Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?
I think it’s just in me. I’m a total
romantic. Not everything I write is what you would call traditional romance
writing but it always has a love thread. I just love love!
Did you enjoy language arts in school? Did you have a
teacher that particularly encouraged you to write?
I always enjoyed English and reading
and writing in school. A high school journalism teacher was very encouraging of
my writing and I recently emailed him to thank him and let him know where I am
today. A published author (eep!).
It’s five o’clock somewhere…Let’s have a drink! What
cocktail best describes you and why?
I’m a margarita! I can be fruity and
a sweet or tangy and tart. I go down easy but the effect I have on you might
take you by surprise. I’m a little salty but I’m the girl you want to have at a
party. J
On my desk I have a rhino that my husband gave me to remind
me I’m rhino-tough, as you have to be in the business. Is there anything you
have that you use to remind you of that?
Right before The Low Notes was
published I got a feather pen tattooed on my wrist. It’s there to remind me
that it’s real. All of my tattoos mark a place and time and this one is really
special. It’s the mark of a dream come true and it’s proof that I’m the author
I always wanted to be.
I have two muses, Arwen and Bronwyn, they have very distinct
personalities. Can you share a bit about your muse?
Music is my main inspiration or
muse. I hear a song and can think of an idea or a character in seconds. I love
the way music has that power over me and my creativity.
It seems we all endured English and/or World literature
coming up in high school…What was the worst book you were ever forced to read
and what about it turned you off?
I hope I don’t get hunted down for
this but I really despised Animal Farm. I had to read it freshman year and I
think I didn’t like it because I didn’t understand it. I can appreciate it know
and I might read it again someday but my 15 year old mind was not ready for
that heavy of a metaphor. I was just pissed I was wasting time reading about
talking pigs.
You have a million dollars that you must donate to one
charitable organization. Which one would you choose and why?
I would choose the Make A Wish
Foundation. When I was a little girl my best friend Kara was suffering from
Leukemia and eventually succumbed to her battle. We were only in the third
grade. She and her family were able to take a trip to Disney World because of
Make A Wish and they took a few days to forget about the horrible situation
they were in. I think the saddest thing in the word is that innocent children
can become terminally ill. An organization that makes children’s dreams come
true before they leave this earth would have my money in a heartbeat.
Do you have one of those pesky day jobs, or are you a
full-time writer? If you do have another career what do you do and do you enjoy
it?
By day I’m a hair stylist and makeup
artist. I have a private salon studio and I’m there about 35-40 hours a week. I
really love the beauty industry and I’ve had real success in the past few
years. Owning my own business is fun and challenging and for a while when I was
first getting a handle on it, it left little time for writing. I always say
that I love doing hair and makeup but if could make the same amount of money
from my writing I’d ditch it no question. Being a full-time writer is the dream
job. Hopefully I’ll get there one day but for now I love both of my jobs.
Due to the world we live in, most editors will tell a
romance writer they have the moral obligation to protect their characters from
scary life altering things, thereby being obligated to the reader. What are
your thoughts on this? Do you protect your characters and how?
I enjoy a happily ever after so for
the most part I try to make that happen for my characters. But, with that said,
I also try to write realistically. If that means my characters have to go
through the wringer a bit to get to that happy ending then so be it. Scary life
altering things make us who we are and I think readers like to see humanity
even in a romance novel.
Romance has come a long, long way since Fabio graced the
covers regularly…it seems the hinges are off the proverbial door. How far is
too far in your mind? Are there things you simply won’t write?
Right now I don’t have an interest
in writing erotica but I’ve written it before and I read it. Personally I have
my limits but that doesn’t mean I won’t change my mind someday. I like that the
romance world has opened up and it seems like all bets are off. It’s nice to
know that there are people out there who want to read a very wide variety of
romances.
I’ve been asked, as has my husband, if we do “all that stuff
in my stories.” Do you get asked this and if so how do you handle it?
My sex scenes end up pretty vanilla
in my opinion so I don’t think anyone is pondering about my bedroom habits. I
do get asked if I had a relationship with a teacher because of the storyline in
The Low Notes. My response is generally something like “Would you ask Stephen
King if he really met a maniacal murderous clown as a child?” It’s funny to me
that people think writers write everything with a hidden truth. It’s
make-believe people. That’s what makes it so fun.
I had an editor early on that showed me the way…have you had
anyone in particular that gave you a gentle **ahem** nudge in the right
direction? How did they do that and how did you react?
A dear friend who actually started
out as my teacher read my manuscript and gave me some good nudging. She marked
up my draft pretty heavily and at first I was shocked and scared. She ended up
being very kind with her wording and explained all of her critiques very well
and that made it easier on me. In the end she was right about nearly everything
and I’m so glad I had her before I submitted for publication.
Wine or beer? Wine
Satin or cotton? Cotton
Fries or tots? Fries
Cake or pie? Pie
Steak or burgers? Steak
Candle light or pitch dark? Candlelight
Thank you so much for having me,
Lila! Check out my Rebel Ink Press release The Low Notes and find out more
about me on my blog www.katerothwrites.blogspot.com
The Low Notes :
When a
chance meeting between high school teacher Kevin Reed and singer Nina Jordan
ignites an instant spark, they must decide if it's more important to follow
your heart or follow the rules.
After caring
for his dying father, Kevin Reed, returns to his hometown of Wexley Falls,
bereaved, unemployed and exhausted at the thought of starting a new life. After
a failed blind date, Kevin meets young singer Nina Jordan who takes his breath
away with the sound of her voice. The connection is instantaneous and mutual on
their first date, but both are crestfallen when they discover days later, to
their horror, Nina is Kevin's student at the local high school.
Deciphering
between notions of love and lust, fate and coincidence, Kevin and Nina find
themselves unable to turn their backs on what they can't deny is a once in a
lifetime feeling. Told from both perspectives, The Low Notes explores a love
that feels right even though it seems wrong.
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