Interview with Author Kendra Leigh Castle and Giveaway

Meet Kendra Leigh Castle, author of For the Longest Time.

Kendra Leigh Castle is a RITA award-nominated, multi-published author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Raised in the far and frozen reaches of Northern New York, where her love of curling up with a blanket and a good book came early, she penned her debut novel as a Navy wife living in the Nevada desert. Since then, she has managed to continue working in her pajamas while moving around the country. Kendra currently makes her home in Maryland, where she lives with her husband, three children, and a menagerie of pets. She drinks too much coffee, stays up too late, and loves to hear from her readers, who make this crazy job worthwhile.

Find Kendra Leigh at:

| Site | Facebook | Twitter |

First off, tell us a little bit about you?
Sure! I’m 37, from a small town in Northern NY, and have been writing most of my life. I’m also a mom and a Navy wife, and have lived all over the country. We’ve been in Maryland for the past few years, which I like…I’m an east coast girl at heart. Oh, and I have a big cat, and two giant dogs. Pet hair is my life, apparently.

A la Twitter style, please describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.
Orphaned kitten brings artsy misfit and cute veterinarian back together for second chance at love.

What types of scenes are your most favorite to write?
My favorite scenes are the ones involving a lot of banter between the hero and heroine. I like intelligent, witty characters that spark off of one another, so I love writing scenes where they get to strut their stuff!

What are the things that influence you the most as a writer?
My writing is heavily influenced by the wonderful relationships I’ve been lucky to have in my own life, friends and family who love me and who I can always count on. I’m also an idealist and a hopeless romantic, and I know those things come through in my work.

What are some of your favorite characteristics to find in a hero?
To me, the best heroes are loyal, good-hearted guys who are always trying to do the right thing even if they get off track sometimes. They’re comfortable in their own skin, funny and smart. And most importantly, the heroes I love want a partner, not a possession.

Tell me, is there anything that we would be surprised to learn about you?
I am amazing at karaoke. ;)

If you could live inside any book, which one would you choose and why?
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, without a doubt…as long as I got to be a witch and go to Hogwarts.

If you could spend the day in the shoes of any of your characters, who would you choose and why?
I’d be Ariane from my book Shadow Rising. She’s a beautiful winged vampire with mad fighting skills, and she gets to have Damien Tremaine as a mate. I may have created him, but I still have a terrible crush on Damien, who’s a debauched aristocrat, vampire assassin, and general pain in the butt to all who know him.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could bring only three items, what would you bring and why?
A copy of Wilderness Survival for Dummies, a toothbrush, and Chris Evans (he counts as an item, right?)

Last question, are you working on anything right now?
Always! I’m just about ready to send Every Little Kiss, which is the next book in the series, to copyedits (where they clean up any small grammatical and phrasing errors that are left), and I’m also writing away on the third book, which I’m set to turn in this October.

What book would you choose to live in if you could?

For Samantha Henry, it took a ten-year absence to appreciate the close-knit New England town with an appeal all its own….

After a perfect storm of events leaves Sam high, dry, and jobless, she has to head home to Harvest Cove to regroup. Growing up, she was the town misfit, and a brief high school romance that resulted in heartbreak made her realize she was never going to fit in. But now with the support of her mother and an unexpected circle of allies, Sam starts to wonder if she’s misjudged the town all these years.

Life’s been good to Jake Smith. He transitioned from popular jock to town veterinarian without any trouble. But Sam’s homecoming makes him question his choices. The sharp-tongued beauty was never a good fit for the small community, but he’s never forgotten her—or how good they were together. While she makes it clear she’s not about to repeat the past, Jake’s determined to convince her to give him—and Harvest Cove—a second chance.

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N |

Check out what's up for grabs.

Up For Grabs:

• 1 copy of For the Longest Time

To Enter: 

• Please answer Kendra Leigh's question: What book would you choose to live in if you could?
• US shipping ONLY.
• Please fill out the Rafflecopter form.

Good Luck! 

Special thanks to Penguin for sponsoring this giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway