Today I am thrilled to have author
Kaily Hart who is celebrating the release of her debut work
Picture This with aVirtual Book Tour!
Picture This is a short rotic romance that released from
Ellora's Cave June 29. So please give Kaily a warm welcome and enjoy the interview, but don't forget to enter the giveaway!!!!!!
If someone were writing a story about Kaily Hart, what would your blurb say?
Oh no, you’re asking me to write a blurb!? LOL I used to think I liked writing blurbs. I was deluding myself. It’s incredibly difficult to boil down the critical elements of a story to give a sense of it. OK ::deep breath:: here goes:
Kaily Hart, a seemingly straight-laced mother of four left corporate America and a high-powered, lucrative career to be a stay at home mom. Ha! That lasted about four weeks, during which time she realized she had a deeply repressed dream—to write. Romance! By day, Kaily plays conservative wife and soccer mom, but at night crafts hot and steamy tales of romance and love with gorgeous heroes who wouldn’t dream of leaving the toilet set up. Ever. She’s smart and sassy, at least in her own mind, and is trying her best to bring the alpha male solidly back to contemporary romance. Two years ago she never would have thought she’d be doing this, but now that she is? It just feels so right.
Can you tell us a little about your debut release Picture This from Ellora's Cave that isn’t in the blurb?
Picture This was the story that surprised me. I’d had other plans the day the idea came to me for it! For me, the book is about how a single action, a blip on the radar of life, can came back at you some time down the line and have a dramatic effect. How many decisions do we make every day? How many actions do we take? Some are bigger than others, but do we ever stop to think that any one of them (regardless of how small) could one day have a substantial impact on our lives in the future, even if it’s indirectly? The book is also about the emotional evolution of the alpha male. I love to write heroes who are crude, rude and ‘rough around the edges’, but will melt and give up everything they always thought they wanted for the right woman. Probably why I write romance, huh?
Where did the inspiration come from to write Picture This ?
It’s funny. Inspiration comes in many forms and at the oddest times for me. Often I’ll be hard at work on one thing and just like that, an idea will form for something completely different. I have a lot of ideas come to me while I’m driving and numerous times I’ve pulled over and hunted for a receipt in my bag to jot it down. I’ve now resorted to carrying a notebook with me wherever I go! I got the idea for Picture This when I was actually reviewing the calls for submission section on the epublishers web site. I’ve done this regularly for awhile, just so that I keep updated on what they’re asking for. As I read it, the premise for Picture This solidified in my mind. As to where the specific idea came from? I have absolutely no idea!
What was your favorite scene to write in Picture This ?
I had to scan through the book and take another look because I really love all of it. I guess my favorite though is the first scene. It’s in the heroes Point of View (POV) and I love to write the male POV. I love to drop the reader right into the middle of something at the opening of a book. I’m not big on back story or reams of descriptions. I’m more action based and there’s some interesting action going on in that first scene ;). It’s also a chance for the reader to get to know the hero before the main character (heroine) steps into things!
If you could trade places with one of your characters, would you want to?
Nope. I’m completely happy with the chaos that’s my life at the moment. I always enjoyed my previous career, but now I’m doing something that I love and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
What was the first romance book you read and how did it effect you?
You know, I can’t remember specifically the first romance book I ever read. You could probably argue some of the literary fiction you study at school has elements of romance and could probably qualify. I do recall visiting my grandmother in my early teens and finding a magazine she was reading. It had a short story in it, which I read because, well, when you visit your grandparents and you’re a teenager…let’s just say I was looking for something to do! I remember thinking I liked the fact that it had a happy ending. Guess, I was probably hooked on happy endings after that.
What is the most interesting thing you’ve done in the name of research?
this is a PG rated site, right? I’ll probably have to leave that one to the imagination!
What do you consider as the most frustrating side of becoming a published author and what has been the most rewarding?
The rewarding part is easy—reader feedback. So many people who’ve read Picture This have taken the time to reach out to me to say they loved it. It’s something I’ll always cherish. That makes all the hard work more than worth it and it’s why I write—to touch someone and give them enjoyment, even if it’s only for a short period of time.
As for the frustrating part, it’s hard to pick just one! I guess the thing that stands out is the waiting. Waiting on your submission, waiting when you’ve handed in revisions or edits, waiting for your cover, waiting for a release day, waiting for reviews and feedback. A writers life is spent primarily waiting! Of course, luckily there are other stories we can work on while we wait.
What are you currently working on?
I’m wrapping up two more contemporary novellas, a full length novel and I’ve outlined a couple of paranormal series I’d love to sink my teeth into (and that’s not meant to be a pun, they’re not about vampires!).
Please share with us something that readers would be surprised to learn about you
Well, not many people would know I’m originally from Australia. I grew up at the edge of the Australian outback in a very small rural town. At any point during this time I would have complained about the heat, the flies, the remoteness, the lack of excitement, the fact that everyone knows everyone’s business and the whole disadvantage of it! Now? After living and working in places like New York City and Los Angeles and having had the opportunity to travel and broaden my horizons? Well, I’m just grateful for such a humble and simple beginning. It gives me such an appreciative outlook on life.
How can the readers stay in touch with you online?
Actually, my blog turns 1 this month. Yay! I always thought it important to establish some form of online platform prior to publication and I keep that very current. You’ll always be able to figure out what I’m doing from that. I’ve also recently added a web site and I’m on Facebook (which I love) and Twitter (which I’m still getting used to). I love the different characteristics that each of these social networks provide and the ability to reach such a broad base of people with ease!
Web –
http://www.kailyhart.com/
Blog -
http://kailyhart.blogspot.com/
Facebook –
http://www.facebook.com/kaily.hart
Twitter -
http://twitter.com/kailyhart
If you could ask readers any one question, what would it be?
You know what I’d really love to know? What do readers think makes a sexy hero? Personally, I spend a LOT of time thinking about this one so inquiring minds are very interested!
Thank you so much for having me here today!! The questions were interesting, thought provoking and a lot of fun!
Desperate and young, Jillian Moore did something she knew would one day come back to bite her in the ass. She’d posed nude. For money. Years later, and on the fast track to a successful career, she’s still haunted by her mistake. She can’t help but wonder when her past will catch up with her.
Samuel Steele is not short on female attention, but the women who warm his bed pale in comparison to the fantasy he’s created of the seductive temptress in the painting hanging prominently in his bedroom. A fantasy that has ruined his once satisfying sex life. When he discovers that her exact likeness works in his building—for him—things get…interesting.
EXCERPT:
Oh my God, Samuel Steele was a walking, talking wet dream.
She’d drooled from afar plenty, but up close he was downright gorgeous. Every woman in the place, and even some of the guys, had checked out his tight butt, flat abs and broad shoulders, and although he’d never worn anything but a suit to the office, that didn’t stop imaginations from running riot. His hair was dark and thick, his skin tanned, and regardless of the time of day, his jaw always seemed darkened with at least a day’s beard growth. And his eyes. She’d never been close enough to make out their color before, but they were a dark, piercing gray. They should have looked cold, but the way he was looking at her made her wonder if someone had turned off the air-conditioning.
***GIVEAWAY***
Kaily will be giving a Goody Tower to one randomly drawn commenter !
To enter you MUST:
Ends 07/23 !
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