are fenced off for the protection of curious tourists, and others, like this one, most people don’t know about.’

‘And your girl friend, won’t she be worried?’

The tolerant smile he offered made her aware of her mistake. ‘Tara knows what I would do in such weather.’ Then he added, ‘Though she’s very dear to me, Tara’s not my girlfriend.’

Before she could say anything he chuckled softly. ‘I know that you saw us together, and there’s no need to apologize. Neither of us was upset that you enjoyed our love making. In fact we rather hoped it would please you. Besides one must certainly expect such encounters when one chooses the middle of a well-traveled path for a rendezvous. Now remove your shirt for me, please.’

When she balked, he added. ‘You’re cold and wet. I only wish to make you more comfortable and prevent you catching your death.’ He had already shed his jacket and handed it to her. She was astonished to find it completely dry. ‘You may wear this.’

More info and buy links: http://kdgrace.co.uk/books/lakeland-heatwave-book-i/


Will we be seeing a following book to this story?   Yes. Body Temperature and Rising is the first book of the Lakeland Heatwave trilogy. The second book, Riding the Ether, will be coming out later this year.


How did you come up with the characters of Tim and Marie?   I wanted Tim Meriwether and Marie Warren to be, for all practical purposes, total opposites. Because I love the Lake District and I love the rural feel of the land, I decided that the person closest to the land would be a farmer who raises sheep. He would be someone born in the Lake District, who after a love affair with the big city, moves back and settles on the land he loves. He would have to be a man of the earth for the story to work.

Marie Warren, on the other hand, is an American of British/American heritage. When a high-stress job in banking begins to have serious repercussions on her health, she moves to the Lake District, where she went as a young girl with her parents on holiday. She’s looking for a simpler life, and a safe peaceful place to heal. What she finds is anything but simple, and anything but safe.


If you could pick one actor to portray Tim and Marie on the big screen who would it be and why?   I always struggle with this question. But I think Tim would have to be Sam Worthington, who has the stoic look about him that I can picture Tim having. Marie would probably be Katherine Heigl.

Was there anything you find particularly challenging when writing this book? As I said, BTR started out as a NaNoWriMo project several years ago. After that I didn't look at it again for a couple of years. In the meantime Xcite Books published my novels, The Initiation of Ms Holly and The Pet Shop. When I got a contract for Body Temperature and Rising, I struggled and struggled to get started with the rewrite. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get it to feel right. Then one day I want out for a long walk and realized the reason I couldn't write it was that it was really a trilogy waiting to happen. That scared the liver out of me. I’d never tackled anything as complex as a trilogy, and yet there it was. I didn't really see much choice. Once I’d got my head around that fact, I wrote out short synopses for the second and third novels, then I proposed the trilogy to Xcite. They accepted the proposal, and after that everything fell into place. I just had to realize there was too much in the novel the way I saw it in my head to fit into one book. After that, the trilogy has fallen beautifully into place, and it’s been outrageously fun to write.

What were your feelings when you first saw the cover of your finished book? I loved it! I have always thought the cover of Body Temperature and Rising was one of the best covers ever, and when I received my author's copies, I took them out, fondled them, and took pictures of them. I even had cups made with the cover image on them so I can drink my coffee from them every morning. Proud? Who me???

K D Grace was born with a writing obsession. It got worse once she actually learned HOW to write. There's no treatment for it. It's progressive and chronic and quite often interferes with normal, everyday functioning. She might actually be concerned if it wasn't so damned much fun most of the time.

K D's critically acclaimed erotic romance novels, The Initiation of Ms Holly, The Pet Shop and Lakeland Heatwave Book 1: Body Temperature and Rising are published by Xcite Books and are available from all good paperback and eBook retailers.

Her erotica has been published with Xcite Books, Mammoth, Cleis Press, Harper Collins Mischief Books, Black Lace, Erotic Review, Ravenous Romance, Sweetmeats Press and Scarlet Magazine.

Find out more about K D Grace on her website, http://kdgrace.co.uk. She's also on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you so much for taking the time answer our questions K D.  
We hope you can come back soon.