Alright, everybody, the day is here at last! Author Kristine Cayne has stopped by the Diary again to gracefully answer some of my questions about her contribution to the Romance in the Rain anthology, entitled "Aftershocks". Take it away again, Kristine!
It’s a pleasure to be here on Diary
of an Indie Author again. Christina has asked me to answer some questions about my work, so here goes...
What made you decide to write about firefighters?
I needed a romantic suspense
story for the Romance in the Rain anthology. Since the anthology is set in
Seattle, and Seattle is prone to earthquakes, I decided to write about an
earthquake and the heroes who would race out to rescue people trapped in the
city center. Seattle Fire Department’s Technical Rescue Team fit the bill to a
T.
What does a "technical rescue firefighter" do,
exactly?
Although they also assist in fire-related incidents, the
SFD’s Technical Rescue Team (TRT) is primarily responsible for rescues that
require more training than a regular firefighter would have. These include
collapsed building rescues, trench cave-in rescues, high angle rope rescues,
marine accident rescues, confined space rescues, and heavy machinery and
transportation incident rescues to name but a few.
Here’s a photo (used with permission from the SFD) of the
TRT heavy machinery rescue. A dorm at the University of Washington was being
demolished. In the process, a part of the building fell on a crane, trapping
the driver.
The TRT members also participate in FEMA’s Urban Search and
Rescue Team as well as international S&R teams. So not only are they heroes
in their hometown, but across the US and the world also.
You have mentioned on your blog and Facebook that
"Aftershocks" is a prequel to a series. Have you settled on a title
for this series?
Yes! After much debate, thinking
about how the series title pulls all the individual books together, and how it
reflects the genre, I’ve settled on Six
Alarm Sexy. I hope you like it! The
grand reveal of the series title and logo is coming soon. Stay tuned!
Why did you choose to write romantic suspense?
I’ve been reading romance novels
since I was old enough to check them out of the library. For a while, the ones
that captured my attention were historicals, mostly pirate-themed bodice
rippers. As I grew older, I turned to regency romances. I tried contemporaries,
but at the time, Harlequin was pretty much the only game in town and I grew very
tired of the sweetness. I craved excitement, something that would get my heart
pounding. Something with sex and danger. That’s when I discovered Cherry
Adair’s Kiss & Tell. It opened my
eyes to a whole new genre that had everything I sought. That’s when I knew I
wanted to be a writer and that I wanted to write romantic suspense.
As a romance writer, where do you get your
inspiration from?
I get my inspiration from every
day events. I watch the news. I read articles. When something intrigues me, I
dig deeper. Usually, there’s a story there that needs to be told.
Do you like working with other writers?
I love working with other
writers. Although I’ve never co-written a story with another author, I do work
extensively with author friends (critique, partner, writing groups, support
groups, etc.) When everyone brings something different to the table, it’s
amazing what can be accomplished!
The Rainy Day Writers are a great example of this. One of us handled
working with the cover artist, two of us worked on the website and blog, one of
us created the family tree and breakdowns, all of us worked on editing, one of
us worked on formatting and uploading the book. Phew, just thinking about doing
all that by myself is exhausting. I’m so glad I had my fabulous writer friends
to do it with me.
What is it like taking part in a book signing?
Nerve-wracking! I’ve only done
one so far, and it was not targeted at romance readers. The whole time, I
worried that no one would stop by. Good thing my critique partner was there. We
chatted the whole time. LOL. I will be participating in the book signing at the
Emerald City Writers Conference. Since this is an RWA conference, I’m expecting
things to be somewhat busier. But just in case, I’ll have chocolate and tons of
swag to entice potential readers!
How would you help an "aspiring writer"
get his or her feet on the ground? What kind of advice would you give him/her?
The best advice I can give to an
aspiring writer is the obvious one: write.
Until you’ve actually written an entire book, you have very little concept of
what it entails and whether or not you’re cut out for it. That doesn’t mean
your first book has to be great. It just means it has to get finished. I’ve
known a lot of writers who get caught in an endless cycle of writing three
chapters and revising them to death. Eventually, they get bored with the
project and move on to something else. The book never gets finished.
The second advice is: join a
writers’ group. This can be a big organization like RWA or a smaller online
community, or even just a group of your writer friends who meet every few weeks
to read your work in progress and give you feedback. Why? Because these groups
force you to learn about writing, to perfect your craft. To take feedback and
criticism. That last item is the most difficult part of being a writer.
What can your readers look forward to next from
you?
I’m working on my new rescue
firefighter (erotic romance) series, which focuses on the repercussions
(“aftershocks”) of the earthquake (that takes place in the prequel) on the
lives of the Caldwell family and the rescue firefighters we meet in Aftershocks. The first book, Under His Command, features the hero and
heroine of Aftershocks. Jamie and
Erica Caldwell take us to Hawaii on their five-year delayed honeymoon, as they
work to repair their broken relationship.
I’m also working on Deadly Betrayal, the third book in my
Deadly Vices romantic suspense series. Here’s the blurb:
An Afghani
woman’s rights activist with a dark secret.
Azita Seraj, doctor and women’s rights
activist in Afghanistan, is horrified to learn that her late husband’s brother,
Khalid Mullazai, is giving his twelve-year-old sister to a Taliban tribal
leader. Desperate to save the girl, she reaches out to the only hope she has:
an American soldier she treated several years earlier for a gunshot wound. A
wound he received in an ambush she’d been deceived into initiating. Can she
enlist his aid and still keep secret her betrayal?
An American
soldier searching for answers.
Kaden Christiansen never forgot the
beautiful Afghani doctor who saved his life, and when he receives her cry for
help, he doesn’t hesitate. The opportunity to see Azita is one he relishes, and
being in-country again will give him a chance to hunt down the source of the
ambush that left one of his men dead.
A deadly
conspiracy that threatens them both...
Pursued by Mullazai and Taliban fighters as they travel across the
country disguised and posing as a married couple, Kaden and Azita begin to fall
for their own act and for each other. But Kaden senses that Azita is holding
back. Is the reason their cultural differences, or something darker?
_____
And now for my review of Romance in the Rain. It's short and sweet, but definitely to the point!
Rating: 5 black roses
I enjoyed this book very much. First thing that grabbed me
about it was that the authors are all friends in real life, not just random
authors who have contributed to an anthology (not that there’s anything wrong
with that, as I’ve done it myself). Second thing was the premise, which was that
each story, starting with Splendor in the
Moss and rolling down to Aftershocks,
focused on a member of a single family—the Caldwell family (hmm, that name
sounds quite familiar ;) ) Each story moved forward a generation or two except
for the last three, which focused on three cousins who are about the same age.
I thought that each story was very well written and
realistic. Being a paranormal writer myself, I obviously enjoy a good fantasy… but
I also very much love to read stories grounded in reality. All of the novellas
in Romance in the Rain rang true for
me. I loved that the conflicts were real, the kind you would find in just about
any relationship. The characters had depth and each struggled with their
feelings. They questioned their decisions and yearned to find a way to make things
right when they realized they had made mistakes. And best of all they loved
with a fierceness that cannot be put into words.
Except by a writer!
Bravo Rainy Day Writers.
And thank you for the wonderful opportunity of reading this book and
participating in your promotional tour. I wish you all the best!
_____
