Connie: Hello Kimberly. I’m pleased to have you here at OUAR. Hopefully I’ll learn much more about you and of course your writing. To start us off, would you tell us about yourself and a bit about what you’re working on now?

Kimberly: I guess you could say I grew up as your stereotypical shy and quiet bookworm in small-town Indiana. I was interested in reading and writing from a very young age, and I was a huge Trixie Belden/Nancy Drew fan, so I began my career by penning short mystery stories in grade school. Obviously, my tastes changed a great deal through the years, LOL. I discovered romances at the age of 12 or 13 and never looked back.

As for what I’m working on now, I am just now finishing the last book in my Daventry Sisters series, Seduced By Sin, which is due to hit shelves in April 2008. I also have ideas for two new series that are in the proposal stages. One would be a historical romance series in which each book would be a variation on a different fairy tale. The other is for a historical paranormal series that is still in the very earliest stages of planning. I won’t know which will be next up for me until my editor takes a look at the proposals, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Connie: Both sound intriguing. Fingers crossed…

Scandal, intrigue, romance, decadence, adventure. All can be found between the covers of your books. Is there a particular formula you’ve developed and follow to incorporate these elements, or does each story create its own?

Kimberly: Each story pretty much creates its own. The elements always tend to vary, though I think readers have learned to expect a certain amount of suspense from my books. But that can vary as well. In my last book, Sins of Midnight, the mystery served as one of the focal points of the story, while my current book, The Devil’s Temptation, uses the mystery as more of a backdrop.

Connie: As you say, a certain amount of suspense is found in your books, but romance of course is at the heart them. How do you decide which of the other elements, such as suspense, get greater attention than the others? Does this happen in the plotting/outline stages, or are you open to characters input?

Kimberly: That usually gets hashed out in the plotting stages. But once I start writing, the characters definitely have some input along the way. The suspense element was a very important part of my first few books, especially the Daventry Sisters series, so that’s usually what I focus most of my attention on after the romance. But it’s less prevalent in the proposals I’m working on now, simply because I’ve made a conscious decision to move away from the mystery angle a little and try something different. That doesn’t mean a bit of suspense won’t work its way in there at some point, however.

Connie: Certainly a way to stay fresh and exercise your mind and talents.

Kimberly, in the scenes where your characters interact closely, a struggle, an encounter on the dance floor, do you ever physically choreograph, to some degree, situations such as these?

Kimberly: No, I can’t say that I do. There’s too much of a danger that a family member or friend will walk in on you and think it’s time to call for the men in the white coats to come and get you, LOL! More often, I try to visualize the scene in my mind, to picture it playing out like a scene from a movie. But I have to admit that I do tend to read lines of dialogue aloud on occasion, just to make sure that it sounds natural and flows correctly.

Connie: In contemporaries there is a lot the reader can relate to immediately; references to entertainment (movies, actors) and current events, 21st century attitudes and relationships to name a few. What do you think it is about historicals, no matter the setting, that so many readers seem to, or want to, relate to?

Kimberly: That’s difficult to say. I think it’s different for everyone, though I would imagine a large part of it can be attributed to our natural curiosity about the past and how people back then lived. When I was in grade school, I can remember that my favorite field trips were always the ones to the historical landmarks around the area, especially the old homes and villages. I used to try and find some point during the trip to just stand quietly and imagine what it must have been like for the people who lived there. It can be fascinating.

Connie: You’re absolutely right. It can be fascinating as well as raising some goose-bumps in some cases.

Research can uncover some surprising discoveries. Are there any facts that stand out from your research that you were surprised to learn? How did some of these facts find their way into the plot or scenes?

Kimberly: I thoroughly enjoyed the research I did for Sins of Midnight. I really had to delve into forensics in the early 1800’s, and I was stunned to discover just how far behind they were in terms of crime scene investigation. It wasn’t until former French criminal Eugene Francois Vidocq became chief of the elite French Surete in 1811 that a change began to take place. He pioneered so many of the techniques and investigative procedures used even today that I wound up adding a brief paragraph at the back of the book regarding him and his work. I am a big fan of the CSI shows on television, so it was all very interesting to me.

Connie: You’ve piqued my curiosity about Vidocq and his techniques. Perhaps some research of my own may be in order.

You stated an interest in creating a trilogy that would be a variation of favorite fairy tales. This would be a bit of a departure for you, Kimberly. Which fairy tales come to mind that would make intriguing what ifs for you? How would you make them fresh, fun, and gripping?

Kimberly: I have loved so many over the years. Beauty and the Beast and Snow White come to mind. But those have been used so often, I’d like to try something that hasn’t been overdone. I particularly like the fairy tales that have a bit of a darker edge, like Rapunzel. Finding a fresh slant can be a challenge, but there are so many versions of these tales out there for me to play with that there’s no telling what could evolve.

Connie: The "what if" at work!

Class differences between the hero and heroine are in many books, both contemporary and historical. Do you feel using class differences in some cases give the plot a wider area in which to grow and evolve?

Kimberly: Definitely. Part of what I enjoyed about writing my debut book, A Kiss in the Dark, was being able to explore a part of Regency England you rarely get to see in romance novels: The back alleys and hovels of the London stews. And I also loved fleshing out the differing backgrounds of the hero and the heroine. Tristan was an earl from a wealthy family while Deirdre was a former pickpocket, and bringing the two of them together really opened up some interesting avenues for the story to take.

Connie: What would please you the most as an author; the reader loves your characters, they find escape in your books, they find the plot unique above most other books they’ve read? Or is there something else that would please you most as an author?

Kimberly: Any of those would be a lovely compliment for an author to receive. But as an avid reader myself, I know the thing that I have always enjoyed most about reading is being able to get away from the troubles of the real world. One instance that stands out in my mind is the tragedy of 9/11. That was such a painful day, and the violent images on the television were so inescapable. It was everywhere, and after a while it got to the point where it was too much. If I hadn’t been able to escape into a good book for a while, I might have been overwhelmed by it all. So if a reader told me that my books helped her to forget about something painful or depressing in her own life, that it gave her a few hours of joy, that would probably be the ultimate compliment.

Connie: I’d like to get to know you on a personal level now. Is there a particular author or two from decades or centuries past (or present) you’d like to meet? What would you say or ask him/her?

Kimberly: Hmmm. Definitely Louisa May Alcott. Little Women was my favorite book growing up, and I have heard that she based parts of it on events from her own life. I have always wondered whether that was true, and if so, which ones. I’d also have to say Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Johanna Lindsey, Rebecca Brandewyne, and Julie Garwood, simply because these are the ladies who were instrumental in my decision to write romance.

Connie: All have made their mark in the literary world. Kimberly, you have some of your favorites listed on your website, but would you tell us about some of your other favorites and what makes them so?

Kimberly:

Store: The employees at my local bookstore knew me by name long before I ever became published, if that tells you anything. And number two on my list would have to be Bath and Body Works. Cause, you know, a gal can never have too much bubble bath.

Flower: Iris

Theme park ride: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney MGM Studios, hands down! If it doesn’t scare the pants off me, it’s not worth my time.

Candy/dessert: I’m a glutton for white chocolate. And if you’ve ever eaten at an Applebee’s restaurant, they have a Maple Butter Blondie that I am willing to be a slave for. Really.

Connie: LOVE The Tower of Terror!! We always end up in the front row, too!

Pretend you’re a damsel in distress. Who would you want to assist in your rescue? Spiderman, Superman, Batman? Other?

Kimberly: Eh. S, S and B are highly overrated in my humble opinion. X-Men’s Gambit or Wolverine all the way! Just watch those claws, Wolvie.

Connie: Guess the Batman dated me… : - )

Other than the computer, what is the best invention(s) since "sliced bread"?

Kimberly: Depends which day of the week you ask me, and it will probably be whichever one I happen to be using at the time.

Connie: What is something you definitely want readers to know about you?

Kimberly: I love to meet and hear from readers, so if you see me at a booksigning or convention, don’t be afraid to come up and say hello. Given how shy I am, chances are I’m even more nervous than you are, LOL!

Connie: On that note, I thank you, Kimberly, for taking the time to answer my questions. Before we conclude this interview, is there anything I left out that you want the readers to know?

Kimberly: Thanks for having me, Connie. It was fun. For news, contests, and excerpts from my books, readers can visit my website at www.kimberlylogan.net. Oh, and don’t forget to pick up my current book, The Devil’s Temptation, which should now be on bookshelves near you.

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