This week our Feature on Author: Ciara Knight. She has a new book out, Second Chance Under the Mistletoe.
Kandy Shepherd is a best-selling, award-winning author of contemporary romance. Her heartfelt, passionate stories are set in exciting locations around the world and are published in multiple languages. Kandy believes in love-at-first-sight and real-life romance—she and her husband of many years decided to spend their lives together after three days! She loves it when readers tell her that her books make them laugh and make them cry. Kandy lives near Sydney, Australia with her husband and numerous four-legged friends.
How do you come up with the ideas for new stories?
I have more story ideas than I most likely will ever use! Most often I get an idea from observing people around me, a writer is always watching and listening. Beware! Often the ideas just come when I am musing over something else. I have even dreamed of a story idea.
In Second Chance Under the Mistletoe, I was asked by my editor to write about an older heroine, who is the mother of a young adult. Oh, and can I make it a reunion, and a Christmas story. It was fun to use those guidelines to start building the book. I decided to make my heroine Natalie and hero Jon teenage lovers whose parents make it difficult for them when Natalie falls pregnant—so difficult that they divorce. A quite complex back story then fuelled the front story that kicks off when they meet again more than twenty years later at the instigation of their daughter Clem.
Does writer's block ever happen to you?
Thankfully I have never suffered from intense, crippling writer’s block. However, I quite often find myself stuck when a story just isn’t working—usually in the middle chapters.
How do you/would you cope if/when it strikes?
A writer friend once advised me that when a block happens, it is often because something isn’t working in the part of the story that precedes it. Go back and fix that and I can then go forward. Often going for a walk or a swim sets my creativity going in the right direction.
Of all the stories you've written, what's your favourite?
It’s usually the one I’ve just written! However, in recent years I particularly like Second Chance With His Cinderella mainly because I think I just loved the heroine Kitty so much. Overall, I think my absolute favourite is still Love is a Four-Legged Word.
Do you live in your character's world while you write?
Absolutely! I am deeply engrossed in their world. My characters seem very real to me. Often, particularly on deadline, I write late through the night and into the early morning, completely absorbed in “the zone”. When I “come to” out of the story, I don’t actually know where I am. I have to look around and orientate myself into realising I am in my living room or my study, because in my head I’m in a billionaire’s mansion in London, or a private island in Tahiti, or a castle in Budapest, or a beachside bungalow in Bali, living the life of my characters. It’s quite a weird feeling!
Natalie is having a nightmare Christmas. Her daughter, Clem, has invited her dad over from Australia—and Natalie hasn’t seen her ex, tycoon Jon, for twenty-two years! They agree for the sake of their daughter to pretend to be the perfect family, but Natalie soon discovers the spark between them never died! After two decades of hurt, can she risk her heart for a second chance—or is this festive fling just for the holidays?
sounds good
ReplyDeleteThank you, Christine.
DeleteIt's funny how putting up parameters can make creating a story easier rather than harder. Christmas romances are so popular right now.
ReplyDeleteNie miałam okazji poznać książek i autorki, ale lubię takie klimaty,
ReplyDeleteOh yes I love those goodies =)
ReplyDeleteNice post, this book sounds good.
Thank you for stopping by my blog. I have enjoyed yours very much.
ReplyDelete