Interview with Kimberly Raye

I love holidays... the decorating, the cards, and definitely the selection of the gifts. My nephew tells me that I choose the coolest presents, which for me is the best compliment ever imaginable. But I have to admit, there is one holiday I just never have gotten into--Halloween. If I had to take a guess why I think it would be because I lack that certain creative and artistic gene necessary to make the most original Halloween costume. Okay, so my best kept secret is out there, but it’s true. I just don’t know how those super moms come up with such creative and cute ideas. Luckily, our sons have great imaginations that fill in the gap where I leave off. In our house, there’s nothing wrong with being a football player two years in a row!

This month’s jewel selection is quite apropos for this time of year. I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about reading YOUR COFFIN OR MINE? . A vampire romance? C’mon! How could that be? It’s hard for me to take an idea like that to the next level, but I have to say that I was quite taken in with Kimberly Raye’s lead character, Lil. This book is definitely on the cutting edge, just like the author herself. I really like how she steps out of the box and teeters on the cusp of the unexpected, which perfectly suits our holiday theme and then some!

As part of this interview, Ballantine Books has donated five copies of YOUR COFFIN OR MINE? for my lucky readers to try to win. So, go ahead and get to know Kimberly Raye and don’t forget to look for the trivia question at the end of the column! Good luck!

Jen: Please tell us a little bit about your educational and professional background so that we can better understand your path to becoming a writer.

Kimberly: Actually, I have a bachelor's in both Accounting and Management with a minor in Physics from the University of Houston. I'm also an RT (a registered radiographic technologist). My "real" job was as the radiology supervisor for an imaging clinic. I worked in the same field for sixteen years before deciding to write full time.

Jen: I was absolutely amazed as to the number of published books you have under your belt. Your latest release, YOUR COFFIN OR MINE?, is a paranormal romance, but that’s not all that you write. Please tell us how about your publishing history. How did you go about getting your first manuscript published? Did you find an agent first or after the fact? What other types of books have you written and what can you tell us about them?

Kimberly: Actually, I've had over 36 books published and six more under contract (a total of forty-two). In addition to romance, I've written a few horror titles under a pseudonym. My first book to sell was actually my fourth completed manuscript. I entered that fourth book in every contest in which there was an editor judging. Karen Taylor Richman, then an assistant editor with Silhouette Books, was judging the final round of one in particular. She liked my manuscript and bought it (she also picked it for first place!). It was my first contest win ever and it resulted in the selling of my first book to Silhouette Shadows. Needless to say, I'm a huge contest advocate. I went on to write a few more shadows, a couple of horror, some time-travel, and then contemporary. I actually enjoy reading all types of fiction which made focusing a little difficult for me. Now I write hot, sexy contemporaries for Blaze and Leisure and paranormals for Ballantine. I feel as if I have the best of both worlds!

Jen: A question I just have to ask. How did you arrive at the premise for a vampire romantic comedy series, if you will? Did you do a lot of research on vampires, werewolves, etc.? Were you concerned about the reaction your fans might have since it is not a typical mainstream theme for a book? Or perhaps is this exactly what your readers would expect from you--being on the cutting edge so to speak.

Kimberly: My books (regardless of genre) have always been hip and trendy, "cutting edge" so to speak, so I think this is exactly what readers expect from me. I love to take traditional story lines and give them a "NOW" twist so that they speak to readers in this day and age. I also love to laugh and rarely take myself very seriously. This makes for some pretty off-the-wall books. My romances are far from your typical "boy meets girl". I have fun writing all of my books, particularly my latest with vampire heroine Lil Marchette. If I were a vamp, I would love to be Lil. She's funny and full of confidence. At the same time, she has heart and she believes deeply in love (a no-no for her kind). She's your best girlfriend, but with fangs.

Jen: From a writer’s perspective, what part of a novel is the most challenging for you to write and why? The most enjoyable? Please take us through your writing process. Outline first? Plot? Characters? Approximately how long does it take for you to write from conception to completion?

Kimberly: It takes me anywhere from 2-6 months to complete a novel (regardless of length). My blazes take just as long as the lengthier books. I think because my brain creates a story at the same pace regardless of what I actually do on paper. My process? I let it cook in my head a few weeks and nail down the main character, their hopes and dreams. I also come up with a sexy premise. For me, the premise is the most crucial thing. It drives the entire story and I MUST have it crystal clear before I start to write. I'm not much of an outliner. I'm more a pantser (write and write and write and see what happens). While I have a general idea of where I'm going and how to get there (the premise), I don't know the nuts and bolts of what will happen until I write them. And while it's stressful, there's a part of me that doesn't want to know because, for me, the discovery is the most awesome part of writing. When things start falling into place (usually when I'm a few chapters shy of the end). I love this phase of writing. At the same time, I also like the beginning because anything's possible and the sky's the limit.

Jen: Creating characters is always a challenge because we tend to 'borrow' traits from the people we know. Lil is an absolute hilarious character. Quite frankly, she’s a woman with a mission and lets nothing stand in her way. How much of you is in Lil? From the first book of the series, DEAD END DATING, to the third, YOUR COFFIN OR MINE, how has your vision for Lil changed if any? Have your expectations been met or even been surpassed? Has she taken on a life truly of her own?

Kimberly: I LOVE Lil. If I were a fantabulously dressed vamp, I would want to be Lil. Unfortunately, she has way better clothes than me and much more cooperative hair. But I do share her deep-seated belief in love and happily-ever-after. I think every woman, no matter how many bad relationships she's had, how many nightmarish dates, wants to find true love. Granted, I think today's woman doesn't NEED true love. She's confident, self-sufficient and can not only survive, but succeed without a man by her side. At the same time, I think we all want to feel loved. To find the guy who won't run the other way when he sees us at our worst. To find someone we can respect and trust. Someone who will respect and trust us. I think every woman, deep down, would LIKE to fall in love. Lil thinks so and so do I. And yes, she's definitely taken on a life of her own. Over the course of the three books, she's started to feel more confident in her choices. Will she ever truly stand up to her mother? You bet. Will she get shot down? You bet. But don't we all?

Jen: Besides Lil, who is your favorite character in this book and why?

Kimberly: I actually love them all, but if I had to pick I would probably go with Viola (the next door werewolf neighbor of Lil's parents). Viola is independent, intelligent and doesn't take any crap. At the same time, she's met her match with Lil's father and so the two of them go at it in every book.

Jen: Fashion seems to play a vital role in the story. What is your Achilles heel, shoes or handbags? Which designers are your favorites?

Kimberly: I'm actually a make-up fanatic. I love, love, LOVE MAC cosmetics. I have every lip gloss color imaginable, including a lime green sparkle that is just too cool. I love bronzers. And blush. And mascara. I have eight different colors of mascara, including a green that goes with the lip gloss.

Jen: Will there be a fourth book in this series and if so, what can you tell us about it?

Kimberly: I've just gone back to contract for three more Lil books and am currently working on number four, JUST ONE BITE, which will be out in the summer of 2008. I don't want to spoil it, but I will say that we're going to see a lot more of Ash and his hunky brothers (and we might even find out what they really are).

Jen: What has surprised you most about the publishing business and why?

Kimberly: Nothing is consistent. Things change like the wind and you have to be ready to duck and cover at any moment, no matter how well things are going. Be prepared for a rocky ride if you're a new writer. At the same time, it's wildly exciting because anything is possible. While you could bomb in a big way, there's just as much of a chance that you could skyrocket straight to the top. You just never know.

Jen: If you could go back and do one thing over again in relation to career, what if anything would you change and why?

Kimberly: I would have been more focused in the early part of my career rather than writing all sorts of different things. At the same time, I think this is what helped me define my voice so I can't really regret it. I do think it made me a better writer. At least this is what I tell myself when I start mentally kicking myself for not getting it together sooner.

Jen: Your website is really cool. Please walk us through your site. Do you have a mailing list? E-mail notification of new releases? Book give-aways? Do you participate in author phone chats and if so, how can my readers schedule one?

Kimberly: My web site has two "sides" so to speak, one for my Lil books and one for my sexy contemporaries. I urge readers to look around in both areas. I'm always running contests for everything from books to gift cards and I also have an e-mail list. You can also sign up to get freebies such as bookmarks, pens, whatever I have handy. I do urge readers to be patient. I answer all e-mail myself and I also write personal notes with goodies, so it takes a while for me to get things out. I don't do phone chats yet, but as I said, I do respond personally to all e-mail. I read everything. And I appreciate everything. So please contact me!

Jen: Thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with me. Best of luck in your career! You’re a fabulous writer.

Kimberly: Thanks so much for having me!!! I hope your readers will enjoy my newest book YOUR COFFIN OR MINE?, and I encourage everyone to stop by my website or visit me on MySpace. I love to chat!

Well, now that you have learned all you’d ever want to know about vampires and werewolves, I hope that you are set for Halloween! A special thank you goes out to Kate Blum at Ballantine Books for making this interview possible. Okay, it’s time for the contest. Five readers to answer with the correct answer to the following trivia question will win a copy of YOUR COFFIN OR MINE?.

Good luck!

What is the title of the first book in Kimberly Raye’s paranormal vampire romance series?

Don’t forget to look for my next column in early November! I will be interviewing Monica McInerney, author of The Alphabet Sisters and Family Baggage. You won’t want to miss it!

Happy Halloween...Jen