by Carolyn Welcome back Dahlings! Pookie and I just returned from a wonderful sun and fun-filled vacation on a lovely little island in the Caribbean. Who knew that men came in so many fascinating and intriguing shapes, sizes and colors? I felt it was my duty to investigate. Let me just say, variety is the spice of life and I have decided to make it my vacation spot of choice. Hello Kate, darling. Welcome to my humble home. Have a seat, can I offer you some refreshment? Coffee, tea, wine? Thank you for taking the time to chat with me.

Carolyn: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Kate: I think I always have been a writer...not sure I ever wanted anything else. I realized I wanted to be published, however, when I read my first Harlequin Romance in the late 1970s and said to myself, "Self, you can do this!" It took me ten years to get around to actually writing one, and only about another lifetime to get published. I was not the overnight sensation I first imagined!

Carolyn: Did you ever yearn to write the Great American Novel?

Kate: Nope, not at all. Romance or nothing. I love those HEAs! (Happily ever after for the uninitiated...) I don't enjoy reading a book unless it has a good, sappy, happy ending.

Carolyn: You have written an incredible series, Wolf Tales here at Changeling Press. How did you come up with the idea for it?

Kate: Wolf Tales began as a freebie on another list, only it wasn't a shapeshifter story at all, merely a sexual encounter between strangers who never see one another's faces. However, I've always been fascinated by the "beauty and the beast" concept, and the story grew out of that. The first book, Stefan, was not originally the beginning of a series, but as I reworked the story from the original short, all the other characters began taking shape in my mind.

Carolyn: What is a typical day like for you? Do you write on a schedule or do you just write when the muse speaks to you?

Kate: I try as much as possible to keep to a schedule of writing early, taking a break for housework, etc, and then writing until my eyes cross. It's been a difficult couple of years though, because we're currently remodeling a house an hour's drive from where we live. That means I'm traveling back and forth twice a week between houses...and then I also babysit our grandkids and take care of a wonderful but high-maintenance spouse.

Carolyn: What attracted you to writing ebooks? Is it harder or easier to write than for print?

Kate: It was the only way I could originally get published. My books were never "quite right" for New York. I love the fact that epublishers allowed me the freedom to write my stories MY way...literally, out of the box, so to speak. The strict guidelines I faced in New York were like a stranglehold on my creativity...mainly because I want a lot of sex in my stories and the big guys were a little a'scaired of that!

Carolyn: A little birdie told me that you are joining the ranks of the likes of Angela Knight, another Changeling alum in the world of print? Are you excited? Nervous? Scared?

Kate: I'm absolutely thrilled. Kensington Publishing has bought all of Wolf Tales, essentially unchanged. The first book is due out in January 2006 and will contain the first five Wolf Tales stories, up to The Gift. It's going to be titled: WOLF TALES, AN EROTIC ROMANCE and I understand the cover will be fabulous though I haven't seen it yet. The last book at Changeling, Chanku, will be released as a novella shortly after WOLF TALES comes out. I will be adding a little bit to that one as a lead in to the next full length novel, tentatively called TIA'S WOLF, which introduces new characters. I owe Changeling Press a lot-I never would have written this series for another publisher, but Margaret Riley gave me the freedom to really push the boundaries.

Carolyn: Do you plan to continue to write ebooks?

Kate: I hope to. I love writing for Changeling Press, but for the time being, I need to spend all my time getting four more books finished. It all depends on how I learn to manage my time-this is a much heavier schedule than I've had before, so it's going to be interesting. I hope I'll be able to continue projects like the latest I've been in, the Agency of Extraordinary Mates. I had a ball writing FINDING MAGIC.

Carolyn: Your characters are always so real. Bad tempers, warts and all. Is it easier to write them than it is to write about the "perfect ones"?

Kate: Have you EVER met a perfect man? =) That's just taking the fantasy too far! Really, I think characters with flaws are much more believable and easier for the reader to connect with. They also have more chance to improve.

Carolyn: How long does it usually take you to write a story, from beginning to end, including research?

Kate: I write very fast, and research is generally minimal. My stories are based more on emotions and relationships than complicated details. I can write a 15,000 word novella in a weekend, but then I'll spend another week reworking it, sending it to critique partners for their evaluations and making it as clean as possible before sending it to my editor. Some stories take longer, but the best ones almost write themselves.

Carolyn: How does your family feel about your books and do they read them?

Kate: LOL...awhile back, my older brother (he's 60, I'm 55, so we're NOT kids!) was teasing me about my success as a "soft porn author." Before I could open my mouth, my 84 year-old mother asked Dave if he'd ever read one of my books. He said no, so she told him to keep his mouth shut! Yea, MOM!!! He bought one of my print books a week later, and then called me, sounding very surprised. "It's got a plot," he said. "I'm really hooked and want to know what happens next!" He's been forgiven for all the teasing I got when we were little.

Carolyn: So, tell me the truth. Are you really going to share the fabulous Doug with that Dakota Cassidy person? I have heard soooo many rumors about her. Come, you can tell me. I won't tell a soul.

Kate: Absolutely not. I will dangle images of my guy wearing his tool belt, worn jeans and little else when he's working on the house, I'll remind her that he still looks damned good in Lycra when he races his bicycle, and I may occasionally post a picture or two of him playing with the grandkids, but I will NOT share him with that pompom waving floozie with the big hair. No way, no how...she can grovel and whimper all she wants. Got that? Now, you promise you won't let her know what I said, okay?

Carolyn: Thank you Kate for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk to me, the Changeling Diva. My, my, I am very pleased. Pookie must really like you. He hasn't been this quiet during an interview before. Although it might be the medication his therapist felt would help him.

Kate: Oh, I know why he's so quiet...I've been rubbing Pookie's belly with my toes. You might want to check the floor for drool. Thank YOU Changeling Diva for this opportunity to chat. Nothing we like better than a chance to talk about our books! Pookie! Stop licking my instep...Pookie? Oooh...Uh...can Pookie come visit?

TTFN
The Changeling Diva