Author Interview with Kim Watters and a Giveaway

Alexis: Today we have inspirational romance author, Kim Watters who is giving away A SEASON OF LOVE to one lucky commenter. Welcome Kim!

When did you know you wanted to be a writer? 

Kim: Always? As a kid I used to make up stories in my head and even act them out a bit. I usually got pluses  (elementary school) or A’s on any creative writing assignments I turned in. The biggest clue for me though came in my teens when I read a book and didn’t like the ending or thought it should be different, I rewrote it to my satisfaction. So as an adult, I made the decision that I wanted to write a complete book—my way.

Alexis: What are you working on now?

Kim: I’m currently working on another book that takes place in Dynamite Creek, a fictitious town in Northern Arizona. The small town seems to have struck a chord with readers and I love weaving characters from previous books into other books. I have an extensive list of characters, places, and even events that happen in this town to keep things straight and always on hand to generate more ideas. Brewing Up Love takes place in a struggling coffee shop where the hero and heroine are forced to work together to make the business profitable or lose something very important to them. Sorry I can’t give away any more.

Alexis: Why did you choose this sub-genre of romance? 

Kim: I’m not sure I would say I chose it, more like it chose me. For years I kept submitting to Harlequin and receiving rejections. Almost ready to quit writing, I had a conversation with God one night. He’d given me the talent to write, so what did He want me to do with it? The next morning I received an e-mail via one of my various loops stating the Love Inspired line at Harlequin was going from 4 to 6 books a month. It didn’t get any clearer than that. I tweaked the manuscript that I’d been working on, submitted it, and three weeks later I got the e-mail asking me to call the editor. The rest, they say, is history. This is my 4^th book with Love Inspired.

Alexis: Where did you get the idea for this story?

Kim: What can I say, I love kids and pets. But in researching ideas for this book, a friend of mine told me about something that stuck in my mind. The Arizona Army National Guard has a service for personnel being deployed overseas to care for their pets when there isn’t anyone else. I thought this was a wonderful idea and that gave me the inspiration to write this novel-with a few changes of course. Of course I also wanted to set another story in Dynamite Creek because of the small town atmosphere so I got to thinking about what types of businesses there would be. I’ve also always wanted to do a Christmas story because there is something magical about that time of year, so blending them all together was really neat.

Alexis: What was the first romance you ever read?

Kim: To be honest? I can’t remember. But once I became a teenager, I raided my mom’s bookshelf and cut my teeth on books written by Victoria Holt, Phyllis Whitney, and Dorothy Eden to name a few. I loved them and couldn’t get enough. My older sister also brought home the old Harlequin Romances and I devoured those as well. From there I was hooked on romances and the happily-ever-after. Now I’m glad that I get to contribute and my own books grace the bookshelves in my library.

Alexis: Thank you so much for visiting us here on Happily Ever After Thoughts :-)

Kim: Thanks for having me Alexis.

Alexis:  Check out this great excerpt from A SEASON OF LOVE
 

Ethan momentarily lost himself in Holly’s presence. Her swept back locks exposed her long, elegant neck and straight, slightly upturned nose. But it was her vulnerability that got to him.

Despite her attempts to keep it all together, he sensed just below the surface she suffered and struggled with her son, the shop, everyday life. 

He should step away. Instead, when she turned her head toward him, he found himself staring into her deep green eyes that had seen so much pain. A pain he could identify with. He’d lost his father at a young age, and several of his friends in Afghanistan. But even that couldn’t compare to losing one’s partner, one’s soul mate. 

He had no experience with that sort of loss, yet he felt the need to comfort. Protect. He wanted to draw Holly into his arms and absorb her pain and blend it with his own.

Blurb:

The Soldier’s Gift

Just in time for Christmas, a tall, dark and handsome Scrooge visits Holly Stanwyck’s holiday shop, threatening eviction. But once landlord Ethan Pellegrino sees the single mom’s plight, the former soldier becomes her protector instead. Suddenly he’s helping her with her struggling business and bounding with her troubled son. A wounded veteran come home to heal, Ethan is no stranger to sorrow. But something about the pretty widow fills him with hope. Will Holly be able to let go of her own painful past to see her future by his side? 

Alexis: For more information about Kim Watters, visit these sites

www.kimwatters.com

www.muchcheaperthantherapy.blogspot.com
www.loveinspiredauthors.blogspot.com
www.craftieladiesofromance.blogspot.com

Alexis: Don't forget to comment to win A SEASON OF LOVE!

Guest Author Interview: Kim Watters

Today we are interviewing Inspirational Romance Writer Kim Watters. She is giving away a copy of AND FATHER MAKES THREE.  
Alexis: Hi Kim, thank you for visiting Happily Ever After Thoughts again. Can you start by telling us why you decided to write Inspirational Romance?

Kim:  Thanks for inviting me here, Alexis. I love hanging out with you and your followers. I also love being able to write my two favorite things. Romance and my faith. So finding a house where I can do both was fantastic.

Alexis: What is AND FATHER MAKES THREE about?

Kim: I think the blurb says it best.

“Your Daughter Needs You.”
She’s saved countless lives, yet there’s one person emergency room doctor Elizabeth Randall can’t rescue—her adopted daughter, Jordan. Perhaps meeting her biological father, Blake Crawford, will be the lifeline Jordan needs. The handsome, guarded firefighter takes risks every day. But facing the daughter he never knew—along with lovely Elizabeth—has him thinking about family. With fatherhood thrust suddenly upon him, there’s no way he can turn his back on his sick child. Will working together to give Jordan a second chance at life also lead them to a second chance at love?

Alexis: This sounds wonderful! Where did you get the idea for this story?

Kim: I'd brainstormed the idea with my critique group while finishing up ON WINGS OF LOVE. I also had a friend diagnosed with Large Cell B non-hodgkins Lymphoma and needed to have a bone marrow transplant to put her cancer into remission.  So I started doing the research and FATHER MAKES THREE  was born. In my friend's honor, I have dedicated this book to her. Today she is in remission and living life to the fullest.

Alexis: I'm so glad to hear that :-) What are your favorite character traits of Elizabeth and Blake?

Kim: Elizabeth never gave up the faith that they would find a cure for Jordan. Even during her lowest moments, she believed that her daughter would get well. Having to deal with her biological father though wasn't something she expected. As for Blake, he never thought he'd be father material, but given the chance he did all right. He didn't let his past dictate his future.

Alexis: Now there's a man readers can admire. This is your third book for the Love Inspired Line. What kind of writing routine do you have . . . or do you?

Kim: Well, I work a full time job so I get up really early in the morning, usually around 4:30. I answer e-mails and do some on-line social marketing and stuff and then get down the writing. I quit around 6 to walk with my neighbor and then make sure the kids get ready for school and I get ready for work.

Alexis: Wow, you get a lot done in the morning! I'm a morning person too, but usually I'm writing at 1:00am :-} What can we expect next from you? Do you have any new releases coming or a work in progress?

Kim:  Good question. I just turned in another proposal to my editor with the working title A Christmas Angel, so I'll have to keep you posted. I've also put my backlist up on Amazon and Barnes & Noble so you can look for some of my romances there. Amazon also just bought my first publisher so STAKE YOUR CLAIM will be available soon in e-book format.

Alexis: That's great! I know when I discover a great writer like you, I like to find all the books they've written and catch-up :-)

Thank you so much for sharing your stories with us. It's always a pleasure having you visit.

Kim:  My pleasure. Of course, now if I could visit your island paradise for real.........:)

Alexis: I promise to keep posting photos so you can you feel like you have :-)

For a chance to win Kim's AND FATHER MAKES THREE, be sure to leave a comment for her. If I have contact information, I will let you know when you win, otherwise, check the side column for your name on Wednesday under WINNERS (below the blog hop).

For more information on Kim's books, go to http://www.kimwatters.com/index.html

Alexis: Check out this excerpt from AND FATHER MAKES THREE.
 
"Dr. Randall? Dr. Elizabeth Randall?" Pulling her focus from the patient chart in front of her, Elizabeth Randall snapped her attention to the tall man next to her. Anger simmered beneath her calm facade as she took in his brown hair and strong jawline covered with a hint of a five o'clock shadow. Under any other circumstances, she might have found the stranger attractive. Not now.

"Yes. I was wondering when you'd get here."

It was about time someone from Child Protective Services showed up. Mario Martinez-Alvarez had been at Agnes P. Kingfisher Memorial Hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, just under two hours waiting for a caseworker to appear. The child's black eye and broken ribs had not been caused by a simple fall from a high chair. Mario's stepfather had been taken into custody and the mother had yet to be found.

Unlike some, Mario would recover, but each time a young innocent victim came through the hospital doors, her heart broke at the injustice. Children were precious. A gift from God that some people took for granted.

Not Elizabeth. Her fingers tightened on the pen in her hand until it became painful.

"Excuse me? You know why I'm here?"

"Of course. The boy has been transferred upstairs. Dr. Harris is his attending now." After signing her name, Elizabeth closed the chart and turned slightly so she could rest against the nurses' station. She took in the man's casual clothing—a dark blue Phoenix Fire Department T-shirt and jeans. In all her experience with CPS caseworkers, she'd yet to come across one dressed so casually, who didn't carry a briefcase or at least a notebook or day planner of some sort.

Maybe she'd been hasty in her assessment. "You are with CPS, aren't you?"

Uncertainty clouded his blue eyes as he shifted his weight. "No, I work for the City of Phoenix Fire Department."

"Oh. Sorry." Elizabeth softened her tone, feeling guilty for letting her bad day affect her work. It wasn't his fault her adopted daughter, Jordan, had developed another infection at her IV site. Crossing her arms, she gave the man her full attention. Concern furrowed the lightly tanned skin on his forehead. "How may I help you then, Mr….?"

"Blake Crawford. Blake William Crawford."

He spoke his name as if she should know him. He looked vaguely familiar now. If he worked for the fire department, it was quite possible she'd seen him bring in a patient or two, but they'd never been formally introduced. She'd remember meeting someone like him.

She grasped his extended hand, surprised to feel a slight connection. She shook it off as fatigue.

"Dr. Elizabeth Randall. But you knew that. I'm afraid I'm at a disadvantage here."

"I need to talk to you about my daughter."

"Your daughter?" No female children had been brought into the E.R. today and she'd already met the fathers of the few who had come in over the past week. None of them were Blake Crawford. "I don't believe I've met your daughter. When was she brought in?"

"She wasn't."

"Then I'm afraid I can't help you. Have you spoken to her pediatrician?"

"I have no idea who her pediatrician is. She doesn't live with me." He ran a hand through his short, cropped hair as his gaze darted around the area before it returned to her. "She's with you."

Alexis: Don't forget, for a chance to win this wonderful story, leave a comment for Kim :-)