Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Coffee Shop Conversations: Q&A and a Giveaway with author Kathryn Caskie

   Hello all you fabulous Dames, and welcome to Coffee Shop Conversations! On this segment of the blog I will be conducting interviews with Authors, Bloggers and anyone else relative to the literary world and willing to answer my questions. Coffee Shops are great places to just relax, let the hair down and talk about life, love and good books! So without further adieu, let's get to chatting with my special guest:

Author Kathryn Caskie

"Kathryn Caskie has long been a devotee of history and things of old. So it came as no surprise to her family when she took a career detour off the online super highway and began writing historical romances full time.
With a background in marketing, advertising and journalism, she has written professionally for television, radio, magazines and newspapers.
Kathryn lives in a 200-year-old Quaker home nestled in the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with her family, her greatest source of inspiration."sourced from author's bio page



Kathryn Caskie on the web: Website | Facebook | Twitter


Kathryn's Latest Release:

'The Duke's Night Of Sin'
(available Nov. 30th 2010)

"A sin he cannot forget
The Duke of Exeter knows it's time to find a bride, and he's determined to locate the passionate minx who enticed him in a pitch-black library. But how can you find someone you've never really seen? Then, while supervising his young ward's education, he is irresistibly attracted to her exquisite new teacher. He keeps wondering if they've met somewhere before, never suspecting she's the woman he's never forgotten after his one night of sin.
A wicked secret
As a beloved instructress at an exclusive school for young ladies, Lady Siusan Sinclair is a model of deportment. But no one knows her secret - that she fled London for Bath, her reputation on the verge of tatters, her fortune lost. Still, no matter how hard she tries, she can't forget the knee-weakening kiss of the man who led her astray . . . "
[Read an excerpt: here]


Get Your Copy Today:
-Q&A-
RJ: Hey Kathryn! Thanks so much for stopping by for a little chat. Firstly, congratulations on your new book, 'The Duke's Night Of Sin', in stores as of 11.30.2010! What have the past few months been like; with finishing the book and anticipating it's release? What have you experienced emotionally as well as professionally with the completion of this new book?
KC: The Duke’s Night of Sin is my tenth published novel, so you would think I wouldn’t be excited when my publisher sends a few copies hot off the press, but it’s like Christmas.  And then, when I get to walk into stores and actually see the book on the shelves, I feel positively giddy.  It feels exactly the same as when my first book was published.  Like getting to experience that “first kiss” again and again.

RJ: Why don't you tell me and the readers a little bit about 'The Duke's Night Of Sin' from the author's point of view?

Lazy Kitty ;)

KC:  I was a little nervous when I started writing The Duke’s Night of Sin, because the sin to be explored was sloth.  I worried that readers might not be sympathetic toward a lazy heroine and I knew I would have to dig deep to develop a character readers would care about. But Lady Siusan Sinclair had already been featured in the first two books in the series, To Sin With a Stranger and The Most Wicked of Sins.  I realized that even if someone reading The Duke’s Night of Sin hadn’t read the previous books, I knew Siusan very well already and knew how much she cared for her family, how much she would sacrifice for them.  I knew her good qualities outweighed her bad, I just needed to write a compelling enough story for readers to be willing to stick with Lazy Siusan until they cared.
RJ: Where did the inspirations for your plot, characters and setting come from?
KC: When I began writing the book, all I really knew was that Siusan’s sin was sloth, and that being the daughter of a duke, she wasn’t used to working.  Everything was done for her, that is, until her father, disgusted with his children’s scandalous antics, cuts them off and sends them from Scotland to London to redeem themselves and become worthy of the Sinclair name.  I’ve visited Scotland and London a number of times, but my research books are my friends.  When I research, I come across facts that will ultimately shape the story.  Happens with every book. For instance, the book is set in 1816, also known as the Year Without a Summer.  A year before, a huge volcano on the other side of the world erupted, spewing ash into the stratosphere, blocking out the sun.  By 1816, the ash had drifted into the northern hemisphere.  Temperatures dropped dramatically, crops died and famine became widespread.  There were riots in the streets of London and the government had to intervene.  This atmosphere, one I didn’t know much about before my research, inspired much of The Duke’s Night of Sin.
RJ: 'The Duke's Night Of Sin' is not your debut novel. How does it differ from your previous novels and what were you trying to achieve with this book? Also, do you feel like it's "mission accomplished"?
KC: I still can’t believe this is my tenth novel.  My books always involve family and the relationships between its members.  They can always count on each other.  This time, in her greatest time of need, Siusan is forced to leave those she trusts and loves, and to rely entirely on her own strength to survive both emotionally and physically.
RJ: This release is the latest book in The Seven Deadly Sins series. What's the series' premise and how did the idea for it come about?
KC: The Seven Deadly Sins series is about the seven Sinclair brothers and sisters.  When their mother died, their father, the Duke of Sinclair, found refuge in drink and left the children to run wild.  Soon all of Edinburgh Society referred to the unruly bunch as The Seven Deadly Sins.  This hurt the children, until finally, Sterling, the eldest, could no longer tolerate the constant tears. He came up with a plan to remove the sting from the words, assigning each of them a sin to portray that sin whenever in public.  They did, delighting in shocking Society. After a time, the name calling stopped  but by then embodying the sins was no longer a game. The sins had become part of their very natures.   One night, their father can’t endure his grown children’s wicked ways any longer.  He tells them that they must redeem themselves or be cast out, penniless.  He sets them off to London with just enough coin to live on, but only if they are frugal.  This was the premise.  The stories themselves pit the sinner against his/her opposite, forcing both to grow in many ways to earn respect and their happily ever after.
RJ: Lets talk about your Hero and Heroine (Sebastian & Siusan). What are their flaws and what are their redeeming qualities? Also, why are they drawn to each other (aside from physical attraction)?
KC: Siusan is lazy and manipulative.  She uses manipulation to get others to do what she wants. Still, she is deeply wounded from her relationship with her father and inside feels unworthy of love.  But her brothers and sister know another side of Siusan, a woman who is passionate as well as compassionate, loving, supportive, caring and self-sacrificing.

Sebastian has been thrust into the role of Duke of Exeter and he doesn’t want the responsibility.  He’d much rather enjoy the rakish life of second son, drinking his nights away and enjoying the ladies.  But now, after both his father and brother have died from their own weaknesses, he has become head of the family.  He knows he must become the man the Duke of Exeter should be. He take  his seat in the House of Lords and works diligently to improve the lives of the people of England, earning the admiration of the government.  Like Siusan, Sebastian is passionate, caring and compassionate and self-sacrificing.

A matched passion first drew them together. But when they met again, it was their wit, and compassion that pulled them together.  Their willingness to sacrifice everything they held dear for sake of the other is what finally proved to them both that, against all odds, they must be together forever[.]
RJ: How did your writing journey begin and how did you get here?  What pit-stops, wrong turns, and perfect lane changes did you make on your road to publication?
KC: At the beginning, I kept writing the first three chapters of books, then I would move on to the next great idea.  Then, a critique partner of mine challenged me to finish the book I was writing in time for the Golden Heart.  I was passionate about the story and so accepted the challenge.  I entered the book in the Long Historical category and was lucky enough to win.  Jennifer Enderlin at St. Martin’s asked my agent Jenny Bent for the book.  Now it was time for me to learn a huge lesson. During the months between entering the book in the Golden Heart and winning it, I had given the book to my critique group and to several bestselling authors.  Everyone gave me great advice, and so I rewrote large portions of the book. I swear I probably had five versions of Rules of Engagement.  Finally, when Jennifer Enderlin read the book, she rejected it.  She told me what she had read for the contest was a romantic comedy.  What my agent had given her was a dark mystery.  Then, she gave me the best advice of my career by telling me to stay true to myself and my vision of the story.  I knew she was right. I had always known this, but until I heard it from her, I hadn’t had enough confidence to trust my gut.  Now, I did.  I dusted off the first draft of the story, my version, polished it up and gave it to my agent.  Right away there was an auction situation and the book went to Warner (now Hachette.)  No one’s path to publication is the same.  And there are going to be potholes along the way.  But if you stay true to yourself and your vision of the story, you will have greatly improved your chance of seeing your book in print.
RJ: The writing process differs from author to author. Some are planners, and others just jump right in. Some consider themselves night writers, while others need daylight and a park bench or a coffee shop (wink) to set the mood for creativity; whats your writing process and atmosphere like?
KC: I try to plot.  I have tried so many different ways to write a book, but it always comes back to sitting down, writing and letting the characters reveal the story to me.  One thing that I have realized is that I can’t have distractions when I write.  I need to be able to skip off into the world of my characters without real life breaking through.  I can’t write in a coffee shop, though I have tried and tried.  I end up listening to conversations around me and making up wild backgrounds for the participants.  I can’t write to music, because the mood of the songs invade my scenes.  So, I usually write in my dining room (too many great distractions in my office) with only china and silverware to distract me.
RJ: Romances has transcended many different sectors of pop culture. I think the Beatles said it best, "All you need is love". This being a Romance Blog, I've got to ask, what are your favorite romance picks of the following:  Favorite Love Song? Favorite Scent on a man? Favorite Romantic Comedy?
KC:  
Favorite love song- the old classic “At Last”
Favorite scent on a man- I worked in men fragrances at Macys when I was in college.  Paco Rabanne was the one scent made my knees weak. Still does. 
Favorite romantic comedy- there are so many I love, but it’s still When Harry Met Sally.
RJ: Do you have anything that you would like to address to your fans and the readers?
KC:  Thank you all for reading my books and for stopping by the blog today.  Be sure to swing by website www.KathrynCaskie.com for my 12 Days of Christmas book giveaway, excerpts, fabulous holiday recipes from your favorite Avon authors, signed bookplates for your copies of The Duke’s Night of Sin and more.
Not Kathryn's dog, but so cute!
RJ: Final Question: Name something shocking or interesting about yourself that the readers may not know.
KC:  I could tell you that I am an adrenaline junkie who has been skydiving, bungee jumping, elephant riding, diving with sharks, etc.  But after meeting me, most people find it shocking that I have a Chihuahua with a Napoleon complex.
*Kathryn's Question: What would most people find most surprising about you?  
I have three signed sets of the first two books in my Seven Deadly Sins series for the top three (chosen by Rita.)
~*~Giveaway Details~*~
Kathryn Caskie has generously offered to giveaway (3) signed sets of the first two books in her 'Seven Deadly Sins' series: Book One, To Sin With a Stranger, and Book Two, The Most Wicked of Sins to (3) three lucky commenter! Follow the guidelines below and comment for your chance to win! The giveaway will end on Saturday, December 18th, 2010 at 11:59:00 PM. The winners will be chosen, announced and contacted via email shortly after.  

Giveaway Guidelines: To be entered in the giveaway all you have to do is leave a comment and answer Kathryn's Question!
*Make sure to include your email address (NO EMAIL= INVALID ENTRY)
*Restricted to US residents only, sorry.

For Extra Entries (do one or more of the following for extra shots at winning):
+2 'Like' Kathryn's Facebook Fan Page
+2 'Like'  The 'Not Another Romance Blog' Blog on Facebook
+4 Spread the word: Tweet on Twitter, Post a Facebook status, or blog about this interview and giveaway (provide a link in you entry comment)
+5 Become a Follower/ Be a Follower

(A how-to guide for providing links to specific Facebook and Twitter status': here)

-Tell me in your comment which extra entries you are entitled to or they won't count!
--
To all the readers, be sure to make use of those 'on the web' links above to better acquaint yourself with this fabulous author! This has been great! Good luck to all of the giveaway contestants and I hope all of you have enjoyed this edition of:  

15 comments:

  1. It release day for The Duke's Night of Sin, online and in stores everywhere. That's where I will be, signing books all of the Washington, DC area, but I will be stopping back here to catch up on comments.

    Wish me luck, it's raining buckets out there!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have read the excerpt, and I am totally hooked!

    People who know me now would be very surprised that I was a "wild child" in college. :-0

    +5 follower
    castings at mindspring dot com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey, Kathryn! I love your books I have read the first one in the series To Sin with a Stranger and getting ready to the 2nd The Most Wicked of Sins, it's in my TBR pile! I really love the deadly sins theme!

    To answer your question, I don't really have anything surprising about me. I'm a stay at home mom who gardens and raises chickens! I hate to drive so I'm a homebody and rather be playing with my kids or reading a good book like yours then shopping or traveling!

    Have a great day signing in DC and try to stay dry! Thanks Kathryn and Rita for a great interview!!!!

    evjochum@aol.com
    +2 Like Kathryns FB page
    +2 Like NARB blog on FB
    +5 I'm a follower

    ReplyDelete
  4. That I come across very shy, but under all that I am a very passionate person the things that go around in my head would make a preacher blush.And would love to act out some of my fantasies.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This sounds like a great read!! Kathryn, have you ever walked into a bookstore and saw someone browsing through your books?

    Something that people would be surprised about is that I interned at the Ricki Lake Show (yes those people are real...I hand picked some of the guests) and co-hosted a morning radio show when I was in college.

    +2 already a FB fan of Kathryn
    +2 already a FB fan of NARB
    +5 already a GFC follower

    cbandy10 (at) hotmail (dotcom)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Not sure why I am having problems posting this afternoon. Trying again.

    Johanna, the raising chickens part did surprise me!

    Cheryl, come on, admit that you are still the wild child at heart. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Okay, this works when I am at home, but not when I in a coffee shop--go figure! LOL.

    Cindy, I have walked into to a bookstore and saw a woman thumbing through the pages of one of my books. I immediately grabbed my husband and said in a very thrilled whisper "Look, someone is reading my book!" He walked over to her, while I tried to duck behind a bookshelf, and explained that his wife had written that book and she is hiding right over there. I turned as red as my toenail polish.

    Cindy L., how cool is working on the Ricki Lake show? That must have been a lot of fun.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I can't wait to read this book. I've been waiting not so patiently for this book. I am loving this series and I have devoured each and every exerpt that you have released. I can't wait to find out what happens between Siusan and Sebastian.

    People that I know, find surprising that I remember everything. For some reason my brain retains everything. I am able to say and remember things that happened 15 or 20 years ago. It freaks them out.

    +2 NARB follower
    +2 Kathryn follower on Facebook
    +5 NARB follower

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congrats on the release! :)

    I can't think of anything particularly surprising about me -- I'm pretty much an open book type of person. The fact that I minored in Psych in college might be a surprise to some as I'm not the least bit "science type".

    +2 -- blog f/b fan
    +2 -- f/b fan of Kathryn
    +5 -- follower

    gamistress66 (at)
    aol (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  10. most people who meet me as an adult are surprised by how straitlaced i was when i was longer.

    great intereview - these books look like good reads!

    meaghan_koci (at) yahoo (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I absolutely love Kathryn Caskie's romance novels! People who meet me are surprised when they find out I'm a college student. I'm really short (hardly 5 feet) and apparently I have a "baby face!" I guess I'll appreciate that when I'm older :)

    +2 Liked Kathryn's Facebook Fan Page
    +2 Liked The 'Not Another Romance Blog' Blog on Facebook
    +4 Linked to my "Wonder Reviews" blog this interview and giveaway

    http://wonderreviews.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/kathryn-caskie-book-giveaway-and-interview/


    priya.reviewer (at) yahoo (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  12. People are always surprised to learn that I was homeschooled almost all of my academic years. I always hear, "But you're so normal..." I guess that's a compliment?

    I liked Not Another Romance Blog on FB

    abbiemichaels at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Kathryn, after reading the excerpt, I'm hooked.

    What people don't know about me is I'm painfully shy around people!

    nas_dean@ ymail .com

    +2 Liked Kathryn's Facebook Fan Page
    +2 Liked The 'Not Another Romance Blog' Blog on Facebook
    +4 Linked to my FB and tweeted about blog this interview and giveaway
    +5 I'm a "Follower" of this blog

    ReplyDelete
  14. As a child I wanted to be a dancer but in the 50-60's you had to be 5'5 or taller and I was only, and still am, 5 feet tall. Now you can be short but at almost 68 can't dance.. lol
    Thanks for the opportunity to enter giveaway.

    +2 Liked Kathryn's FB Fan pg (@Brenda Hill)
    +2 Liked Not Another Romance Blog FB(@Brenda Hill)
    +4 Posted/blogged via FB
    http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/permalink.php?story_fbid=118633141536753&id=1424713340

    +4 tweeted(@misskallie2000)
    http://twitter.com/misskallie2000/status/14165270239125504
    +5 GFC Follower

    misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love Siusan! Will Hercule Lestange be in future books?

    I'm not sure what people would find most surprising about me - perhaps that I grew up in an Italian neighborhood and know various types of pasta (I'm not Italian).

    ironss[at]gmail.com
    +2 Like Kathryn's Facebook Fan Page (S G-S Tieh)
    +2 Like The 'Not Another Romance Blog' Blog on Facebook (S G-S Tieh)
    +5 Follower

    ReplyDelete

 

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