Interview Allison Knight

by

Leanne Karella

1) Congratulations on your May release of Simon's Brides from Wings ePress! It sounds like a wonderful book. From the excerpt on your web site, I already love the hero. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Amy, my heroine, believes all the women of Kirkley estate are cursed. Death awaits any woman living on the estate who tries to have a baby. She's not going to marry, even though a step-uncle of one of her half-sisters has threatened her and her half-sisters. Simon, who inherits the title from Amy's father, a distant relative, has to find wives for all five of the women. Of course, Amy tempts him but, he's a ship's captain. She isn't for him! (Wanna bet!)

2) Can you tell us what inspired this story?

The idea just popped into my head one day. A "what if?" a ship captain had to find wives for beautiful women, while one of them really attracted him. I thought it would be a lot of fun. And--it was.

3) Can you tell us about the location and time setting of the story?

The story is set in England in the 1830's but the setting is really incidental to the story.

4) How do you go about researching your historical books?

I use everything I can get my hands on, books, the library, TV, the internet, and we've done a lot of traveling.

5) Could you tell us a bit about you as a person and your writing background?

I'm a retired school teacher. I still go back to school occasionally as a guest speaker and talk about writing. (teachers never really quit the classroom) I've always written--something. I even have a half written recipe book that my husband 'thanks the lord' it never saw the light of day.

6) I see that you are multi-published. Can you tell us a bit about your experiences with both e-published books and print books?

Not that much difference. Although I find that with e-books, there's a great deal more hands on with the editor. Mine is fabulous. (My e-book editor) She doesn't let me get away with anything. Hates ending sentences with prepositions.

7) How has being published changed your life in any way?

I spend a lot more time on the computer, I don't do much housework <g> No time, and I don't cook like I used to which is a good thing.

8) How much time in a day/week do you spend writing? What kind of routine do you have, if any?

I spend time every day in my office. I write, I read, I research. I try to work at least five hours everyday. By nine o'clock in the morning, I'm at my computer. I stop to fix lunch and usually am back for another hour or two each afternoon.

9) And from your web site, I see that you have children. How do they influence in your writing?

We're empty nesters, but they are encouraging. My daughter delights in telling people just what kinds of books her mother writes.

10) If you could do it all over again, what one thing would you change about your writing career?

I would have started much earlier writing romances. I always loved a happy ending.

11) Are you currently working on another book? If so, could you tell us a bit about it?

I'm always working on another book. At the moment I have another gothic in mind, I have another historical started (Caro's story) and I have the plot for another contemporary.

12) When you aren’t writing, what do you like to do?

I love to shop--who doesn't??? I enjoy swimming which we do three or four times a week and I'm close to Biloxi so we take a day off every couple of months and visit one of the casinos. I love the penny slots.

13) What is the most rewarding aspect of being a published author?

Knowing that my books have made some of my former students avid readers. That's the best part.

14) What advice can you give to aspiring authors?

Don't give up. Keep writing, reading what others write, and study your trade. Read everything you can about writing. Study, study, study. Sounds just like a teacher, doesn't it?