Author Interview- Christie Kelley

Hi, there everyone. This is the first author interview on Review Carnival. In this interview, we have interviewed award-winning historical romance author Christie Kelley who has a brand new book coming out in October called Scandal of the season. Christie Kelley was born and raised in upstate New York. As a child, she always had a vivid imagination and the bad dreams that go along with it, or perhaps the dreams were caused by the five brothers and three sisters she lived with. After seventeen years working for financial institutions in software development, she took a leap of faith and started her first book. Seven years later, her first book EVERY NIGHT I’M YOURS was bought by Zebra books.

She now lives in Maryland with her husband and two future romance heroes. Her latest book Scandal of the season is a historical romance with a unique twist. Here's a short blurb:

For ten years, Anthony Westfield, Viscount Somerton, hasn’t been able to forget the woman with whom he spent one scandalous night. When their paths cross again, he’s shocked to discover Victoria Seaton is an accomplished pickpocket. But Somerton leads a double life of his own. Working on an undercover assignment, he makes Victoria a proposition: pretend to be his mistress or risk ruin. Yet soon he’s tempted to turn their charade into reality and surrender to an explosive passion.

Victoria can’t believe the man who almost destroyed her life a decade ago is now threatening to unravel her secrets. But posing as his mistress at a holiday country party is a game she can play well. For just one look into Somerton’s eyes still weakens her with lust. And with Christmas fast approaching, every kiss they share under the mistletoe only makes Victoria fall more deeply in love.



First of all, Review Carnival would like to thank Christie Kelley for agreeing for an interview despite her busy schedule. Here is the interview:

TRIVIA

Favorite color-Green

Favorite author- Victoria Alexander

Favorite book-  The Wedding Bargain

Zodiac sign-  Aries

When you are down, what do you say to yourself to inspire yourself- That there are a lot of people less fortunate than me. Take what I have and make it work.

Your motto- I have a fortune cookie paper that's taped on my laptop that says "Your present plans are going to succeed" I've always liked that motto.

City of your dreams-  London

Review Carnival-I am really pleased that you decided to do an interview with Review Carnival. First of all, I would like to ask you when you decided you wanted to be a writer and whether a writer's life is the way you imagined it to be.

Christie-I didn't start to write until 2000. At that time, I had just reduced my hours at work and was working mostly from home. Once I had the extra time, I decided to give writing a try. I was quickly addicted to it.

As far as a writer's life...well, it's not much different than my usual working life. I always had deadlines when I worked in technology and if a deadline started to slip, I would work extra. It's pretty much the same thing. 

Review Carnival-Why did you choose to write romance? How many books (on an average) do you write in a year?

Christie-I chose romance, and historical romance in particular, because that is what I always read. It was a perfect fit for me. Plus I love research :)

I tend to write two books a year. That means some years. I'll have two books out and some years only one. It all depends on the publishing schedule.

Review Carnival-What kind of heroes and heroines do you like in romance novels? Are your characters similar to them?

Christie-I like alpha heroes who aren't too controlling. For heroines, I like them to have more going on in their lives than just waiting for the right man to come along.

I think the hero/heroine from my latest release, Scandal of the Season are most like this description. He's a hardened rake with deep secrets. She runs a house for orphans but if money is running low, she has no problem picking pockets for a little extra cash.
Review Carnival-Who do you think influenced you/your writing style/choice of genre?

Christie-All the authors I read--Johanna Lindsey, Judith McNaught, Julia Quinn, Victoria Alexander, Christina Dodd.
Review Carnival-Do you ever have the dreaded writer's block? How do you deal with it?

Christie-I think all writers will get stuck sometimes. When it happens to me, it's usually because I've written myself into a corner with my plot. I call my critique partner, Kathy Love and talk through it. She's awesome at fixing my plot holes.
Review Carnival-Thank you very much for doing this interview with Review Carnival. We wish you all the best and hope that your next book might be a bestseller. For the final question, what message would you like to give your fans?

Christie-Thank you, thank you, and thank you! I love hearing from readers so please email me at christie@christiekelley.com or friend me on Facebook.

Hope you enjoyed the interview. You can get more information about Christie and her books on her website: http://www.christiekelley.com/ or her blog www.romancebandits.blogspot.com. Remember that her latest book Scandal of the Season is coming out on October. You can order it here: http://www.amazon.com/Scandal-Season-Christie-Kelley/dp/1420108778/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1286459919&sr=1-1