In case you’ve missed the last seventeen hundred posts I’ve made on Facebook and Twitter, I am one of twenty-one authors who will be featured in a holiday anthology that debuts on December first. It’s called Unwrapping Love, and is full of romances ranging from super sweet to super spicy. In case you really did miss it, the Cover Reveal Party was here. Oh, and the Release Day Party (December first, duh!) is here.
Oh, and if you want to buy the anthology, you can do so here. (It’s on sale super cheap for a limited time.)
For the rest of the month, on my blog, I’m featuring various authors from above said anthology. If you didn’t catch Melina Gillies’ interview on Wednesday, or you just want to read it again, check it out here.
Now, let’s get to Kay Blake. She’s another one of the 21 authors who have stories featured in Unwrapping Love. I had the pleasure of interviewing Kay for today’s blog.
Tami’s Thoughts: Let’s start with the basics. Tell us a little about yourself.
Kay Blake: Hey everyone! My name is Kay Blake (Kay which is a nickname of my first name). I am from NYC. (Arguable the greatest city in the world). I am a mom to three cubs. I’m engaged. I am an avid reader. I read ridiculously fast. I love horror movies, chick flicks, romance movies that make me cry. I have many celeb hubbys. They just don’t know about me. 🙂 I also love chocolate and stuffed animals.
TT: I love that you call your kids ‘cubs.’ And congrats on the engagement! And I sorta want to know who the celeb hubs are….But first, back to the interview. Tell us one strange or unique thing about yourself.
KB: I’ll do one better and give you one strange and one unique thing. What’s unique about me? Well, I am a twin. (He’s a boy btw) Strange? I smell my food before I eat it. Sometimes even when I cook it. (I know. I know. I am weird.)
TT: Ha ha. I’ve heard weirder, no worries! Okay, pets or no pets?
KB: I would love to have a dog, but I am allergic.
TT: As a pet lover, that breaks my heart :(. How about seasons. Winter or summer?
KB: Honestly I prefer spring. However, my allergies would insist otherwise. I hate being too hot or too cold and in NYC you can get both sides of the spectrum.
TT: I have heard that about NYC weather. I’m hoping to find out at the RWA conference this summer… Speaking of hot or cold – red or white?
KB: Red. Wait. Can I go with pink? No? Then red it is.
TT: You got it. Okay, let’s talk books. In which genre do you write?
KB: When I first started writing I wasn’t too sure what I wanted to write. The two shorts I did publish are more like contemporary literature. I love romance novels, so I am currently heading toward writing romance only, and maybe dabble into the romance sub genres.
TT: Is there anything specific that inspires you? How did you come up with the idea behind your most recent release?
KB: My second short was actually based on a weird dream my fiancé had. Outside of that something usually just pops into my head and I will write the idea down so I can begin the next book.
For my Christmas short, Winter’s Gift, I was sitting around thinking about what do people like to do around the holidays and there goes an idea. My hero was inspired by my first celebrity crush. Austin St. John. When I was a little girl, I absolutely loved him. So, I based my hero off how he looked when I was younger.
TT: I couldn’t resist. To save you the time googling, here’s what he looked like, posing in Tiger Beat, from, I’m guessing, when Kay was young and impressionable :):
TT: Okay, back to the interview! How many books have you written? And how many have you published?
KB: Looking at the glass as both half empty and half full, I have written many stories . It just seems there is never enough time in my life to finish them. However I am near done with one and I’m trying to do NaNo this month. This will definitely test my consistency.
As for the books I have published, I have self-published two short stories My Not So Little Secret and Black Roses.
TT: I like those titles. So tell us about this anthology.
KB: I had the wonderful opportunity to work with several
fabulous authors on the anthology. The best part is they are from one of my writing groups. (Writing Wenches – love you guys) I worked on a short story with them. It is about how a school teacher named Mel and a firefighter named Scott fall for each other during a ski trip.
TT: Aw. You know I’m a sucker for happy endings. And anytime you toss a firefighter into a romance novel, I’m definitely interested. Speaking of, how steamy is it?
KB: I think it is safe to say that my book is about a 1. It is pretty sweet. If you count the hot guy and other things in the story then maybe a 2.
Here’s a teaser:
“My name is Scott, and you are?” he asked. His hand reached out to mine. For a moment, it felt as if it was just the two of us in the room. He looked like trouble. Trouble in a good way. A really good way.
TT: Is this your favorite of all the books you’ve written?
KB: I really enjoyed working on this short. I doubt if I could make it into a novel. At least right now the story is over for them. Then again you just never know. Maybe an idea will pop into my head and you’ll get to see more of Mel & Scott.
TT: Do you have a favorite excerpt you want to share here?
KB: I don’t want to give anything away so I will share this:
I gazed out the window at all the holiday decorations, and the people who were scattered outside seemed more patient than usual. Maybe even cheerful. In the city that never sleeps, that was a good thing to see. New Yorkers sometimes didn’t know when to slow down and just enjoy life. I can’t even remember the last time I just slowed down and enjoyed life.
TT: That was great. And New York is the perfect backdrop for a winter romance. At least, until they head out to the ski slopes :). Okay, give us the goods: Social media, ways your new fans can stalk you.
KB: I do not have a website yet. I am still working on it. However I tweet regularly on Twitter @AuthorKayBlake. I also have a personal blog where you can follow my posts at http://www.authorkayblake.wordpress.com. If you are on Facebook, I share updates on my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/authorkayblake . Please feel free to follow me. 🙂
TT: Okay, before I let you go so you can get back to writing, ask our readers a question, which they can answer in the comments below.
KB: Because I am a beginner author, I would like to know what do you like the most about a romance novel? The hero? The heroine? The Story? The Sex? Something else?
TT: What a great question! I can’t wait to see what our readers have to say about that. Well, Kay, thank you for joining us today! It was fun to learn a little something more about a fellow Wench, as well as one of the twenty-one stories in the Unwrapping Love anthology. And if readers are intrigued, they can buy your other two books where….?
KB: As of right now my shorts are only available for the Kindle through Amazon. You can buy them here:
My Not So Little Secret
http://www.amazon.com/My-Not-So-Little-Secret-ebook/dp/B00JXYENCU
Black Roses
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Roses-Kay-Blake-ebook/dp/B00LNIVTTO/
Well, that’s Kay Blake’s interview. She is the author of Winter’s Gift, one of the many stories in the Unwrapping Love holiday anthology. Check back on Monday, when I’ll feature a character interview from Shut Up and Kiss Me. Until then, keep reading!
###
Leave a Reply