Author Spotlight with Kate Pavelle

The Author Spotlight will focus on a different author every few weeks – it may feature an experienced writer who has a long history of published books, or a new author who is destined to be a future star. Today our Author Spotlight will be on Kate Pavelle . You can keep in touch with Kate at the links following the interview!

Author Spotlight: Kate Pavelle

First off, I want to thank Kate Pavelle  for taking the time to answer these questions for me. Please feel free to leave any questions you may have in the comment section below!

 

ABOUT THE BOOKS:

What is the title of your newest or upcoming book?

Swordfall

What publisher is this book being published by?

Dreamspinner Press

What is the publication date?

1/9/2015

Purchase links:

 Amazon / Dreamspinner/ Goodreads / All Romance eBooks

 

THE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

Kate Pavelle, a simple woman born into a complicated world, draws on real-life adventures in her storytelling. Action. Adventure. Romance! Her books dig deep into real-life experiences where resilience and love are a heart-warming affirmation of a can-do spirit of regular people among us. She weaves a textured fabric of the real and the imaginary. Ominous, mysterious, sexy—nothing could prepare you for what awaits you as you turn the page! Kate enjoys the warmth of her husband and children. She loves dogs, horses, and cats, practices martial arts, and tries hard not to kill her overgrown garden. To keep in touch with her, check out her Thursday Morning Coffee Blog on www.katepavelle.wordpress.com, or follow her on Twitter at @katepavelle.

Can you give the readers a brief summary of your latest book?

Description: Sequel to Breakfall The Fall Trilogy: Book Two On Christmas break in Denmark to meet Asbjorn’s family, Sean almost dares to relax again—until the news of Frank Pettel’s sensational jailbreak hits the web. Sean played bait to put the serial sex offender behind bars, and now Sean feels the target reappear between his shoulder blades. He could keep hiding away in Europe, but college won’t wait, and Sean was never the one to take the coward’s way out. Using his military and martial arts experience, Asbjorn assesses the major failure of the justice system that led to Pettel’s escape. Yet removing one problem introduces another: Asbjorn has never dealt with his own post-traumatic stress. As he goes hunting for the man who is a direct threat to his loved one, his grasp on reality slips. Watching Asbjorn’s change, Sean’s confidence erodes. To further complicate things, Asbjorn’s deadly silence creates secrets that test the bond of trust that binds them. An older, wiser voice helps them understand that behind the bloodstained veil of secrecy, there is space enough for love. ISBN-13 978-1-63216-312-7 Pages 200 Cover Artist Maria Fanning

What genre does it fall in?

crime fiction

Will you share a few words about your latest book, other than the usual blurb?

Book 1, “Breakfall,” showed what happened as based on my personal experience. Except for the cliff-hanger part – my perp stayed in jail. Book 2, “Swordfall,” hints at what my coldest fears and darkest fantasies were back then. It’s a “what could have happened” book as seen from my perspective, and poor Asbjorn is the lucky recipient of a heavy burden indeed. But do not fear – he, too, will find his inner peace! I did…

Give us a little insight into your main characters! Who are they?

Both Sean and Asbjorn are alpha-male martial arts instructors who meet in college. Sean is sweeter and younger and more stubborn. Asbjorn is older, a navy vet, and more practical in the ways of dirty fighting. Their love could have been torn asunder by violence, but they faced the threat as a team and grew stronger as a result. The question is, how will the battling alphas find a sense of balance in book 3, once the threat to Sean is all gone?

Will we be seeing these characters again any time soon? Is this book part of a series?

Yes. The “Fall Trilogy.”

Tell us a little bit about your writing style. When and where is your favorite time/place to write?

I love writing in the morning, when I’m fresh and the house is still quiet. Aside from that, I”ll write in any silent room away from the family. Last summer I wrote on a folding table on the front porch, right by the water fountain. It was great! Coffee shops are my friend, too, but I’ve learned to disable my WiFi. (“Look! Squirrel!”)

What sort of book do you enjoy reading in your free time? What was the last book you read? Did you enjoy it?

“Everything Under the Heavens,” part of Silk and Song Trilogy, by Dana Stabenow. I loved it! Very different storytelling style – Marco Polo’s grand-daughter escapes arranged marriage in China and ventures West in search of her grandfather’s homeland. Strong characters, a fabulous sense of setting. You can smell the spices and feel the gritty sand along the Silk Road. Even better, the sequel is waiting for me upstairs!

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer? Have you held any interesting jobs while you worked on your books?

When I’d announced that I want to be a writer, I was told that I can’t. Growing up in a totalitarian country would have meant either being a tool of the state I despised, or ending up in jail as a dissident. Once we escaped, I figured I’d never write in English, because *everybody knows* you have to write in your mother tongue. I’ve been a chemist, a geologist, an inventor and and a CEO of a small company before I landed in Ireland on a business trip. My dad, who was my boss, and I had an argument about the way I was not doing thing his way. While I was simmering down, it occurred to me that I really wanted something of my very own, something that I could do my way. I opened my laptop in that dark hotel lobby, ordered tea, and started writing. I’m still working for the same family business, but I’ve never stopped writing since. To my great relief, my father is one of my biggest fans!

What does your writing process look like?

I get an idea, and I play with it until I have a character, an interesting twist, and a potential ending. At this point I’ve learned to discard the first 3 iterations as “low-hanging fruit,” because more twisted and original variations do come up with thought. (This often happens in the shower.) I resist the urge to start writing right away, usually because I have to finish another project first. If the idea is strong enough, it will stick around. Then I sit down with a pot of coffee, open a new document, and write. I don’t outline unless I need to coordinate time-lines in a book series, because outlining makes me lose interest in the story. I just write… and that’s why weird things happen to my characters!

Why did you choose to write GLBTQ romance? Why not another genre?

I started out with fan fiction, and lots of it was slash. As much as some people try to stigmatize fan fiction, it made me realize the beauty of two guys together. It also served as a positive training environment for writing cogent plot arcs. Another reason for writing “my boys” is the exploration of a mutually equal relationship. They can both open a jar of tomato sauce with equal ease. Neither can get pregnant, and the basic societal assumptions hold them to pretty much the same level of expectations. I was curious to see how those types of relationships would play out. It let me study men in depth, just so I didn’t fall into the het-trap with them. My husband, who doesn’t read my m/m books, is happy to discuss relationship dynamics and the way guys act around one another to make my characters real. As for other genres, I do write those, too. Namely, I have an adventure/memoir coming out January 31st, and a thriller series in the works, featuring a strong female lead.

One last questions…totally unrelated to books! I am a passionate foodie. Is there one thing in your pantry that you would be horrified for people to know that you eat?

I’m a foodie too, and thus I lose perspective of what would gross people out. I like raw fish and seaweed. Before the Mad Cow disease, I used to love brains scrambled with eggs on rye toast. Brains… I don’t think that’s very mainstream.

Thankyou so much for answering my questions. I think my readers will enjoy learning more about you! Good luck in your future writing!

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE AUTHOR:

Find out more about Kate by visiting the author’s website. You can also check out her profile on Goodreads or follow on Facebook or Twitter.