We Asked. She Answered.
How long have you been writing - have you always wanted to be a writer?
I've been writing stories since elementary school, but I started out wanted to be an actress and was a Drama major in College.
How many books have you written, how many have been published?
I'd say I've written about fifteen books and six have currently been published. A few may never see the light of day again, since I keep writing new books instead of going back to ones I've put aside for various reasons.
A Simple Misunderstanding is Kathryn R. Blake's fourth novel with Blushing Books, and third spanking romance where Domestic Discipline is primary to the plot. Although Kathryn is new to the spanking romance market, she is not new to stories where the hero spanks the heroine. In fact, most of her novels have some sort of spanking in them. However, even in Kathryn's novels where the hero firmly believes in using spanking as a deterrent, he has no desire to cause the heroine injury and takes no delight in hurting the woman of his heart.
After you've written your book, and it's been published, do you ever buy it and/or read it?
I always purchase my own books, especially from my publisher, so I have a copy in every format they offer. I own a Kindle, so I also go to Amazon and download the book on my device; however, I rarely read it again. I've read each of my books at least twenty times before it is published, so I don't really need to read it again afterward.
List two authors we would find you reading when taking a break from your own writing.
Only two? I have some that are automatic buys for me. It's so hard to limit myself, since there are so many other authors I enjoy, but I'll list Cara Bristol and Maren Smith.
If I was a first time reader of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why?
I'd like to think I improve with each additional book I write, so I'd say start with my last book, A Simple Misunderstanding. It has a powerful theme of a woman caught in an abusive relationship in a community known for its tolerance with spanking relationships. It's the 7th in the Corbin's Bend series, but if definitely stands alone.
Kathryn released A Simple Misunderstanding, an Erotica Novel with Blushing Books/Lazy Day Publishing. Spousal spankings in Corbin's Bend... She thought her husband was the man of her dreams, until he became the man of her nightmares. Elly Benson struggled to be the properly submissive wife her husband desired. She tried to do everything he asked of her, until he convinced her she could never be the perfect woman he expected and demanded by nearly killing her. As a vet, Jerry Douglas recognized signs of abuse when he saw them. Elly Benson, however, was a married and consenting adult who insisted all her bruises and welts were nothing more than a simple misunderstanding between her and her husband, until the day Arthur Benson took his authority and discipline one-step too far.
That's hard, but I'd say the idea for the story comes first, then the characters that best fit the story I want to tell, and finally their setting. However, they are almost simultaneous since the story requires certain characters and a setting. Without them, I wouldn't have a story.
What is the hardest part of writing/the easiest for you?
Dialogue is the easiest. The characters talk in my head, so their dialogue flows onto the page. Narrative is more difficult since the picture is in my head like a movie, but I sometimes have difficulty putting what I'm seeing into words.
Are you in control of your characters, or do they control you?
I'm ultimately in control of them, but they are in control of their own lives. In Arrested by Love, I had two secondary characters that started to take over the novel. I couldn't allow that, so I cut them out and gave them their own book, which became A Dom's Dilemma.
What is the single most important part of writing for you?
Being able to tell the story that's taking place in my head. As I kid I wrote scripts and had my friends act them out with me, so I've always been telling stories. That's the fun part. The creative part for me. Editing is the professional part, and probably the most work I do on a manuscript.
Website: http://www.kathrynrblake.com
Blog: http://krbnaughtythoughts.blogspot.com
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/KRBlake.page
Facebook Profile: http://www.facebook.com/KRBlake.profile
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/krblakepin/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kathryn-R.-Blake/e/B003G5G15Y
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4058144.Kathryn_R_Blake
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KRBwrites
