Kathryn Caskie talks about her release, How to Propose to a Prince
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What went Between the Sheets of this book?  Either what was happening in your life when you wrote it, or what was happening with the book as you wrote it.

History--a lot more than made it into the book.  I started reading Princess Charlotte’s letters for research, thinking she would be a character, important to the story, but kept in the background.  But through her letters, Princess Charlotte came alive for me and as a result she became a significant character in the book.

When did you decide to sit down and write your first novel and what led up to the publication of your first book?

I have always written, whether it was when I was child writing and illustrating my own books and selling them to the neighbors for popsicle money, or when my various careers led me to write for television, radio, newspapers and magazines, even the internet.  Writing was always part of my life. 

But I have always been a reader too, and writing a book was something I wanted to accomplish.  I joined RWA, wrote when the kids were sleeping, but having worked on deadlines my entire professional life, I really needed some REAL reason to finish the book.  One of my critique partners suggested entering the RWA's Golden Heart contest.  One of the requirements for the contest was a complete manuscript, so I burned the midnight oil and finished just in time to FedEx my entry into RWA.  As luck would have it, I won my category, which brought me to the attention of several editors.

Where did you find the idea to write this novel?

From a Q-tip.  My grandmother was an amateur genealogist, and so I agreed to take part in National Geographic's Genographic Study.  The project's goal is explore early human migration and deep ancestry through genetic markers found in the DNA.  I swabbed the inside of my cheek to collect tissue samples then popped the whole thing into a test tube and sent it in.  Not long after I was contacted by the scientists running the study.  It seemed I had DNA with an extremely rare mutation/genetic marker, so rare that a top geneticist in China had requested that I overnight another sample to her.  From my DNA, it was determined that my maternal ancestors came from Northern Russia.  Very few people with this genetic marker exist.  I knew I was Scottish, Irish, Swedish, German/Dutch, but Russian...that was a surprise.

That started me thinking...what if my heroines (I knew this was a trilogy) found out that everything they believed about themselves mightn't be true.  That they might, in fact, be the secret daughters of the future King of England? And so it began. In each book the sisters get closer and closer to learning the answer to that mystery. 

Then, out of the blue, as I am writing the last book in the trilogy, How to Propose to a Prince, a reader contacts me and tells me that she and her family may be descendents of the secret marriage of Prinny and Maria Fitzherbert--just like my heroines!  Only, instead of searching for clues in false-bottomed document box like my heroines--and she are her family are using to DNA to try to prove it.

Wow.  Full circle.    

How long did it take to develop your characters for this book?

I develop the characters as I write, even the characters who actually existed during the Regency.

Why this story at this time?

This story was the last in my Royle sisters trilogy.  I was sad to say good bye to the Royle sisters, Old Rakes of Marylebone and Lady Upperton, however, but excited too to start my new series, The Seven Deadly Sins.

Take us through a typical writing day and your creative process.

I wish I could say I sit down everyday after the kids head out the door for school, but I can't--I am trying though!  I read a lot of research books before I begin writing, then I sort of let everything percolate.  When a deadline calls me to the computer, the story comes.  Characters mingle with actually historical events and figures and somehow make it to the page.

Are you a visual writer?   Do you see scenes and characters in your head?   Or do you hear the characters voices?

Like many writers, I see the story unfolding like a movie.  I see and hear the whole thing, and I write down what I am watching in my head. 

What are your thoughts on First Person verses Third Person?  Which is your preference?

I love first person.  Nothing puts me into the head of character faster.  I write in third person, because I can explore the story from other characters' points of view more easily.

What is your re-writing and editing process?  Do you let anyone read your work in progress before it goes to your editor?

I never have time anymore to let someone else read my work before my editor.  My re-writing process is really more of a fleshing out of the story.  I have to get the story out completely, then go back and allow myself to see the vivid details that help bring a story or character to life.

What is your opinion of critique groups?  Do you find them helpful?

When I first started writing, critique groups were very helpful.  I learned a lot about craft through my critique group.  But, personally, I don't benefit creatively from critique groups.  With my first book, I must have written at least three different versions, trying to please my mentors and critique partners.  And everyone's advice was wonderful...for them.  I did not sell until I finally stayed true to my own vision of the book.

How is your family affected by your writing career?

My kids grew up with Mom being on deadlines, so the shift to writing books wasn't jarring at all.  Plus, both my girls are great cooks, so starvation has never been an issue.

What keeps you going and motivated when life throws you a curveball?

Deadlines...and friends.

Were you an avid reader as a child?  What did you like to read?

Yes, indeed.  Okay, call me a nerd, but one summer I read every book in the house, so my mother jokingly suggested I start on the encyclopedias.  So I did.  Read those too.

I read everything, still do.

Do you have time to read now?  What authors do you read?

When I writing, I tend to read non-fiction.  But period books are not off limits.  Research is like candy to me.  Can't get enough. When am not on deadline, I read my friends' books or anything that catches my fancy when I stroll through a bookstores.  Right now I am reading Pillars of the Earth, because so many friends recommended it.  Oh, and I guess Oprah did too!

Who or what influenced you to write and what inspires your imagination?

My mother is a very creative person and my father always enjoyed writing.  They book encouraged all of my creative endeavors, one of which is writing.  I think I inherited creative thinking from my mother.  She taught me to think and explore outside the box at a very young age, and to believe that nothing is impossible.  There is always a way.  Believing that frees me up to create and imagine.

How important is self promotion in today's publishing market and what do you do to promote your books?

Self promotion is important, especially when an author is just starting out, but I think it's very easy to throw money away on things that won't sell a book or encourage a reader to remember you and your work.  Before I spend money on a promotion I ask myself a question:  Have I ever bought a book or remembered an author because of (fill in the blank)?  So, have I ever bought a book because her name was on a sparkly pen?  No.  Or because a lip-shaped lollipop was attached to her bookmark?  No.   Saw an ad in RT?  Yes.  Visited her website? Yes.  She belonged to an online community I also belonged to?  Yes.  Read about her and her book in newsletter? Yes.  This trick mightn't work for everyone, but it has allowed me to focus my energies and funds better. 

What are you working on now?

I am revising the first book of my Seven Deadly Sins series.  The series is about seven brothers and sisters who were cast out of Scotland for their wicked ways, only to descend on London during the Season and give all new meaning to the word Sin.  The first book is To Sin With a Stranger, and will be out around December '08.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?  And how did you keep your spirits up until the first book was published?

Keep writing and don't fall into the trap of revising your first book over and over again.  Set it aside and start something new.  Then submit that.

I think it took nine years of writing, on and off, before I sold.  I didn't stop because I kept hearing my mother's advice "nothing is impossible."  I just knew I would have work for it, and learn, and try and try again.

Anything special that you want to tell your readers about yourself?

I will be on HGTV this spring!  Watch for me and my archeologist Border Collies on IF WALLS COULD TALK. 

© Interview by BetweenYourSheets.com

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