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I’m so happy that Nikky stopped by today to answer a few questions and share her newest book with us. Do It Yourself is getting a lot of fantastic reviews on Amazon … and I’m betting I can find a few things that need fixing around my house 🙂
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What do you like best about writing romances?
That’s a hard question to answer. I like writing about people. People are funny. People are mysterious. People are irrational, impulsive, intelligent, intuitive, and idiotic. When I think about other genres that I like to read, mostly what stands out is dialogue and characters, not the plot. I’m terrible at plotting! The only way I can plot is to figure out what the characters would do because of who they are, and even then it often doesn’t make sense.
I used to teach Film, and I have a deep love of old classical Hollywood movies, especially melodrama and screwball comedies. Under the Production Code, the industry’s self-censorship arm prohibited a lot of things, including sexuality (even how long kisses could be). I love how those old movies used language and movement, camera angles and other tricks to signal things like romance and sex. My favorite romance novels aren’t necessarily explicit, but clever in how they get the message across.
And though this may sound obsequious, my favorite thing about writing romance is that people LOVE them. The respect and passion that readers have for the genre is so infectious. There’s a wonderful sense of community between romance readers and writers—it’s inclusive and inspiring. I write romance for the same reasons I read it—for enjoyment and relaxation and to stir my imagination. There’s a lot about life that sucks, but losing yourself in a book that leaves you with a smile on your face is never a waste of time.
But ask me what I hate about writing romance, and I’ll say that it’s the assumption that I’m a freaky sex maniac. Because obviously crime writers are serial killers in their spare time, right? (rolling eyes)
What is your favorite romantic story (movie/book, fact/fiction, whatever you love most)?
Oh dear god. Didn’t I just say that I used to teach Film? So many possibilities… I’ve always been a “shipper” of different fictional couples. As a kid I would act out Gone With the Wind with my Barbie dolls. In high school I ripped out pictures fromSoap Opera Digest about daytime couples I loved. I wrote X-Files fan fiction in the mid-1990s, then eventually moved on to years of reading lots of Buffy fanfic, then Twilight fanfic. And now I’m dating myself (but it’s not like anybody else would!)…
The two romantic stories that have probably changed or shaped my life most, though, are Pride and Prejudice andOutlander. I think it’s wonderful that the story of Elizabeth and Darcy can be told in so many different iterations. And I first visited Gabaldonia in 1994, so I’ve already spent 22 years with those characters.
If you could be any romantic character, who would it be and why?
Elizabeth Darcy. I’d say Claire Fraser, but she dealt with more crap than I’d really want to (in a perfect world). Elizabeth Bonner? Meg March? Lucy Honeychurch?
But every character is imperfect, and most of us wouldn’t aspire to be imperfect. In romance, I don’t want to laugh at characters because they’re jumping into bed with each other an hour after meeting. Instead I want to laugh with characters because they think about jumping into bed with each other an hour after meeting and are embarrassed about having that fantasy.
Which of your characters/books was the most fun to write?
I have a soft spot for Will from Once Should Be Enough. The story was really supposed to be primarily from the heroine’s POV, but he just attacked me in the quad and left me breathless (much like he did to Cassie). I try to have fun with most of my stories, because if it’s not fun to write, it probably won’t be fun to read. I have some books in my head that are not “fun” books, but I may never write them because I’m not sure I want to spend a couple of months immersed in a dark place.
If you weren’t a writer and could be anything you want, what would it be?
A few years ago I had to pass up my dream job in film classification because I wasn’t ready to return to full-time work when my twins were still so young. So I’d probably like to try that. Otherwise, I would be working for a museum in fine or decorative arts. Or I’d be back at UNESCO in Paris, working in Cultural Heritage policy.
*****
Do It Yourself
by Nikky Kaye
LENGTH: 25,000 words
PUB DATE: 27 September 2016
GENRE: Romance, erotic romance, contemporary romance, romantic erotica
ASIN: B01HXEOI8A
ISBN: 978-0-9951666-6-0
RATING: 18+ for adult language and situations
SERIES: No, standalone
Blurb:
Sometimes a woman has to learn how to drill herself.
Sarah began her DIY education by ditching the biggest tool in her garage—her husband. Now after her divorce, she’s realizing that not just her marriage was boring, beige and transitional. She wants to renovate herself, but she’s in over her head.
Luckily, Chris the hot young handyman is teaching her how to screw, drill, and hammer—and also how to use her power tools.
Together they’re updating her wiring and unclogging her pipes. But when Sarah worries that she’s treating Chris like her own personal power tool, what will she do? Will she pull the plug?
DO IT YOURSELF is a funny, sexy 25,000-word novella about assertiveness, assumptions, and assitude. It’s rated M for Metaphor-heavy!
http://www.amazon.com/Do-Yourself-Quickie-Nikky-Kaye-ebook/dp/B01HXEOI8A/
http://www.amazon.com/Once-Should-Be-Enough-Yourself/dp/0995166684/
https://www.createspace.com/6556034
*****
Author Info:
Nikky Kaye is a former Communications professor who has worked with movie stars and the United Nations, so she is familiar with interesting characters. She likes to read and write sassy, sexy, smart stories, and has been known to do devious things for M&Ms. Her young twin boys are delighted to get more iPad time due to their mother’s distraction.
EMAIL: readnikkykaye@gmail.com
TWITTER: @readnikkykaye
LAST SIMILAR PUB: Once Should Be Enough
NEXT UP: No Excuses (full-length hot contemporary romance, November 2016)
Romantic Reads and Such 