Interview Kay LeGrand

by

Deanne C. Miller

Please tell us a little about yourself.

I come from a small town in Pennsylvania, north of Pittsburgh, where I grew up always wanting to be a writer. I was kind of the terror of the neighborhood--always with too much imagination for my own good. I usually cooked up the schemes and the wild ideas and then talked the other kids into going along with them. And some of the results were so bizarre that my mother finally gave up trying to figure out if I was telling the truth or re-enacting another novel inside my head. The writing of novels just became a good way to keep myself from getting into trouble. I figured if I was putting it down on paper, there wouldn't be any question that it was fiction.

Tell us about your book and how you came up with the title and the plot line.

Usually my plot lines just appear out of the blue. But in this case, it came in the form of a Denver motorcycle cop I didn't see until he was in my rear view mirror. And then everything went wrong--he was gorgeous, I couldn't find my insurance card, my glove box went ballistic and shot mustard packets all over the place when I opened it. And all the time I was thinking "this is the start of a romance novel--it has to be." So I rushed home (below the speed limit that time, of course) and started writing it. As for the title, John Denver has always been a favorite of mine, so I blatantly borrowed the title of one of his songs because it just seemed to fit.

What types of books do you enjoy reading? Who are a few of  your favorite authors?

I like just about everything--I only wish I had more time to read. Favorite authors are Dean Koontz, Phyllis Whitney, Stephen King, Mary Stewart.

What writing routine do you follow?

Not too much of a regular routine. I usually get up early and turn out 10-20 pages first thing, and if the mood is with me I'll do more. But by the time I've done 20 pages I usually need to get up and walk around to work the kinks out of my back and get some new ideas. I do try for the 10 page minimum per day, though. And of course sometimes I have to get up in the middle of the night, since inspiration tends to strike then.

How do you handle the stress that goes with writing? 

I don't really find writing stressful. If anything, I use writing to escape some of the other stresses of life. Some of my most prolific periods have been during times of trouble and strife in other areas. Even more than reading, writing is for me a perfect getaway from the problems of the real world. Maybe more so, since I'm an active participant in the writing.

What kind of research to you do?

I always say I like to write contemporaries because I'm too lazy to do much research. I do go on the internet to check out details of my locations, especially if it's someplace I haven't been for a while, and details of my characters' occupations if they're something I'm not thoroughly familiar with. I really don't know what we did before the internet came along!

Do you ask advice from your spouse on your writing? Or friends? Do they read your manuscript?

Not really. I was burned by a couple of critique groups in the past--people who demanded I write the way they thought I should write, and it took so long to recover from it and get my own voice back that I'm shy about sharing too much with anyone.

Are you a writer who lives by a rigid outline or do you write by the seat of your pants?

I'm strictly a seat of the pantser! My motto, that should probably be embroidered on a tapestry and hung above my desk is "don't bother me--I'm writing a book and I can't wait to see how it ends".

If you weren't writing, what would you be doing?

There are so many things--sewing, shopping, going to the mountains. I should probably say cleaning the house, too, but I definitely tend to sit down and start writing again whenever that subject comes up.

Any words of encouragement to our fellow unpublished authors? 

Keep trying. It sounds kind of old and trite, but it's so true. Getting published is a little bit like getting struck by lightning. You'll never succeed at it if you don't keep putting yourself out there in the middle of the thunderstorm, holding that golf club, looking for just that right moment.

Do you have a favorite comment or question from a reader? 

Someone once visited my web site and said I should have been a model. I still chuckle at that, since I like my chocolate and lasagna way too much to ever fit into a model's clothes. And I lack about 8 inches in height. Still, the question made me feel good.