What is your favorite genre to read?
I have two. Paranormal and contemporary m/m. I don't write paranormal, so I can turn off my internal editor and just enjoy. And contemporary m/m I just love. I have written that and hope to do more, but I devour those books.
Why did you choose to pursue this career path?
I've always been a writer, since I was in grade school. Creative writing classes and clubs, school newspapers, poetry...you name it, I wrote it. I went to a liberal arts college with a History major and an English Lit. minor, went to law school for a year, and then went to graduate school and earned a Master's in History so I did a lot of scholarly writing as well. I began writing my first romance book in graduate school. I didn't really think about writing as a career until I actually finished a book. Then it was my goal.
When did you decide that you wanted to be a published author?
Hmm, I would say after my first child was born and we moved across country for my husband's new job, all within a month. We got to our new digs and we'd decided I could take a year off of teaching with the new baby and all. A year turned into forever. I finished my first book soon after we moved, then I joined RWA (Romance Writers of America) and learned about romance publishing, wrote my second book and sold it. And that was it. Within three years of my first book coming out I was making more than I had as a teacher, so it just made sense to make writing my career.
What has the journey been like?
I'm a little unusual in that the journey to publication was almost ridiculously easy for me. (Please don't hate me other writers who didn't have this experience.) As soon as I joined RWA and took some workshops etc. and learned how the business worked, I wrote a book for a specific publisher in a genre they were looking for, won a contest with it, and got published. That is not what happens for most people. But as I said before, I'd been writing all my life.
What is the writing process like for you?
A lot of preparation. I do a complete outline, GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict) charts for my hero and heroine, figure out word count, write a synopsis, and then I begin writing. The actual writing of a full length single title can take anywhere from 3 to 4 months. I do a lot of self-editing along the way, so that when I finish, I just need to do one read through and then it's ready to send to my editor or agent.
Do you have any pre/post writing rituals?
Rituals? No. I have a very busy home life with three kids, so when I can sit and write I do it. I don't have time to create the perfect atmosphere or wait for the planets to align. I just get it done.
If you could marry any fictional hero, who would it be and why?
I have to pick just one? I can't have a harem? This is a hard one. Captain Wentworth, Jane Austen's Persuasion. The older and wiser hero for me, thank you.
Coffee or tea?
Both. It depends what time of day it is. Morning and afternoon coffee, evening tea. I like my coffee strong and sweet, and my tea flavored, in particular Bigelow's Constant Comment Green tea.
Cookies or cake?
Cookies. I'm not a sweets person. I like a little bit of sweet, which a cookie provides perfectly. I eat two Golden Oreos with my afternoon coffee. They're perfect for dipping. Also, I don't like frosting. I often eat just the cake. It's not a calorie thing, it's just my preference. My kids love that they get the frosting and I'll eat their cake. :-)
Day or night?
Day, afternoon to be specific. I have a hard time getting my act together before 10 or 11 in the morning. My most productive time is from about 10-2 or 3. That being said, I'm a night owl. No matter how tired I am it's unusual for me to go to sleep before midnight. Which might be related to my non-morning person status. Or as my husband calls it, my morning "sleeping issue."
Winter or summer?
Summer. Summer, summer, summer. I'm cold-blooded (without official reptile status at this time, however.) So I walk around in three or four layers of sweaters all winter. And that's a Southern winter. No matter how hot it is in the summer, I spend most of the day outside, writing on my covered porch. I love the heat.
Samantha Kane lives in North Carolina with her husband of fifteen years and three children, two boys and one girl. She spent seven years as a high school history teacher before becoming a full time writer and mom. Ms. Kane has a Master's degree in American History, but she writes Regency historical romance. Her book Prisoner of Love recently won the 2011 CAPA for Historical Romance from The Romance Studio.
Website: http://samanthakane.us
Twitter: http://twitter.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/
About the Author
Thanks for the interview ladies, I enjoyed reading it. And I so agree with you on the cold, I am always cold, but I still don't like it too hot either. Why can't it be a normal 24 degrees celsius average?
ReplyDelete