Interview of Kay LaGrand

By

Joan Hall Hovey

Kay, how and when did you begin writing?

I’ve written for as long as I can remember--ever since I was old enough to hold a pencil. My mother said I never really had to learn to read or write, that I just seemed to be born doing it, and I finished my very first novel in the eighth grade.

Tell us about your book.

Polka Dots and Moonbeams is about a woman born and raised on the wrong side of the tracks, victimized all her life by a verbally abusive father. She eventually finds herself running from a relationship with a bully “just like dear old dad”.  And it’s about a man who’s followed a very strong family tradition that tells him he’s to be a cop even if he doesn’t want to be a cop, and furthermore, it tells him he’s the only one who’s ever not wanted to be a cop. Once the little matter of a ticket for speeding in a school zone brings them together, they start to learn from each other, the strengths of each conquering the weaknesses of the partner. Then one day, they wake up to the realization that they were made for each other all along.

What writers most influenced your own writing?

Phyllis Whitney, definitely. I’ve been reading and re-reading her for almost as long as I can remember, and always tried to emulate her elegant style. More recently, I’m in awe of Stephen King, who can take the just plain outrageously unbelievable and make it all seem perfectly normal, and Dean Koontz, who has a way with words and a talent for developing characters like nobody I’ve ever read.

What is your writing schedule?  Do you prefer writing in the morning or evening?

I always laughingly tell people that I have no schedule. I write when I have to write. The mood comes over me so often when I’m showering or driving that I always keep a notebook and pen handy for jotting down the ideas. And once I actually had to land an airplane (I’m a licensed pilot) at a remote little country landing strip when an idea started to burn a hole in my brain. Lately, I’ve written a lot at night because my husband’s been working night shift, but I can basically write anywhere, anytime, anything.

For you, what is the best and worst part of writing the book?

The best is just the writing--I do only the most minimal planning, so the characters grow into themselves right before my eyes, sometimes with really unusual results. I had one character just suddenly, blatantly say that he was a survivor of the World Trade Center collapse, and demand to be heard. So I had to go with it. (And do some heavy and heart-rending research in the process.)

The worst part is the finishing. Once the book is finished and sent off to the publisher, I experience a real post partum depression. It’s like I’ve lived all my life with these people, and now they’re suddenly just gone. Luckily, there’s always a new book and a new set of characters to dig into.

How long does it take you to write a book?

It really depends on the book. I have a second career as an erotica author, and those will roll out in two weeks to a month, start to finish. Mostly because the sex scenes were always the easiest parts of the book for me. For a romantic suspense novel, like Polka Dots And Moonbeams, or the other two I have coming from Wings in the future, it’s a much more extended process. They’re much more complex and layered stories, and it can take a year or even longer to finish one.

Tell us your publishing experience.

I was first published with another e-publisher who shall remain anonymous. Then when I contacted Lorraine, she was gracious enough to say yes, they would take the two novels I had published there, no questions asked. It was very exciting and gratifying to realize I finally had made a name for myself. Since then I’ve sold another romantic suspense to Wings, for release in 2005, and four eroticas to another publisher. That makes a total of seven sales in one year, which makes my head spin just a little!

What can we find you doing when you're not penning wonderful stories?

I live to shop, and shop to live. If there’s an outlet mall or a factory sale within a hundred miles, you can bet your life I’ll be right in there, fighting for trophies with the best of them. I’m a licensed pilot, but have been out of flying for several years following a back injury. I’m recovered now, but the cost of flying has skyrocketed, so I don’t often hang around at the airport any more. And of course I love to go up into the Rocky Mountains, about a half-hour drive from my house, and just be. They are a place that, just like John Denver always hinted, regenerate the soul.

What advice do you have for the new writer?

Believe in yourself!!!! Don’t let some critique group take away your own unique voice by imposing made up ‘rules’ on you. There basically are no ‘rules’ for getting something published, and the people who are most insistent that there are rules are usually unpublished themselves. And this has never been truer than in e-publishing, where we break boundaries and stretch envelopes all the time. So, new writers should just believe in themselves and what they write and how they write it. And of course, be persistent. Somewhere out there, there is an editor waiting for your stuff. All you have to do is find her.

Is there someone you would like to thank?

My mom. She had one rule when I was growing up that no one ever broke--if a kid was sitting reading a book, they were never to be interrupted to do housework or chores. Our house was probably the worst hurricane disaster on the block, but all three of us, my sister and brother and I, are avid readers to this day. Though I’m the only one who’s turned into a writer. And I can’t forget John Denver, either--he gave me the title for Polka Dots And Moonbeams, and the song they mention in the book. And the inspiration for so much that’s been right in my life. And of course I wouldn’t want to forget the nameless Denver motorcycle cop who stopped me to give me a ticket and ended up giving me the plot for my book--he was a nice hunk of meat in his tight motorcycle pants!

Where might fans and readers contact you and will they be able to buy your book when it is released.

I have a web site at www.geocities.com/kaylegrand, and my e-mail address is starshower37@hotmail.com.

Any interesting or funny stories associated with promotion/booksignings?

I’ve only ever done one book signing, but it was certainly an interesting thing! It was at RWA national in Denver, the literacy autographing, a couple of years ago. I was a little nervous, especially when I showed up and saw my neat little stacks of my two books on diskette, all packaged in the pretty little folders I’d made for them. The print pubbed authors seated on either side of me kind of drew back in horror as I sat down, as if they were going to be infected by some kind of horrible virus, or something. Well, before the evening was out, I had sold ALL of my two stacks of books and directing people where to go to buy more. Neither of the print pubbed authors did nearly as well, and before you know it, they were asking for info on e-publishing.

Leave us with some Kay LeGrand words of wisdom.

I don’t know that I’m the best person to ask for wisdom. I’m one of those people who gets into strange and embarrassing situations all the time--like the one I mentioned above, with the hunky motorcycle cop. I guess if I have anything at all to say that could be considered wise, it’s this. If you’re in a situation where you’re embarrassed out of your mind, it’s a good bet you have a great start for your next romance novel. TAKE NOTES!!!!