Bride of the High Country & Giveaway with Kaki Warner

If it weren't for award-winning author Kaki Warner, I wouldn't be here.

Not here on this Earth, but here on this blog. Writing. Interviewing amazing people, and learning about how they wrote their books. Her books lit a spark in me, which started up a writing journey I had veered from a long time ago.

Kaki Warner has not only written some great books, she has also been an inspiring and encouraging force behind many writers. She's a friend to many, and is a hoot and a half on social media. She takes the time to get to know her readers, and really invests in them. I don't know how she balances everything she does, but she does it with style and grace.

Her take on historical romantic fiction has drawn in numerous adoring readers, some of whom have actually become addicted and think the characters are real (Michelle has dibs on Brady). These female readers just can't seem to get enough and will go to any lengths to get their hands on her books. She has fans as far away as England and as close as her backyard. That's assuming her hound dog reads her books. By the way, I checked all these statistics against Facebook and they are correct.

Bride of the High Country, the third in the "Runaway Brides" trilogy, just launched on June 5, the same day as the spectacular Venus Transit. I think she planned it that way. (Read my review of BOTHC). If readers are new to Kaki's stories, a good place to start would be Heartbreak Creek (the first in this trilogy) or Pieces of Sky. POS was her first book published, and it has one of the best openings of any book I've read. Plus, there's Brady. If you think these phrases are funny: "Her chins quivered in outrage" and "sputter of intestinal wind" you should definitely check it out. Not only do her characters get into some tense situations, they also have some incredibly romantic moments. By tense, I mean that they hit every possible obstacle along the way to their destination. Kaki makes sure it happens that way, although she claims that her characters are just telling their story.

So now, friends, I am honored and beyond excited to interview Kaki here at A Story Club. So grab a glass of iced tea, settle back, and prepare to be happier'n a tick on a fat dog. (That's Texan for happy- just for you, Kaki).

Hey, Christina! Thanks so much for inviting me here today. It’s always fun to pimp my books and meet new folks. I appreciate the opportunity to talk to your readers.

I have heard you mention that it took a long time for you to publish your first book. What is your story behind this?

I started PIECES OF SKY over 25 years ago. After reading a crummy book, I decided if they wanted crummy, I could do that. So I did. In fact, it was so crummy, I didn’t want to put my name on it. So I re-wrote it…over and over, off and on for the next quarter century. Then when my husband and I retired and moved to our mountain cabin, I got inspired again. After that re-write, I sent it out. Three months later I gained my lovely agent (Nancy Coffey) and discerning editor (Wendy McCurdy), and was a writer for Berkley/US Penguin group. I’ve hardly taken a breath since.

What changed after you became a published author?

Not much. Except now I’m on deadline, and complete strangers write me the most wonderful and supportive emails. The contacts I’ve made over the last few years are the second best part of being published. The first best is holding in your hands that first finished copy of the book you slaved over. You can’t beat that feeling.

What made you choose the genre of historical fiction?

Photo by K.W.

Familiarity…with both the geography and mindset of the people. Westerners have always been tough, individualistic, self-sufficient people. They lived by “codes” (a la Zane Grey in CODE OF THE WEST) rather than laws. They were pragmatic, courageous, and tough as whang leather. I grew up on the myth of the cowboy, and as a horse owner, have ridden many a trail that John Wayne would have loved. The West is an inspiring place, even now. As for the “romance” genre, my editor decided to put me there, even though my books contain no graphic sex scenes. Since most book buyers are women, and most of those buy romance books, it’s a sound marketing strategy. But I still think of myself as more of a storyteller than a romance writer.

Aspiring writers are interested-- what is your writing routine?

Photo by K.W.

Again, I’m lucky because I’m retired and can write when I want to. I admire authors who struggle to follow their dream by stealing an hour here and there away from work and family demands. I’m also lucky that my husband is so supportive and has taken over the cooking chores so I can stay at the computer for up to 12 hours a day. (If I could only get him to do the housekeeping and gardening chores, it would be perfect.)  As for my routine:  I’m usually at the computer by 7 AM and off by 9 PM, with several bathroom and food breaks in between. It’s a hard schedule, but nobody said writing was easy. I try to work in a walk here and there, but my knees are shot, so until I have them replaced, that’s an ordeal. But I’ll persevere because I’m a Westerner, too, and that’s what we do.  Mostly.

How long does it take you to write a book, start to finish?

As I said earlier, the first one took twenty-five years, off and on. The second one three months. But the rest have run from six to eight months each. My current contract gives me eight months per book. It’s the research that slows me down. I don’t know how some authors can turn out four books a year. They must have great assistants or ghost writers. 

Once your book is written, what is your editing process?

Photo by K.W.

I edit as I go, since I can’t stand leaving a mess behind me. I try for twenty polished pages a week. I also read every word aloud to find redundancies, dropped words, and to keep the dialogue and action sequences tight. I highly recommend it to any aspiring writer—and yeah, you might feel stupid, but it works. Plus, the dog likes it. Every hundred pages or so, I go back and read it in a block to check for continuity and to be sure all the info is in there. Then about that time, the characters decide to throw in some back story they hadn’t bothered to mention earlier (like Declan being afraid of heights, or Ash being dyslexic) and I’ll have to go back and add the groundwork for that.    

We all have our favorites; who is your favorite character in your books?

Every one of them for a variety of reasons. I love Brady because he’s such a doofus, but thinks he has all the answers. I admire Hank’s brilliant and inventive mind, and Jack’s adventuresome spirit. Declan is such a sweetie, and so bound by a code of honor he makes it even harder on himself, and Ash is such a guy…even though he’s faced some ordeals, there’s a part of him that will always be that playful boy. And then there’s Tait…how can you not love a man that smart, that compassionate, and who has such integrity? The fact that he dresses well and has such nice manners helps, too. As for the women, I love every one of them, too…and see a bit of myself and my friends in each of them. But then I expect more from the women, because I know what they’re capable of. I admire them all.  

What has been the most exciting or surprising thing you have researched?

I come across interesting facts all the time. The most recent is that in grizzly country, trappers would leave nails poking out of their shutters so the bears wouldn’t push their windows in. And I had no idea condoms were invented in the 1850s by Charles Goodyear, or that they had multi-storied “horse hotels” in urban areas (which made the spread of equine influenza that much easier), or that twenty-five million horses died in three weeks when the Great Epizootic of 1872 swept the country. And then there were the awful traders who sold Indians blankets infected with small pox just to wipe out entire villages, and the Galveston hurricane of 1900 that killed thousands—and with no way to dispose of the bodies, they were dumped out at sea, only to have the tide bring them back. Good stuff and bad stuff. It’s fun trying to put some of each into every book.

 

Do you have plans for a new series? What can we expect next?

I just signed a contract with Berkley for three more books set in Heartbreak Creek.  Even though the previous characters will weave in and out of each story, there will be a new set of characters and a new romance in each book. Besides, the town still has to be saved, the water and railroad issues settled, Ed can’t stay pregnant forever, and Thomas and Pru have a long road ahead of them. Hopefully, I’ll be able to blend the old with the new as the family at Heartbreak Creek grows.

Have you always been this funny?

I don’t know how funny I am, but I have an irrelevant, irreverent, goofy sense of humor. And admittedly, on road trips with my lady friends, I strive to make at least one of them suffer bladder malfunction or shoot coffee out their nose. I’m a blast at funerals, too. The problem is, it’s really hard for me to take things seriously (which is probably evident in my “love scenes” as you’ll see in the condom episode in Lucinda’s story). Come on, admit it. It’s all kinda funny. 

. . .And when you are not writing?

Travel.  Visit my grandkids.  Sleep.  Watch historical movies (BBC is a favorite).  Garden when I have time.  Walk when I can.  Listen to music.  Think up things for my husband to do.  The usual.

K.W.'s Garden in full bloom

You are so supportive and encouraging to so many. Who encouraged you along the way?

A lot of people. But writing is a lonely business, and in the end, the writer has to do it on his/her own. I’m blessed with dear friends and a supportive family who keep me going when I feel discouraged or burned out. And one special lady, who died several years ago before I was published, always believed. She’s in the dedication of my first book—poor thanks for all the encouragement she gave me. But probably
the most encouraging are the readers who write to me. I doubt any of them know how much it means to an author to hear from satisfied readers. 

What is your advice for new writers?

Never give up. Love your characters, or no one else will. For every action there’s a reaction. People behave the way they do because it works—if you want them to change, show how that past behavior no longer works. Always stay true to the point of view of the gender you’re writing in. (Men speak in shorter sentences, avoid emotional words, are more direct in their confrontations, are less likely to notice a woman’s lovely sheath and stylish pumps, than the fact that she looks hot.) Passive voice distances the reader from your characters, so avoid it. Don’t over-use foreshadowing. Action sequences should be short, fragmented, devoid of adverbs or “ing” words. Cut extraneous chit-chat. If a scene doesn’t move the story forward or provide insights into the character, cut it. Great characters aren’t perfect, but they strive to be better. Join a critique group—then throw out half of what you hear. Honor your readers—they spent time and money reading what you wrote—they deserve your best. But mostly, if you love your story, NEVER give up.

 

So now I have a question for your readers:  What keeps you going when the road ahead seems daunting?  Do you get your energy from those around you, or dig deeper into yourself? 

Congrats to Fedora Chen, our randomly drawn winner!

To read excerpts of any of Kaki's books, stop by www.kakiwarner.com. You can also find her author page on Facebook- Stay up-to-date on more chances to win! Thanks so much for coming by A Story Club, and to Kaki for answering all my questions! 

What keeps you going when the road ahead seems daunting?  Do you get your energy from those around you, or dig deeper into yourself?