Serena: Gotta Write Network would like to welcome first-time author Kate Davies. Kate is the author of Taking the Cake, an e-book from Samhain Publishing. Can you tell us a bit about this book? Both the plot and the actual writing please?
Kate: Taking the Cake is a sexy romantic contemporary novella, based on the question, what would you do if you jumped out of the cake at your fiance's bachelor party - and discovered him cheating on you? In Mollie Mason's case, she decides to ditch the guy and explore her own wild side, with Cade Gallagher, her secret crush from high school.
Taking the Cake was, hands down, the easiest manuscript I've ever had the pleasure of writing. It began at an RWA meeting, where the image of a "good girl" jumping out of a cake popped into my head and wouldn't go away. I decided I needed to know who she was and why she was jumping out of a cake, and the character stuck with me until I came up with a storyline that fit her. Once I had the storyline, the writing flowed - about six weeks from start to finish.
Serena: What made you choose Samhain Publishing?
Kate: Actually, Samhain Publishing chose me! Last year, I was a finalist in Stella Cameron's Scarlet Boa contest. The day after the finalist's names were posted (with excerpts) on Stella's site, I received an e-mail from a Samhain editor, forwarded by the organizer of the contest. Angie invited me to submit my finaling entry to Samhain. Since that manuscript was nowhere near finished, I wrote back and asked if she'd be interested in seeing a couple of novellas instead. She said yes, I sent them in, and three weeks later I'd contracted with Samhain for both of them! (Strip Tease, my second novella, is scheduled for release in the fall; the two novellas are connected by theme and character.)
Serena: How has your first time publishing experience been so far?
Kate: Wonderful. I've enjoyed every minute. I have nothing but praise for Samhain and the people associated with it. They're professional, supportive, and very savvy. I'm extraordinarily proud to be one of their authors.
Serena: Has being published changed your life at all?
Kate: I seem to be a lot busier... <g> I think the addition of the business side of writing is the biggest change. Keeping the website and blog updated, doing promo, things like that - I've had to update my organizational skills very quickly.
Serena: You mention on your website that you received the Lucy Award. Can you explain this award?
Kate: Oh, the Lucy Award! I think this award means as much to me as just about anything else I've accomplished writing-wise. My local RWA chapter started the Lucy Award last year as a way to encourage members to pursue publication, and at the same time honor the contributions of longtime member Lucy Monroe.
Lucy has been an inspiration and mentor to so many of us in the chapter -a source of encouragement, information, and support. And her determined striving for a career in romance writing was the inspiration for the award.
The Lucy Award is given to the member who is most active in pursuing a career in romance writing. Participants receive points for sending out queries, entering contests, attending meetings and conferences - basically for doing as much as possible to improve our chances of breaking into the romance market. I was thrilled to be the first winner of the Lucy Award, and I believe it's a large part of why my first book is coming out soon. The emphasis on pursuing publication kept me motivated and kept my work out there in the marketplace.
Serena: It seems that you are very active in your RWA chapter. Do you think that an RWA membership is important to becoming a successful author?
Kate: With the caveat that everyone is different, I have to say that RWA was and is vital to my career path in writing romance. Not only has it been a wonderful source of market information and writing advice, it has provided some of the most rewarding friendships - and professional relationships - I've had the pleasure of experiencing.
Serena: According to your website you are working on two other books at this time, can you tell us about them?
Kate: The first project is another strip-themed novella, which is as-yet-untitled. In this one, the heroine ends up in a strip aerobics class by mistake. It takes her - and the hero! - quite by surprise. And the next project is in the research stage, a single-title contemporary romantic suspense. It's my first romantic suspense attempt, so it's requiring a bit more plotting than I usually do (read: precious little).
Serena: Do you find yourself working on more than one project at a time?
Kate: I try not to write more than one project at a time, although I may be editing one and writing another, or researching one and drafting another. Sometimes it can't be avoided, though, so I'll work on them at separate times of the day so there isn't bleed-through in storyline or characterization.
Serena: How do you write? Outlines vs Seat-of-the-pants? Character-driven vs. plot-driven?
Kate: Oh, I'm the consummate seat-of-the-pantser. I love the moments of discovery as I get into a story and the characters and plot reveal themselves bit by bit. I 'don't' love the moments where the characters and plot go down blind alleys or rebel against what I thought they were going to do. But if I do too much plotting in advance, I lose a bit of that spark. So it's definitely a trade off.
And I'm definitely a character-driven writer. The characters come to me before I ever know what's going to happen to them.
Serena: Where do you draw the most inspiration from?
Kate: I draw inspiration from my husband and children, who bring tremendous joy to my life.
Serena: What is the best advice you've been given?
Kate: Don't forget to clean the lint trap. Oh, you mean writing advice? :) The best advice I've gotten has been to just write. The acronym BICHOK - butt in chair, hands on keyboard - is something I try to remind myself every day. As Nora Roberts is reported to have said, you can fix a bad page, but you can't fix a blank page. So even when the words aren't flowing, I try to get something down on the page.
Serena: Is there anything that you'd like to add?
Kate: Thanks for the opportunity! I really appreciate it.
--interview conducted by Serena Polheber
