AUTHOR INTERVIEW - STACEY KENNEDY

What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?

*waves* I’m Stacey Kennedy. I was born in Hamilton, Ontario and I still reside in southwestern Ontario. While I’m not a huge fan of our Canadian winters, my family all lives close by and I can never imagine myself moving.

When did you first consider yourself as a "writer"?

The day my first book was published. LOL! Total honest answer. I’ve never had dreams of being a writer it just kind of happened one day. I read a lot of books and then had an idea for a story. So I sat down and wrote it, then realized it wasn’t half bad. The rest is history!

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say?

My latest book release is SUPERNATURALLY KISSED.

A ghost romance with a mystery, a dash of heat mixed together with a snarky heroine and dirty talking ghost!

Which of your books were easier/harder to write than the others?

My urban fantasy romance series are the easiest for me to write. I love the danger, magical elements, twists in the plot, and pretty much everything about the genre. So it’s very easy for me to write in.

The hardest are no doubt my BDSM erotic romances. They are by far the most draining. I just finished a full-length called SWEET SUBMISSIVE that is now with my agent and I needed a break after it. They tend to be really emotional and I find that when I’m done writing them my mind is definitely exhausted.

What can we expect from you in the future?  ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?

There are so many releases coming in 2012. The next Frostbite book, DEMONICALLY TEMPTED will release. The next Pact of Seduction book, BEG FOR IT will also come out around May 2012. I’ve got a new series called MAGIC & MAYHEM, and the first book WEREWOLVES BE DAMNED will be releasing in the Summer of 2012. Hopefully, I’ll see something come of SWEET SUBMISSIVE and I also have a new urban fantasy romance series coming out, THE CAT’S MEOW. So yes, 2012 is a busy, busy year!!

Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?

Yes, there will be four books in the Frostbite series. Each book will bring more answers for Tess for why she has the ability she does, will help discover why Kipp is in the condition he is, and will also bring them closer to a happily-ever-after. But of course, will bring a world of conflict and emotional twists and turns along the way too.

What genre would you place your books into?

They’re urban fantasy romance. What this means is that they follow the same characters throughout the series and the urban fantasy elements are mixed with a romance too. Each book will have a happy-for-now ending. It’s not paranormal romance so you just won’t get that happily-ever-after right away, but I’m a sucker for a happy ending so I promise Tess and Kipp will find theirs!

Do you have a favourite out of the books you have written? If so why is it your favourite?

It’s really hard to pick one favorite. Of course I adore the Frostbite series for so many reasons that include just the challenging aspect of the hero being a ghost. And I truly enjoy spending time with Tess & Kipp. They are fun characters to write. But I absolutely love the Magic & Mayhem series that releases with Entangled Publishing in the Summer of 2012. It’s got a kick ass heroine, Nexi who is full of snark and she’s just so much fun to write! I really love the danger and putting her in situations where she can kick butt! And the hero, Kyden is just… *drools*

Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?

At first I read every review, but then I started to notice that it wasn’t a good thing to do. To be honest, even though everyone says not to let it bother you, it really does. And I found that it affected me enough that it made me doubt my writing. So usually what I do is when I see reviews I look at the stars first. If I see a one or two star, I avoid that review like there’s no tomorrow. But I quite enjoy reading the good ones. It makes me happy to see that others love my characters as much as I do!!

What was the toughest/best review you have ever had?

You know as I said above that I try to avoid bad reviews. However, I recently happened to read one that absolutely crushed me. And I only read one paragraph of the review before I stopped reading, but even that one paragraph made me want to curl up into the fetal position and hide from the world! Okay, I’m kidding, but in total honesty it was devastating.

Does it mean that I can’t handle bad reviews? Of course not. Bad reviews come with being an author. I’ve had my share of one or two star reviews and can deal with the low rating, but the ones that are hard to swallow are the personal written reviews. It honestly feels like someone is standing in front of your face and saying to you, “So you’re the one who wrote this stupid book. Are you an idiot and seriously thought of creating a heroine this annoying? This is complete trash and you SUCK!” LOL! I know that seems silly, but it feels much like that!

I suppose it’s because an author puts sweat into the book. It’s time away from their family, hours not relaxing but in fact working so hard to do right by the characters they’ve grown to love, and when someone basically says that work was for nothing because the book is HORRIBLE, of course that’s going to hurt. So yes, those types of reviews I do my best not to read because I take it personally.

It’s amazing really how you can get lots of great three, four or five stars review, but that one bad review seems to be the one you can’t forget, which is exactly why I don’t read them!! Staying positive and enjoying what you love to do is best! Not everyone is going to love your work, just like you don’t love every book, but I just don’t think it’s good for the soul to read how much someone hates your work.

As for the best reviews, I have some of the greatest readers who offer up so much support to me. They know I’m grateful, because I tell them as often as I can. Those reviews, the ones where the reader just “got” my story… Yes, there is no better feeling than that as an author!

Would you ever ask a reviewer to change their review if it was not all positive about your book/books?’

Lord NO! Even on the worst reviews I always thank the reviewer for taking the time to review the book. Just as I’ve spent hours writing the book, they’ve spent hours reading it, and that’s something to be appreciated.

Besides, it’s so subjective and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. While a review might crush me in private it’s just not something to go public about. Everyone has the right to hate a book, just as every author has the right to write the story how they like. So if you’re like me and take things personally, just avoid reading those not-so-good reviews and read the ones that make you smile.

Where can readers follow you?

Your blog details? http://www.staceykennedy.com/blog
Your web site ? http://www.staceykennedy.com
Your facebook page? http://www.facebook.com/AuthorStaceyKennedy
Your Goodreads author page? http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3473046.Stacey_Kennedy
Your Twitter details? https://twitter.com/#!/Stacey_Kennedy

And any other information you wish to supply?

Stacey Kennedy’s novels are lighthearted fantasy with heart squeezing, thigh-clenching romance, and even give a good chuckle every now and again. But within the stories you’ll find fast paced action, life threatening moments and a big bad villain that needs to be destroyed. Her urban fantasy/paranormal and erotic romance series have hit Amazon Kindle and All Romance Ebooks Bestseller lists. If she isn’t plugging away at her next novel, tending to her two little ones, she’s got her nose deep in a good book. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband.

Be sure to drop her a line at www.staceykennedy.com, she loves to hear from her readers.

I just want to thank Stacey for this great Interview!