Kathy Garbera interview!

Howdy, Peeps! I've known Kathy for years and just had dinner with her in Atlanta when we did RWA. She writes for Harlequin and Kensington. Keeps a gal busy!
Sooo, here's Kathy!
Dianne


From Jennifer:

1) What do you like to read?
I like to read romance, of course! But also outside the genre I have a few favorites. Nelson Demille who writes these big thrillers with real characters, he also always has a really nice romance in each of his books.

Nick Hornby who writes relationship books from a guy's point-of-view. I love seeing the other side of the coin and his books are great for doing that. Plus he's not afraid to go to really dark places in his characters.


2) Did your reading habits/preferences change when you became a writer?
Yes, they did. I used to read all romance and that was it. Mainly just series books, but since I sold I've branched out to read other genres and other types of books. For once thing a lot of the series lines I used to read are no longer being published--Harlequin Temptation and Bantam Loveswept.

3) How do you relax?
By spending time with my family. I love to cook so when I'm on deadline I save up recipes I want to try and when I finish a book I spend a couple of weeks trying out new dishes! I love shopping for clothes and new things for my house. It doesn't stress me out at all and I love nothing more than a day at the mall trying on clothes.

From Diana:

1) Kathy, do you have a favorite hero and heroine from the books that you've written?

It's so hard to pick one hero and heroine as my favorite. I think each one is my favorite in the moment of writing the book. Right now, I'm working on a 'mistress' themed book for Desire and I love my hero and heroine. She's an heiress with a penchant for scandal and he's her family's business rival with a taste for revenge. It's so juicy and fun to be in their world!

From Amy:

1) Do you do any research for your books?
Yes, I do. It depends on the subject matter how much research I do. I tend to research as I'm writing a book instead of doing it in advance. I like to be totally immersed in whatever book I'm writing. For one of my Bombshells--The Amazon Strain--I interviewed this college professor who's been going down to the Amazon for twenty years. He'd written a book about Jungle Survival which I really enjoyed but I wanted to get specifics that would fit my scenario. That was great fun and he was a very fascinating man.

2) From your books, who is your favorite hero?
I have to say I love all my heroes. But I have a special place in my heart Rafe Santini--the hero from my first Desire.

3) Have you ever wrote a character based on someone you know?
Not really. Sometimes a situation with someone I know will make me start thinking of a story idea but it's never really based on them.

From Barb Smith:

1) In what ways is your Brava writing different from your category writing.
That's a great question. The Brava writing is different because I'm able to go a lot deeper emotionally with my characters. The Bravas are also more complex and I can really develop my secondary characters.
2) With the demise of the BOMBSHELL line in Silhouette will you still be writing that type of book for one of the other series lines?
I'm really going to miss the Bombshell line! I don't have any plans to write suspense for any of the other category lines. I am going to be writing one of the Harlequin-NASCAR books. I'm also going to be adding a little more suspense to my Brava books.

3) Any thoughts you would like to share with readers about the demise of the BOMBSHELL line?
I loved the line. I like the fact that women were kicking butt and falling in love. I thought the heroines really embodied the struggles that all women face and I'm so sad we never found the readership we needed to continue.

From Emma:

1) ARE ANY OF YOUR BOOKS A SERIES?
Yes! For Desire I've written a couple of series as well as for Bombshell.

Desire:
The Tycoon's Lady and Tycoon for Auction are spin-off books not really a series but they are set in the same world.

I did five books in a series called The King of Hearts about a mob capo (boss) who asks for forgiveness with his dying breath. He is given a chance to redeem himself by matchmaking. He has to unit in love as many couples as people he murdered in life to get into heaven. Those titles are In Bed with Beauty, Cinderella's Christmas Affair, Let It Ride, Mistress Minded, and Rock Me All Night.

Then I did a series set in Vegas called What Happens in Vegas. This is a spin-off from Let It Ride. Those titles are His Wedding-Night Wager, Her High-Stakes Affair, and Their Million-Dollar Night.

For Bombshell I wrote two books in the Athena Force series Exposed and Exclusive. These books have the same hero and heroine.

For Brava I'm writing another book featuring a member of the O'Roarke family that you first met in Body Heat. This book will be about Andi's brother Liam.

2) WHICH OF YOUR BOOKS WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT TO WRITE AND WHY?
The first Bombshell I wrote was the most difficult. All the books are hard in different ways but Exposed was one I really struggled with. Mainly because the line hadn't launched yet and the editors and powers-that-be kept trying to decide what the books should be like. So they were dialing the romance up and down.
3) HAVE TO EVER ATTENDED ANY OF THE R.T CONFERENCES?
No I've never been to RT but I am planning to go to Houston next year!
4) HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING?
I started writing in '93 and sold my first book in '96. So a long time! More than 10 years!
5) HOW SUPPORTIVE ARE FAMILY AND FRIENDS WITH YOUR WRITING?
My family is very supportive. My husband talks about me and my writing to everyone he knows. And he's a great supporter of me at home. Helping me out with the kids and protecting my writing time. My parents are the same way.
6) WHAT 5 WORDS MOST SUM YOU UP AND WHY?
The five words that sum me up are friendly, funny, compassionate, passionate, and driven. Why? Well, I think that life is too short to be mean and not get along with others. I think humor is the only thing that keeps us sane and that if you're bored by something it's not something you should be doing.
7) HOW HARD IS IT TO KEEP PLOTS AND DIALOGUE FRESH AND INTERESTING?
Once I get the characters hammered out its not hard at all. Each of my characters are so different. They are really the ones who drive the plot and the dialogue so each time it's different.
8) WHEN DESCRIBING YOUR HERO / HEROINE WHERE DO YOU START............HAIR, EYES, BUILD?
I actually don't give too much physical description unless it affects the scene. If they are standing close together I'm probably going to mention his height and build. I'll mention eyes when they make eye contact at some point.
9) HOW DO YOU RELAX AND UNWIND AT THE END OF THE DAY?
At the end of my work day, I spend time with my family. We go on a walk or play games with each other. Then after the kids are in bed my husband and I spend time together. I usually read for 15-30 minutes before I turn off my light for the night!
10) WHICH AUTHORS PAST / PRESENT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO MEET AND WHY, IF YOU COULD?
I'd love to meet Baroness Orczy who wrote the Scarlet Pimpernel series. She was writing smart empowered heroines way before anyone else.

>From: "KimW"
What is the one thing you've always wanted to do, but never had the courage to try?

Sky-diver or deep-sea diving. I love the thought of both of these activities but am pretty sure that the fear in my gut would keep me from attempting them!