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Monday, March 11, 2013

Interview with Author KC Klein and Giveaway


Today I am so happy to welcome to RFTC author, KC Klein. Last fall I came across KC's book Texas Wide Open and it blew me away. Seriously, it was so freaking good and it left me an emotional wreck but in such a good way. I admit I kind of stalked her for awhile because I was afraid to approach her because I was afraid I would go total fangirl on her. But once I finally worked up the nerve to say hi, I just knew I had to have her come by the blog to chat. So please give KC a super warm welcome. =)

KC Klein has lived most of her life with her head in the clouds and her nose buried in a book. She did stop reading long enough to make a home with a real life hero, her husband, for over sixteen years. A mother of two children, she spends her time slaying dragons, saving princesses, and championing the belief in the happily-ever-after. Her debut novel, Dark Future, is a finalist in the 2012 Prism contest and has been honored with a reviewer’s choice award. Her other titles include a science fiction romance anthology, Hotter on the Edge, and a new contemporary romance, Texas Wide Open. KC loves to hear from readers and can be found desperately pounding away on her laptop in yoga pants and leopard slippers or more conveniently at www.kckleinbooks.com.

Places to find KC:


First, I want to thank you, Danielle for asking me to come on to your blog. If I remember correctly, we met on Twitter, started a discussion, and it evolved into a blog invite. How cool is that? So, thanks for having me on and thanks for tweeting with me. =)

First off, can you tell us a bit about you?
Well, I am a mother of two girls, a wife for over seventeen years, and a self-proclaimed day-dreamer. I’m one of those annoying people who like to exercise, but I still hate dieting. May favorite food combination in is sweet-salty, add a glass of red wine, and I’m in heaven. My uniform of choice is yoga pants and leopard slippers (guess what I’m wearing right now), and I spend an obscene amount of time in front of the computer.

Did you always want to be a writer?
Doesn’t everyone? J It always baffles me when other people say they could never write a book or have no interest in reading. I’m always like, so what do you think about all day long? To me, writing is like breathing. Writing is the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing before I go to sleep. From the time I read my first Judy Blume book, I knew what I wanted to do with my life.

What kind of writer are you? Panster or Plotter?
For my first book, Dark Future, I was a Panster. That did well for me until I got to the end and almost had a nervous breakdown since I had no idea how I was going to end it. (To see if I pulled it off, read it and let me know) After that, I promised myself I’d never put myself through that again. So now, in order to keep my sanity and my production up, I outline very roughly. My outline mostly consists of a list of scenes in chronological order. About halfway through the book, I abandon the outline, but by that time though, I know where I am heading.

Where do your ideas come from?
Gosh, everywhere. Really, nothing is sacred. My boss’s jokes, best friend’s marriage counseling sessions, and my childhood dramas. I pull from everywhere, but mostly from music and movies. If I can isolate one scene or lyric that speaks to me, then I can create a whole story around that one inspiration.

A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.
Katie loved growing up on a ranch. She had her horse, the beautiful Texas prairie, and Cole, the cowboy next door. But there are a lot of secrets hidden under a Texas sky…

What are some of your favorite kinds of stories to read?
I do like historicals. It’s what I read when I need to relax. Now that I’ve read so many, I am starting to branch out into sci-fi, urban fantasy, and contemporary. All of them romance, of course. J

Do you have a favorite book and if so what is it?
I love Karen Moning’s Dream Fever series. I love the Game of Thrones series. But the all-time fav would have to be Gone With the Wind.

What are the scenes that are the hardest for you to write?
It really just depends. There’s always a point in a book where you just want the whole thing to be done and over with. There was a scene in my latest novella, To Keep a Wife, that I just didn’t want to write. The scene was very dark, and even though I tend to write gritty, I just didn’t want to go there. My life was going good, and I wasn’t feeling the angst. In the end, I just had to pull on my big girl panties and get the scene.

If you could have dinner with any three authors, who would you choose and why?
That’s easy. Here they are and the questions I would like to ask.

Last question, are you working on anything right now?
I thought you’d never ask. J Of course, there’s always something in the works. I will be releasing a second installment of my sci-fi anthology, Hotter on the Edge 2, very soon. This will be a continuation of Hudson and Lake’s story.

So many people have asked me this, and I am happy to say, yes, there will be a sequel to Texas Wide Open. The book is tentatively titled Hustlin’ Texas, and this will be Jett and Nikki’s story. Hustlin’ Texas should be out late this year or early next year.


I thought I’d do something a little different. I came up with a short novella proposal that was ultimately rejected by one of my publishers (supposedly sci-fi romance isn’t selling). I’ll post the blurb below, and please let me know if this story is something you as a reader would be interested in. No hard feelings either way. I’d just like to get a feel for what readers like and don’t like.

Enjoy!

His Personal Courtesan

Princess Mia, last remaining heir to the Centauri Throne, barely escaped with her life when her brother staged a coup and overtook her father’s palace. The sole witness to her brother’s crime, Princess Mia is desperate for escape to one of the less inhabited Outer Planets. But becoming a stowaway on an OuterSolar flight is a lot harder for a girl who’s been raised behind ivory walls. So now she’s stuck hiding out on the Bates Space Station, stealing into unsuspecting travelers’ rooms for food and lodging while they recover from the after-effects of Deep Stasis.

Captain Jax Roux is a wanted man by the Omega Centauri Galaxy for a crime he didn’t commit. Now he’s on the run, hiding out on the shady Outer Planets and frequenting the less-than-reputable Space Stations. When he wakes up to find the courtesan he’d paid way too many credits for, is not only lovely, but already in his bed, he thinks it’s about time things start going his way.

Little does Princess Mia know that the handsome man whose room she’s inhabited is none other than Captain Jax Roux, Commander of the Royal Guard, and at one time her father’s personal body guard.

Princess Mia is in trouble and who better to help her than the man she’s been desperately in love with when she was just a child. The only problem is a wanted man may not appreciate having the entire Royal Guard hot on her trail so what better way of keeping things on the down-low than posing as a slave or, in Captain Jax’s case, his personal courtesan?


Katie Harris loved growing up on a ranch. She had her horse, the beautiful Texas prairie, and Cole Logan, the cowboy next door. But there are a lot of secrets hidden under a Texas sky…

Katie always knew she’d marry Cole one day—until he broke her dreams and her heart. But now that Katie’s father is sick, she’s back home, older, wiser and nowhere near the love-sick fool she once was.

Cole knows Katie doesn’t want anything to do with him. But after so many years, he can’t pretend she’s no more than a neighbor. Holding his ground was hard enough when she was seventeen. Now that she’s her own woman, Cole’s heart doesn’t stand a chance…

Purchase: | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |

Check out my review here.

Check out whats up for grabs.

Up For Grabs:

To Enter:
  • Please answer KC's question: I thought I’d do something a little different. I came up with a short novella proposal that was ultimately rejected by one of my publishers (supposedly sci-fi romance isn’t selling). I’ll post the blurb below, and please let me know if this story is something you as a reader would be interested in. No hard feelings either way. I’d just like to get a feel for what readers like and don’t like.
  • Please fill out the Rafflecopter form. 

Good Luck =)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

28 comments :

  1. Great and interesting interview as always x

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  2. I don't believe that sci-fi romance isn't selling. I enjoyed the blurb and would read the story. Now I want to know how old Mia is, how long was Jax her father's bodyguard, and more.
    Thanks for that great interview and giveaway.

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    1. That's what I was thinking, but apparently from the comments below, my publisher was right. :)
      Great questions Joanne. :) I solved the age difference in a kinda neat way. (at least neat to me) When I finally get it done, you will have to read it and tell me if I did a good job or not. :)

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  3. A good story in any genre should be marketable. I sent a contemporary to one publsher and was told they aren't selling. According to her, historical is the way to go. I liked your blurb!

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    1. Funny because all I hear is contemporary all the way. Of course, historicals are doing well also. So moral of the story--keep at it. :)

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  4. To be honest, I wouldn't pick it up, but that's because I don't read SciFi Romance, not because there is anything wrong with the description or the story idea. For whatever reason, anything SF doesn't usually interest me. It's weird because when I was a teenager, SF is all I read, but maybe I just burned out on it.

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    1. No problem Jen. That's what I needed to here. Sci-fi romance is usually a hard sell. I think because we think sci-fi romance is more hard core, but to me this novella is more historical, just different setting. :) Happy reading!

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  5. Interesting, did not know Sci-fi romance was not selling. I suppose that makes sense, but I believe if it is well done, your readers would give it a try even if it is something new to them. The blurb looks very different. I have not read Sci-fi in a while, but I think Sci-fi romance would be something to try!

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  6. I would not read because I don't like sci -fi!! :)

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    1. Thanks for answering my question. :) So what type of books do you like?

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  7. I am also not into Sci-fi of any type, so it wouldn't be for me. Texas Wide Open sounds good, though!

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    1. That's the plus of writing in two different genres. More chances to please people.
      Hope you like Texas Wide Open. :)

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  8. Thanks Dani for bringing this book to my attention. I love these types of books.

    As far as the blurb goes. I'm not a Sci-fi romance girl. I tend to not be able to wrap my head around the Sci-fi part. It doesn't mean that it's not good. It's just not for me. But if I could put the Sci-fi part of it out of my head, I'm thinking a good book.

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    1. I am so grateful to Dani for bringing this book to your attention also. LOL! :) Happy reading Kim, and let me know what you think. :)

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  9. The excerpt sounds interesting, though I'm not into sci-fi so it's not something I'd buy. But I really enjoyed the blurb from Texas Wide Open.

    Marcy Shuler
    bmndshuler(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  10. Great and interesting interview as always x

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  11. Thanks for playing Marcy. Too bad sci-fi isn't you thing, but glad Texas Wide Open caught your interest. Happy reading and hope you enjoy the book. Don't be afraid to let me know what you think. I love hearing from readers. :)

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  12. I would read this story. Thank you. lisagk(at)yahoo

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  13. I love sci-fi romance & from the blurb I'd definitely buy the book but I'd much prefer a full length story to a novella. Hope you do write it!

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  14. I'm not really that into sci-fi romance but I can't believe that there's not a market out there or it.
    Thanks for the interview and giveaway.

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  15. Sci-Fi Romance is never a first choice for me, but I know others who love it. Keep at it I'd say.

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  16. Hi KC, don't include me in the giveaway, I've already read TWO twice - yes, I squeezed it in again. Can't help it. I love Cole and Jett.
    I love your story proposal for HIS PERSONAL COURTESAN. Then again, I'm a huge fan of scifi romance. I sometimes think that if publishers ran some random polling occasionally, they'd discover that readers want something different and exciting every once in a while.
    Like you always tell me, keep going! You'll find a publisher who will jump on it.
    My only suggestion - if you copied & pasted, that is - in the line, "she’s been desperately in love with when she was just a child." Change "when" to "since". xoxo

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    1. Yep, excellent catch my lovely Amy! As usual. (You up for some beta reading? I'm looking for a few good romance readers.)

      I can't believe you read TWO TWICE! Too wonderful. But you should be writing, not re-reading books. LOL!

      I will respond to all the lovely comments below. :)

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  17. Oooh. I likey.
    So... why don't you keep trying to get it published or self publish?

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  18. There's nothing wrong with sci-fi romance and someone will always be into the genre combo. In fact there ARE sci-fi romance novels out there now that are doing pretty good, I just read one. And even though it wasn't something I would have normally read I was happily surprised! I hope you don't give up on His Personal Courtesan, it sounds like a good description.
    I agree with the above comment, maybe just self publish it?

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  19. UPDATE: (Lord, I've always wanted to put that in a blog comment) :)

    Thank you for all the lovely comments. So great to hear from readers who love romance. :)

    Just to keep you updated, I posted my blurb description on my blog and out of the blue my agent called me. She said that she'd read my post and loved the story concept. She asked for the proposal. I sent her the first 20 pages that I had already written and am now just waiting. If I don't get a deal that I am happy with, then yes, I will self-pub the novella. I have one sci-fi anthology self-pubbed already and another one coming any day now. So, self-pubbing is totally a viable option.

    Thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions. It's been real fun. :)

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    1. Wow that's awesome KC! Thanks again for coming by RFTC. I loved having you and you are always welcome. =)

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