Monday Author Interview with Starla Kaye!

This week we have the fantastic Starla Kaye on the couch. I apologize now for not getting her here faster. Blame it on the craziness of the holidays. I would like to thank her for stopping by. But who wants to hear me chatter on? Welcome Starla!!!



How did you come up with the titles?

The title for a book is the first thing I come up with, followed by the characters. I’m just one of those authors that can’t us “WIP” as a title. My title fits everything about the story and I’m fortunate enough to publish with e-publishers that never change my titles.

Their Lady Gloriana refers to the heroine in this medieval and the two powerful knights. These men have not only been lovers prior to meeting her, but also both fall in love with her. Their situation, of course, is complicated.
Starting Over fits the two men, who are both in some way starting over in a relationship in their lives. One man has finally “come out” as a gay man and struggling to take the next step in his life. The other is a long-time gay man, who has lost the man he considered the love of his life.

Aww. Sounds heart breaking, but good! What is the hardest scene you have had to write?

I’d like to modify that a bit to make it the most interesting, surprising, and difficult for at least one of the characters scene. The scene was in Their Lady Gloriana and has come after when she has accidentally witnessed an intense love moment between her husband Thomas and his best friend Rowan. She and Thomas had had an argument and then he left to ride off by alone, frustrated and disgusted with himself. Rowan found him and the men had another intense sexual scene. When Thomas joined Gloriana in bed later, he squirmed around a little in discomfort and she was worried about him. She refused to let him get away with “it’s nothing” and eventually he grudgingly admitted that Rowan had taken him and hard. The tender-hearted side of her came out along with her stubbornness. She wanted to help him heal by applying one of her salves. He, naturally, was appalled at the idea. The scene was a complete surprise to me as I wrote it. Gloriana often surprised me throughout the story.


Don’t you love when the characters pull fast ones? What is the favorite character you have written?

I have published 19 novels and 19 novellas, so I have had a gazillion characters to deal with. I fell in love with both Thomas and Rowan in Their Lady Gloriana and will be writing Rowan’s story for Christmas this year. Yet I have to say that the character probably most near and dear to my heart was the heroine in Whiskey’s Rebellion, from Blushing Books. This was a story that I wrote a dozen years ago and never could quite get it the way I wanted it…until I had an epiphany one day. Whiskey was one of my most fun, most independent heroines. She was the daughter of an English nobleman, raised in Dodge City with two older brothers, and a twin sister (who will have her own story next year). The young deputy she thought would be the love of her life died and she went to live with an aunt for a short while. Until her oldest brother insisted she come home and marry his U.S. Marshal partner, Morgan. Morgan was every bit the gruff, stubborn, macho alpha man. She, of course, drove him crazy from the moment she flew into town in a hot air balloon. There is nothing better, in my biased opinion, than bringing a man to his knees and making him admit that he loves an impossible woman.

Hee Hee. We here at the Menagerie know NOTHING about impossible women. What are your current projects?

I have four publishers, though I write for only three at the moment: Blushing Books, Black Velvet Seductions, and Decadent Publishing. I have three projects going on at all times. Currently I’m writing a novella, So Not a Cowboy, a contemporary western romance, for Blushing Books. But I’m also writing an historical western series of novellas about five brothers for this publisher. I will be starting on the second book, Braddock Brothers: Adam, next.

I am working on the follow-up story to my medieval ménage story, Their Lady Gloriana, for Black Velvet Seductions. This novel will be For the Love of Rowan, which will continue the complicated relationship and have him find a woman who finally heals the emotional wounds he bears. I have to admit that I will hate to finish his story. He is my most beloved hero.

And I am working on Naughty, Naughty Santa for Decadent Publishing as a holiday novella. This will be a very sexy, very fun story and I don’t want to give the characters away right now. I write at least one holiday story every year, usually two.

Busy, busy, busy! How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

I have 19 published novels, 19 published novellas, and 5 published anthologies from my various publishers. Starting Over, which comes out sometime in August, will be my 10th novella. It is hard to say which one is my favorite and they are from a number of romance sub-genres: contemporary, erotic, historical western, sci-fi, futuristic, pirate, medieval, and Regency. I’d have to say the ones dearest to me are Whiskey’s Rebellion, If You Loved Me, Bah Humbug Cowboy, Maggie Mine, Hawke’s Lady, Maggie’s Secret Wish, and Their Lady Gloriana.


You’ve got a lot going on! Do you hate how you look in pictures? Why?

Pictures, like mirrors, give too accurate an image of who you are at a particular time. I think most people, me certainly, carry an image around in their head of what they looked like at a certain time…when they looked their best. It can be a grave disappointment to look at a photo or the mirror and see what you look like now.

Yes. I agree. What is your heritage?

I’m half German and half a mixed bag of nationalities. I’m the genealogist in our families, not necessarily by choice. But I like finding about my heritage and relatives I never really knew. It’s all those quirky things that I find which most interest me. Like that my great-grandmother decided one day that she didn’t like the spelling of her husband’s last name (Toliver) and he let her change it to Tolliver. Let me tell you, little things like that really screw up genealogy work. One time I found a will from the mid 1600s, where the two daughters were each left a spoon while their brothers inherited land, etc.

Well, that’s certainly fair. (said sarcastically) Have you ever cried during a movie?

All the time. I’m such a softy that I even cry at Disney movies. I like it, though. I want a movie and a book to play with all of my emotions.

Yup. Are you a morning person or a night person?

Morning definitely. I’m up with the sun (which is difficult in the winter) and ready to go. I work my best on whatever I’m doing until about 1 pm, then I drag a little. I revive and can work more for another 4-5 hours. But come 7 pm or so, I’m done for the day. I don’t write at night because generally anything I write then gets thrown out the next day.

Do you like thunderstorms?
I LOVE thunderstorms. The intensity of the moment in invigorating. The rumbling of thunder, the smell of rain, the brilliant flashes of lightning…all great stuff. And I enjoy sharing them with someone.

Want to know more about Starla Kaye? Here’s her official bio:
Starla Criser, aka Starla Kaye, wears many hats, too many at times. Having a B.S. in gerontology, she coordinates a number of projects with and for the benefit of senior adults in Wichita, Kansas. Married to an aggressive CPA with his own accounting firm, she works part-time plus as the firm’s community coordinator. In the back of her mind, though, at all times is her love for writing. She uses her skills in a variety of ways: writing and publishing a newsletter for a senior adult church group, writing articles for the writers’ group that she is editor for, and maintaining two websites with blogs.

And here’s her links:
Author Website: http://starlakaye.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarlaKayeWriter
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/starlawrites
Authors Den: http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?authorid=151725
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5494986-starla-kaye
Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjGj_cZKzXc