Connie: Hi, Catherine! It’s a pleasure to visit with you again. I’m looking forward to asking you some of the questions I didn’t have the chance to ask when we first met. First though, will you tell the readers unfamiliar with you a bit about yourself and what they can expect to see from you this month and in the future?

Catherine: Connie, thank you so much for the interview! I’m delighted to chat with you.

I write medieval romances for Medallion Press. Since I have a B.A. (Double Major) in English and History and took post-graduate studies in fine art and antiques from Sotheby’s auctioneers in London, England, the historical genre is the perfect fit for me.

I’ve sold four books to date, and have many more novels in me. I love writing intricate, layered stories with lots of angst and character growth. Yes, I torment my heroes and heroines through the course of my books , but I believe that makes the satisfying, happily-ever-after ending so much sweeter.

My current book, A Knight’s Vengeance, a September 2006 release from Medallion Press, is the first medieval I penned. I wrote it when my daughter was a baby, during her afternoon naps. Of course, I revised the book numerous times before it gelled into the version Medallion Press bought. My debut published novel, Dance of Desire, which recently won "Best Medieval" in Affaire de Coeur Magazine’s 2006 Reader-Writers’ Poll, was my fifth completed manuscript.

My next novel, My Lady’s Treasure, is loosely based on the legends of King Arthur and the quest for the Holy Grail. It’s scheduled for release in April, 2007. My current work in progress, A Knight’s Reward, will be out in 2008.

Connie: Thanks for piquing our interest on your upcoming book! And congratulations on winning the Affaire de Coeur award!

You just brought up two of your books I wanted to ask about, and their covers. Covers in some aspects have become softer, more alluring, depending on the genre of course. Dance of Desire had two fantastic covers (we still talk about them) and A Knight’s Vengeance has C.J. Hollenbach on its cover. I know Medallion Press had a contest to decide which cover should end up on the book, but how much input did you have as the author on the covers?

Catherine: I, too, adore both of the Dance of Desire covers! They’re phenomenal! Medallion Press has incredibly talented artists. And to have C. J. Hollenbach on my book cover . . . Well, let’s just say, I’m still pinching myself over that.

While Medallion Press decides what goes on the book covers, I did have the opportunity to describe my characters’ physical appearances and my stories for the artists. From there, they created the cover designs.

Connie: And you’re absolutely not disappointed, either!

I would say any lover of historical romance is captivated with a certain time in history more than any other. Yours is the medieval time period, as we’ve established with Dance of Desire and A Knight’s Vengeance. The time of knights and damsels in distress. A time where castle life was at its best, or worse with its primitive, yet modern, and perhaps even luxurious to them, depending on their station in life, and harsh lifestyle. You seem deeply drawn to this time, which shows in your writing. Aside from being fascinated with how they lived, what they ate, and what they wore, is there an underlying fascination with this time?

Catherine: I’ve always been drawn to the Middle Ages. I’ve toured many crumbling castles in England; there’s such an atmosphere to these ancient places, an awe-inspiring timelessness. I’ve watched archery demonstrations and seen medieval armor, weapons, silver, jewelry and other artifacts in the British Museum. My favorite paintings are those by the Pre-Raphaelites, 19th century artists who portray medieval times in a very idealized fashion. I think it’s this idealized vision that intrigues me most. Loyalty, honor, duty, love so strong and right that it conquers all . . . I try to capture the essence of this in my books.

Connie: Catherine, let’s go a bit further with that and talk about the castle life for a moment. Historical romance is supposed to be just that. Romance. In different medieval romances through the years the castle life has been somewhat glamorized. In your experience, and when you’re trying to capture the essence of the medieval time period, how have you found the balance to be accurate yet keep the story, the elements of living in the medieval time period, on a romantic footing?

Catherine: An excellent point! It’s definitely important to be as accurate as possible when writing about a specific era. There are lots of wonderful reference books on the Middle Ages that help me create my characters’ worlds. I love being able to draw my reader back in history via all that my characters see, hear, taste, touch and smell.

However, as authors, we must keep in mind we’re writing fiction. Our readers have modern sensibilities. They have certain expectations. For example, most prefer strong, clever heroines—an echo of today’s independent women—not heroines resigned to their circumstances or perceived to be weak. Yet, in the society of the middle ages, most women had very little say in their lives.

The arranged marriage is the perfect example of balancing fact with fiction. Many noble ladies were betrothed by the time they were eight or nine years old and were expected to bear heirs as soon as possible. Not a very romantic scenario. However, I used the arranged marriage in Dance of Desire to convey Fane Linford’s soul-deep attraction to Lady Rexana Villeaux, and to show that despite her brother’s rumored treachery, Fane was willing to honor her through marriage in hopes of sparing her reputation and winning her life-long love.

Connie: I really did like him. What a great hero!

I’m sure we can guess, but for those readers who want to know, what are some facts or trivia from that time period that never find their way into the story?

Catherine: Many people in the Middle Ages bathed only once per year. Few lived to their mid-thirties. Most had rotten teeth. Ick! Can you imagine?

Connie: Ew! Ick! is right! On the flip side of that, what are some of the things that do find their way into the story, but in a more sugarcoated way, so to speak?

Catherine: Castles were generally cold, damp, drafty places. However, I think as romance authors, we tend not to dwell upon the general discomforts of living in this era. To do so would undermine the romantic mystique, so to speak, of living in a castle. Also, most of the food was probably not that appetizing.

Connie: All things that can be romanticized a bit.

Let’s talk about writing contests for a few moments. You’ve finaled and won first place in many contests. Most contests have a page or chapter count. The consensus seems to be to make sure your MS is completed before entering a contest. Would you agree?

Catherine: First off, let me say that I firmly believe contests are a route to publication. I encourage aspiring authors to enter contests for objective criticism, as well as the chance to final and thus garner accolades to mention in cover letters. Also, finalists’ entries are often read by editors and agents, who may love what they read and request more material. I know of authors who made their first sales due to finaling in contests.

I entered all of my unpublished books in contests, whether they were completed or not. Sometimes I just wanted a fresh opinion on a work in progress. Other times, I entered a portion of a completed manuscript because I hoped to make the finals and have my work read by the final round editor judge, because I knew they were acquiring stories like mine.

Now that I’m published, I still enter my books in contests. Accolades are important, I feel, for building name recognition, and, for newer authors like me, building a readership.

Connie: Hmm. Good food for thought. Now, there’s another school of thought that while it’s good to enter several contests and get the invaluable feedback it’s also a good idea to submit different pages/chapters from different MS (if possible). The theory being that you’ll polish the one MS (or its required pages/chapters) and win or final in the contests, but that won’t necessarily help you in the long run. What’s your take on that?

Catherine: Well, I think it depends what you as a writer want to achieve via the contests. If you’re looking for objective feedback, there’s nothing wrong with entering several different manuscripts in several different contests. You may not realize you’re making the same errors in writing technique or story structure in each manuscript, until these are pointed out by other writers. However, if you have a polished manuscript you’re eager to sell, I personally don’t see anything wrong with entering it in several different contests, especially if you’re targeting a specific publisher or editor.

One note on contest feedback, though. It’s important not to take every criticism to heart. Contest judging is highly subjective and not all judges will connect with your work or writing voice. It’s vital not to rework your story or characters due to negative contest criticism unless you feel these changes improve your manuscript.

Connie: Thanks for that note! A most helpful reminder for the aspiring and discouraged author.

Characters. Most important for a romance wouldn’t you say, Catherine? What important traits do you like your heroes to have and develop or learn? And the heroines? What traits have they developed that have surprised or impressed you?

Catherine: Heroes? Mmm. My favorite. Every hero I’ve written so far—including Geoffrey de Lanceau, my hero in A Knight’s Vengeance—is an alpha male, which means he’s extremely driven. He likes to be in control of a situation. Yet, he’s also honorable and intensely loyal. Most of my heroes have deep emotional wounds they have to confront in order to grow as characters. Falling in love, even when it’s forbidden—as in A Knight’s Vengeance—is the catalyst for this growth.

Which brings me to my heroines. They’re pretty determined themselves, which creates a delicious clash between my characters. Elizabeth Brackendale, my heroine in A Knight’s Vengeance, stubbornly fights Geoffrey every step of his plot to destroy her father. If she weren’t as feisty, the story wouldn’t be as exciting!

Connie: It’s obvious you’ve spent a lot of time with your characters, but is there a particular one (main or secondary) you’d like to get to know better? One that piqued your interest during the course of writing the book?

Catherine: Great question! I’d love to write a story about Rudd Villeaux, the reckless younger brother of Rexana Villeaux from Dance of Desire. Rudd is definitely hero material.

Also, after writing A Knight’s Vengeance, I was so intrigued by Geoffrey’s fellow knight, Dominic de Terre, that I made him the hero of my 2008 release, A Knight’s Reward.

Connie: How fun! What about secondary characters? They can sometimes either be hard to write or a blast to write. Can you think of any of your secondary characters that either gave you fits or you had to struggle to keep up with them?

Catherine: Mildred Cottlepod, Elizabeth’s matronly lady-in-waiting in A Knight’s Vengeance, tried to elbow her way into as many scenes as possible. I had to gently remind her that the story’s focus must be on Elizabeth and Geoffrey, not her. To which she replied "Harrumph!" and scowled at me for the rest of the manuscript.

Connie: Perhaps Mildred will wind up in another book and another castle someday...?

Wow. I’m running out of time and I haven’t asked everything I wanted to! Guess I’ll have to pick one last writing question before moving on to questions on the more personal side.

You’ve written a Chick Lit book that you’re shopping around. You’ve written contemporary romance. What’s left on your future writing to-do list?

Catherine: I’d love to write a paranormal! I have some ideas, but no spare time right now to flesh them out into stories. I’m also hoping to pen a few Young Adult novels.

Connie: I’m sure you’ll do all that and more.

Catherine, you bake and cook. You love to garden. Are there any other hidden talents or hobbies of yours?

Catherine: I enjoy reading when I have free time. I also adore lazy afternoons at the bookstore with my daughter; she loves books as much as I do. And, of course, I enjoy snuggling up to my husband while watching favorite movies.

Connie: Let’s pretend. I know you have a vivid imagination. You’re stranded on a desert island with ­­­­__________ (fictional or real). You send a message in a bottle to be found by anybody. What does the message say?

Catherine: Woo-hoo! I’m stranded on a desert island with pirate Johnny Depp! My message? "Arrrr! Don’t rush to rescue me."

Connie:

You and your husband have been invited to a costume ball and, poof, any costume you desire appears. Who will you and your husband go as?

Catherine: A lady and her gallant knight, of course.

Connie: Of course! What was I thinking?

What’s one appliance you couldn’t live without? Food? Article(s) of clothing?

Catherine: Having endured three hurricanes (not fun!) followed by days without electricity, I definitely couldn’t live without a fridge. I get pretty cranky when I don’t get my Godiva ice cream. Articles of clothing? Okay, I admit, I love my slouchy cotton PJ’s and fleece-lined slippers.

Connie: Comfy and ice cream. Works for me!

Would you tell us how you met your husband?

Catherine: I met him during the year I studied in London. We met for the first time at a Christmas party held by a mutual friend. I went with my English cousins. My future husband teased that my cousins and I were actually sisters. He still has a quirky sense of humor, one of the things I adore about him. He’s also a terrific guy. I’m very lucky. And no, he didn’t bribe me with chocolate to make me say that.

Connie: If you say so!

Thank you so much for your time, Catherine. I really enjoyed our visit. And since I didn’t get to ask everything I’d hoped to, perhaps we can do this again sometime? Before we say good-bye, is there anything I forgot to ask that you’d like the readers and fans to know?

Catherine: Connie, thank you! If readers would like to learn more about me and my books, they’re welcome to visit my web site at http://www.catherinekean.com

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Author's Interviews