The Interview:
GRACIE: I’m
excited to have you here at The G-Spot, Kayelle! Please tell us a little about
yourself (or a lot J) and how and when you got into writing?
KAYELLE: I'm excited
to be here. I've been looking forward to this. I started young. I was privileged
to have a mother who wrote and who loved words. Though she only had one poem
published, writing was one of her great loves. She also loved art, and created
many paintings throughout the course of her life. Although I didn't inherit the
hand-drawing gene (my stick people prove that) I did gain a deep appreciation
for art in all its forms. I used that to create my graphics company, The
Author's Secret. I make banners for other authors -- and it's something I get a
real kick out of doing. While I grew up with a pencil or pen in my hand, I
didn't seek publication until my children were out of high school. Perhaps it
was hitting the big 5-0 that made me realize the clock was ticking, but I
finally decided it was now or never. I sought out an online critique group, got
serious about submitting work, and had the honor of being mentored by the late
author Barbara
Karmazin http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Karmazin/e/B002BM1J46/.
She introduced me to her publisher, Liquid Silver Books, which bought my first
novel. I was one of those rare birds who didn't experience multiple rejections
when I got started. My first book was submitted in February, bought in April,
and published in July. So all of you who are worried about being accepted -- it
can be done!
GRACIE: I read The Huntress by Barbara Karmazin and
loved it! What a wonderful mentor for you to have had! Is there any one thing or
person in your life that inspired your writing aside from Barbara? Any one
thing or person that influenced the genre you write in?
KAYELLE: Well, of
course there was Barbara. But I have had many wonderful coaches in my writing
life as well. Janet
Elizabeth Jones http://www.amazon.com/Incubus-Harlequin-Nocturne-Janet-Elizabeth/dp/0373618514/
continues to inspire me. Kiernan Kelly has also given me incredible boosts and
guided me in many ways.
GRACIE: When did
you get The Call and what was your first published book?
KAYELLE: The first
book was At the Mercy of Her Pleasure. It has since been re-released by another
publisher. I'll never forget how it felt getting the offer of a contract. I
went into the kitchen where my husband was standing and asked him how he'd like
to kiss a published author. We held hands and danced around the room.
GRACIE: What do
you know now about writing and the publishing industry that you wish you’d
known before you started?
KAYELLE: Oh, my.
Oodles of things. Probably the most important thing is that you can write a
book and get it published and then walk away and forget it. I've seen many
people do that. I can't. Once I birth that book I stay with it through its
entire lifecycle: editing, cover art, marketing, revamping, blogging about it,
sharing information... creating an idea and writing a book is only half an
author's job. The rest is to tell others about it.
GRACIE: Please,
give us a little story behind the story and what inspired your Tarthian Empire
series.
KAYELLE: I could
never understand why authors would go to all the trouble of creating an alien
world and creatures, and use them only in one book. If you were going to build
a world, why not go back to it? So I created an entire universe where my
characters could play. I have a galaxy-wide map, and stories planned all over.
The Tarthian Empire is a collection of over twenty planets where you find all
sorts of stories and secrets. I even created a tour on my website. You can
click an interactive star map, or jump from one planet to the other in a list.
The Tarthian Tour Company's
http://kayelleallen.com/TTC-Home.html
motto is "Where do you want to wake up tomorrow?" I follow that with
my books.
GRACIE: In Wulf: Tales of the Chosen, what do you
believe makes Wulf Gabriel the perfect match for Luc Saint-Cyr?
KAYELLE: Wulf is the
son of Luc's best friend, Thomas Gabriel. Because Luc is immortal, he must keep
humans at a distance, however, Thomas is one of the Chosen
-- a group of people who serve the immortals. Luc can be himself around him.
Thomas dies when Wulf is ten, and Wulf, not understanding why Luc can't just
loan his father an "extra life" -- refuses to serve as a Chosen . He and his mother move away. Luc, honor bound to
his friend's son, keeps watch over Wulf from a distance. When Wulf turns
thirty, he gets himself in trouble, and goes to Luc for help. He knows most of
Luc's secrets, so it's a chance for the powerful immortal to once again have
someone with whom he can let his hair down -- and Wulf is supermodel gorgeous.
He's arm candy, and for an entrepreneur like Luc who prides himself on having
the best of the best, Wulf is perfect. But can their romance live forever?
There is much more to their story than meets the eye, and no matter how things
seem to go in future books, I wouldn't be too quick to answer that question
either way.
GRACIE: As a
Better Alitus Vivaldi is what most considered the perfect being in every
way—physically, emotionally and mentally superior to most humans. Despite this,
and as most intriguing and multi-dimensional characters are characters with
flaws, what do you think is Alitus’ Achilles’ heel and how do you go about
stomping it throughout the course of his story?
KAYELLE: Alitus is
bound by his sense of honor and duty. If he has a weakness, it's that. He will
serve the empress to the best of his ability no matter what it costs him.
Throughout the book Alitus and in Jawk, he gives and gives and gives. Of
course, the empress, being immortal, takes and takes. When Alitus and Wulf --
who are both Chosen -- end up working
together, the empress and Luc are not necessarily the ones who benefit.
GRACIE: I admire
the promise you make to your readers on your homepage. Is there a specific
process you employ in order to keep your promise, and do you think your promise
makes it easier or more difficult to keep your characters and their stories on
track?
KAYELLE: You mean this one? "I promise you a complex plot that immerses you in an erotic tale and provides unexpected action in settings so real you'll swear you've been there." Thank you. Yes there is a process. When I write a story, I try to keep in mind that if the logical thing is for character A to do X, then he/she should do C instead. I think of a story as a roller coaster ride. I try to send readers in directions they don't expect, while protecting the sanctity of storytelling. It's an author's obligation to readers to take them from the beginning, through the middle, and right up to the end. But I don't lead them on a trail that's commonplace. You can expect twists and turns. One of my readers gave me a wonderful review in just a few words. She wrote, "Think you know what happens next? No way. It's by Kayelle."
GRACIE: Yes,
that’s the one! Of all the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite and
why?
KAYELLE: Probably the
one I'm working on now. I've been writing Surrender Trust for-freaking-ever,
but it's a labor of love. I have to finish it. I want to know what happens as
much as my readers do!
GRACIE: I know
this is like asking a mother which is her favorite child, but which of your
characters is your favorite and why?
KAYELLE: Okay, I'm
going to say Luc Saint-Cyr. He's my only true alpha -- I think of the others as
betas because I do write very strong female leads. He's also the wealthiest man
in the empire, and it's a blast to write a powerful character who is also kind
and generous. Luc goes out of his way to help others. Yet there is a dark side
of him that makes people back down and refuse to argue. He's been in every book
in the Tarthian Empire.
GRACIE: What
about your characters makes them unique?
KAYELLE: I spend a
lot of time getting to know them before I write their stories. I know their
childhoods, their parents, their likes and dislikes, their pet peeves. I write
them back stories that never make it into the books. I write out of the
overflow of information. There is more to them than you can see on the page,
and I think that makes them intriguing. A reviewer said one of her favorite
characters was Luc's android servant, McDoth, in "all his butler
glory." He's a minor character, but he has depth. I try to make even the
walk on parts important. In fact, that was how Alitus ended up being a major
character. He had a walk on part -- just hand the empress some paperwork and
answer a question. But I kept needing to reference him, and saying "the
empress's personal assistant" took up too much space. It was awkward. So I
came up with a name for him and POW!
Alitus took on an entirely new role. Once I had the name, I had details. By the
end of the book, I had sketched out his life history. He ended up getting his
own story.
GRACIE: What is
your favorite aspect of the writing process? Your least favorite?
KAYELLE: Favorite --
worldbuilding: creating and designing and coming up with new ideas. Least
favorite -- the day in day out of putting down the words. There are times when
it flows and gushes. And other days, it's just one word in front of the other,
like marching. You have to get it out of your head and onto the page. And
that's work.
GRACIE: Are you a
pantser or do you outline?
KAYELLE: I call
myself a plotser. I plot; outline, and design, and then I use that as a
framework while I freely let the moment take me where it will. I might know
that I'm going to write a love scene, for example, but where is it going to
take place? It might be anywhere. I have more than one in a car, and quite a
few in a shower. Even in some beds! But who will be on top, or who will be the
top, that might be decided at a whim. Sometimes, the usual top wants a break.
;)
GRACIE: A
plotser. I like that J If you weren’t a writer, what other profession would
you have chosen to pursue?
KAYELLE: I was an
administrative assistant for many years. I'm good at organizing. I use those
skills in Marketing for Romance Writers http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarketingForRomanceWriters/,
where I help authors learn how to promote. I also use them in The Author's Secret http://theauthorssecret.com/. I have
never liked handing off something half-done. If I send you an interview, it
will have all the links in place, the spell check will have been done, and I'll
have made sure my formatting matches yours. Back when my day job was to be an
admin, I did that every day, and still follow it as an author. So I might still
be an admin, but I wouldn't like it even one fourth as much. I love being my
own boss.
GRACIE: Who are
some of your favorite authors and why? Name some of your favorite books and why
they’re your favorites.
KAYELLE: Two authors
whose styles I love are Heather
Gladney (http://www.amazon.com/Teots-Song-Naga-Teot-Book/dp/0441800831)
and Mary
Renault (http://www.amazon.com/The-Persian-Boy-Mary-Renault/dp/0394751019).
Ms Gladney wrote Teot's War and Blood Storm, both paranormal fantasy books that
were a mite on the slash side before there was such a term. I reread them every
year or so. Ms Renault wrote The Persian Boy, a favorite book I also reread.
When I do, it takes me into the past, walking beside Alexander the Great. I
love that story and the characters in it. Bagoas, her main character, is one of
the most noble heroes I've ever read.
GRACIE: What are you working on now and what should readers be looking forward to from you in the future?
KAYELLE: I just
finished a short story called "Bill Me." It's a gay romance set in a
BDSM club called Shady Business, where "no good deed goes
unpunished." The anthology is called Fifty Gays of Shade, and as you can
tell from the title contains a healthy dose of humor. It comes out from Torquere http://torquerepress.com/ in November. I
don't have a buy link or cover for it yet, but you can read more about it here http://www.kayelleallen.com/exc-fifty.html.
Other authors include Amelia June, CB Conwy, CC Bridges, DC Juris, Emily
Moreton, KC Burn, KC Wells, Lydian Harker, PT Walden, Sascha Illyvich, Sean
Michaels, Wade Kelly, Winnie Jerome, Wt Prater, and it's edited by Kiernan
Kelly. And of course, I'm working on Surrender Trust, the sequel to Surrender Love http://www.kayelleallen.com/exc-fifty.html.
GRACIE: Do you
have a website and/or how can readers contact you?
KAYELLE: Absolutely. http://www.kayelleallen.com You can
also find me in these places online.
http://facebook.com/kayelleallen.author
http://twitter.com/kayelleallen
http://pinterest.com/kayelleallen
http://kayelleallen.blogspot.comhttp://facebook.com/kayelleallen.author
http://twitter.com/kayelleallen
http://pinterest.com/kayelleallen
My Pinterest page has a board about Luc and Rah from Surrender Love and Surrender Trust, so if you're a Luc groupie or you belong to the "I Love Izzy" club, be sure to hit that one!
GRACIE: Where and
how can readers purchase and/or read samples of your work?
KAYELLE: You can find
links to every place where my books are sold, plus reviews, trailers, excerpts,
and even some fun puzzle books by clicking here: http://kayelleallen.com/Books.html
GRACIE: What
advice do you have for beginning writers?
KAYELLE: Never give
up. Never let anyone steal your dream. Keep reading. Keep writing. Keep
learning. Join Marketing for Romance Writers
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarketingForRomanceWriters/
to learn the business side of the craft, and teach others what you learn. What
goes around comes around. Pay it forward.
GRACIE: Anything
else about yourself or your writing you’d like to share with your readers?
KAYELLE: I love
hearing from readers. Friend me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, visit my
blog, or email
me. I respond. I have a very very very small group for dedicated readers
only. It's called the Edge
of Peril (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/edgeofperil/).
Don't join if you haven't read all the books, because there are spoilers. It's
a quiet group -- not filled with promos or notices. But if you are a closeted
Tarthian waiting for the price of a cross-galaxy move to the empire to come
down in price, hit this group.
GRACIE: Kayelle, thanks so much for taking time from
your busy schedule to share yourself and your work with us at The G-Spot and
giving us a little insight into your writing and the writing process! We’ll let
you get back to writing those wonderful books you write! All the best!