Wednesday, November 09, 2011

KELLIE KAMRYN TALKS ABOUT PLEASURE ISLAND



Today author Kellie Kamryn is a guest.

Kellie Kamryn, Author


Caroline: Readers love to get to know authors. Share anything that lets readers get to know the real you.


Kellie: I grew up in rural Manitoba, Canada. A small town but I spent most of my childhood in a gymnastic gym in the city of Winnipeg, training as a competitive gymnast. I have 5 siblings – 3 sisters and a brother, and I’m the oldest. I’m in the process of divorce and I have four children from my marriage – 2 boys and 2 girls.

Caroline: Four children must keep you busy. Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?

Kellie: Eloisa James is one of my all-time favorite authors. I love to read historicals, but I also enjoy all other types of romances. I also read a lot of spiritual books and my favorite author is John Shelby Spong. His work just really speaks to me.

Caroline: How many books do you read a month? What are you reading now?

Kellie: I used to read a book every week, but now with my writing contracts it takes me forever to get through a book! LOL I just finished a great YA on my kindle, LEGEND OF THE HERMIT MASTER. I have a huge TBR pile on my Kindle and on my book shelf. I’m not sure what I’ll get to next.
 Caroline: I know what you mean. My Kindle list keeps growing faster than I read. Lovely to have all the books in one light-weight unit, isn’t it? When you’re not writing, what’s your favorite way to relax and recharge?



Kellie: I love to sit out on my deck and look up at the stars after the kids have gone to bed. There’s something peaceful about reminding yourself that you’re a small but important piece of the universe. When you put yourself in that perspective, I find that some of my stress melts away because in the grand scheme of things, none of that matters. At the end of the day, if you’ve tried your best and you’re doing what you love, that’s all that counts.


I love to read, hot baths are relaxing and other than that, I like to spend quiet time (now that’s a relative term with four) with my kids where we just watch a movie together or sit and read together. Bedtime is my favorite part of the day! We sit and read together, it’s quiet and then they go to sleep. Our lives are very busy, so I cherish quiet time with them.

Caroline: Sounds like you’re a good mom. I miss those days when our kids were young and we read together and then tucked them in at night. Describe yourself in three or four words.



Kellie: Sweet, big-hearted, sassy (a lot, lol) and introspective

Caroline: Would you like to share any guilty pleasures that feed your muse?


Kellie: Well, a guilty pleasure that doesn’t have anything to do with my muse is Lindt Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls. The best thing. Ever. That feeds me so I suppose in a way it keeps the muse happy.



Caroline: Mmm, the caramel chocolate are my downfall. How long have you been writing?

Kellie: I’ve kept journals and wrote poetry all of my life. I had a goal to write a romance novel so I did. That first one was awful! LOL I’ve been writing seriously for about 4-5 years now to be published. I figured if I didn’t go for my dream, no one else would.


Caroline: Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop?

Kellie: I’d prefer to write out in a cabin in the woods. Alone. But I have a PC in the living room across the room from the kids computer. As a single mom, I need to know what my kids are up to, so I prefer to be right in the thick of things, so writing alone isn’t an option. If they’re at school, I use either the PC or laptop depending on how I’m feeling.

Sometimes I need music to get me in a good mood. Music can affect our mood so much! If I need to get in the mood for a sizzling sex scene, I admit that I listen to raunchy rock music or sexy dance music, LOL. If I need quiet, I listen to soothing instrumental or something. I have a varied taste in music. Then there are other times I need quiet, but since quiet is a relative thing in my house, I take what I can get!

Caroline: I agree music can create a mood. Are you a plotter or a panzer?

Kellie: All my stories start off as a “what if” question. Then the characters come to me and I sort of plot out who they are, but as far as the story goes, I begin writing and then let the characters take me on an adventure!

Caroline: Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories?

Kellie: Sometimes I take a funny situation, embellish on it and create a story. My stories are mostly wishes. PLEASURE ISLAND for example was creating a happy ending for a woman who had gone through divorce. I’m an eternal optimist. I think that we have the ability to create our own happy ending. I’m working on mine.


Caroline: Tell us about your writing schedule. Do you set goals? Do you write daily?


Kellie: Lately, I haven’t written anything new! LOL Before I had promotion to do and I was in the strictly selling stage, my goal was to write 1000 words a day. Not difficult because I’ve managed 5000 in one day before. (A+ in high school typing class) If the story is flowing and I have no interruptions, then I can create a lot. Now I set different goals for myself – getting edits done by a certain time, submitting a piece by a certain date, beginning a new piece etc.



Caroline: Be a fast typist is a definite plus, isn’t it? What do you hope your writing brings to readers?


Kellie: Love. Hope. Romance. Hot sex. All the things I wish for myself, I want for them.

Caroline: What long-term plans do you have for your career?


Kellie: At this point, to keep writing, creating and selling books. Sure, who doesn’t want to make the NYT Bestseller list? Right now I want to do what I love and see where it takes me. So far it’s been an exciting ride?



Caroline: Would you like to tell us what you’re working on now?



Out January 2012
Kellie: Right now I’m promoting PLEASURE ISLAND and two more I have with two different publishers. I have two novels coming out next year, so edits will begin for those and I want to get book 3 in that series ready to go as well. I also have another novella in the WIP stage, so I’ve got lots to work on.



Caroline: Isn’t it amazing how much time we spend on promotion? What advice would you give to unpublished authors?


Now from Sweet Cravings
 Kellie: Don’t give up. If you want something bad enough, find a way to do it. And to go along with that – expand your network. Do your research on publishers, agents, etc. Talk to other writers, find out who their publishers are. It’s how I figured who I wanted to submit to and where my work would fit the best. It saves you a lot of rejection letters. But don’t be discouraged by rejection either – it means you’re trying and getting somewhere!

Caroline: So true. You have to submit in order to sell. Tell us about your latest release.
From The Wild Rose Press'
Wilder Roses


Kellie: Here’s the blurb for PLEASURE ISLAND:


Chelsea Hunter didn't come to the resort looking for sex. Jake Davis intends to change her mind. Will they be able to turn up the heat, or will their visit to Pleasure Island leave them cold?


After finalizing her divorce, Chelsea Hunter came to the resort island of Paradise for some peace and quiet so she could figure out what her next step would be. She hadn’t expected to find herself at an exotic hotel dedicated to pleasures of the flesh. Too bad she doesn’t want sex.

Jake Davis is back in Paradise after visiting a year ago when his own marriage fell apart. This time his fantasy is to guide a woman through her sexual journey. He hadn’t counted on being paired with the only woman in Paradise who prefers privacy over pleasure!

Will Jake be able to discover what Chelsea truly needs, or will their journey to Paradise remain unfulfilled?


Caroline: Intriguing. How about an excerpt?


Kellie: Here it is:

“This is a what?”


Chelsea Hunter couldn’t believe her ears. An island resort dedicated to entertaining people’s sexual pleasures? This wasn’t what she’d signed up for when reserving her room at the beautiful Caribbean locale. What the hell would people think if they found out she’d come here?


“I assure you that you’re in the right place, Ms. Hunter,” the blonde behind the reception desk told her.


Chelsea struggled to look anywhere but at the receptionist’s chest, whose gigantic breasts spilled out of her red string bikini. “There must be a mistake. I reserved a room at Paradise Resort.”


“This is Paradise, baby,” drawled a smooth voice from Chelsea’s left.


Chelsea turned, only to struggle again with where to look. There stood one of the most gorgeous men she’d ever laid eyes on. She’d guess him a few inches shy of six feet, but his perfectly sculpted body totally made up for it. He may not have been tall, but the handsome factor was off the charts. Close cropped dark hair, midnight eyes, broad shoulders and chest without an ounce of body hair, tapered waist, and—Whoa. A zap of lust zinged straight to her core, and she dropped her gaze to his muscled thighs. That couldn’t be real. Maybe his Speedo made it appear larger. She flicked another quick look. Damn…Wet heat rushed between her thighs.


Bringing her gaze back up to his face, she flushed at the amused sparkle in his eyes. She braced her hands on the reception desk, her wedding ring twinkling a bittersweet reminder as she leaned forward.


“There has to be some mistake,” Chelsea pleaded. “I’m at the wrong place.”



Caroline: LOL That reminds me of a similar scene in Sandra Crowley’s CAUGHT BY A CLOWN, a romantic suspense where the heroine is briefly trapped in a nudist colony. Where can readers find your books?



Kellie: My buy link for PLEASURE ISLAND is http://www.wilderroses.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=86&products_id=848o

For MONKEYS, SEX, AND OTHER BIRTHDAY SURPRISES, the link is:
http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&products_id=137&zenid=70e41e3aa9c9c9803b4602185b4e76af

Caroline: Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?


Kellie: I love to have fun! Life should be a series of adventures. If you’re not having fun, ask yourself why.



Caroline: How can readers learn more about you?



Kellie: My website is www.kelliekamryn.com,


Blog: http://www.kelliekamryn.blogspot.com,
Facebook Kellie Kamryn
Twitter @KellieKamryn

Caroline: Kellie, thanks very much for sharing with us today. Please return on Friday for Diana Cosby’s information on her annual drive to provide food for those in need.



Thanks for stopping by!

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