Interview with Author KT Grant

KT Grant is an experienced indie author, having published over a dozen books and short stories. Her romances range from paranormal to historical, but they're all sexy as hell. Her newest sizzling novel The Lady and the Vixen was released in May. KT's also a popular blogger who showcases romance authors and industry trends. Let's learn more about KT and her writing...

Q: How long have you been writing and when did you decide to indie publish? What was the biggest hurdle in going it alone?

A: I’ve been writing since I was in high school. I started writing poetry, short stories and then moved on to writing much longer stories. Around four years ago I decided to write with the purpose to get published, and in June 2010 I published my first book, a lesbian contemporary romance called Lovestruck. The biggest hurdle is handling rejection and continuing to stay positive and push aside those doubts you may have.

Q: You’ve published over a dozen novels and short stories. Can you explain the idea behind your most recent romance The Lady and the Vixen? Where did the inspiration come from?

A: The Lady and the Vixen is loosely based on The Lady and the Tramp. I wanted to write a Victorian historical romance since most historical romances currently published are regencies. My ideas always start with a character and I build the world around them, otherwise known as the plot, and from that I introduce other characters my main character will interact with. My initial idea was about a widow who returns home to visit a dying parent. That character became Lucy Endcott, the heroine of The Lady and the Vixen.

Q: Can you tell us about the lady Lucy Endcott?

A: Lucy is an unassuming and quiet widow who has incredible guilt over her husband’s death after a year because she feels she was the cause of his demise. When she finds out her cold and emotionally distant father has a stroke, she returns home to London and is welcome back by her siblings- a younger sister and two younger brothers, both twins. Her youngest brother is in deep debt. Lucy feels she has to rescue him. She also comes face to face with her ex-lover, a rich widow, who wants to reclaim Lucy and will do whatever she can to make Lucy love her again.

Q: How about the vixen Tisha McGrath?

A: Tisha is the daughter of the owner of a popular gaming club called the Pythos Club. She loves working for her father and enjoys the independence she has even though she’s never been married. Tisha worries about her older step-brother, Aidan who wants revenge against his biological father, who turned his back on his mother and Aidan. Aidan’s father happens to be Lucy’s father, and because of that Lucy and Tisha meet under interesting circumstances. Sparks fly between the two and they begin a sexual relationship that could end disastrously because of the secrets and lies involved between their two families.

Q: What drew you to romance as a genre? After writing so many romantic stories, how do you continue to push yourself?

A: I’m a romance novel reading addict. I’ve been reading romance since I’ve been thirteen. I love the idea of a happily ever after and about love healing all wounds, much like fairy tales. I have so many ideas rolling around in my head, most of which end up as romance. I want to get them all down on paper and hopefully have the ability to publish what I write so people can read my stories and characters I’ve created.

Q: Do you use anything to inspire you while you’re writing? Music, visual aids, etc? Also have you found ideas come to you more freely in particular places or at certain times of the day?

A: I usually write in silence when I’m writing my first draft. I feel I can concentrate better this way. When I started revising and editing then I’ll listen to music to help move along the process. I also find my best inspiration comes is very early morning during the week.  I write as much as I can on Saturday and Sundays and try to reach a certain word count for the week.

Q: When an idea hits you, do you start writing immediately or plot it out first?

A: I’m very much a plotter. I used to be on the seat of my pants writer but after I had to submit a synopsis and first chapter to one of my publishers, I now must write an outline/synopsis before I start writing my first draft. This outline becomes a great guide for me and helps me plan the direction of the plot and the actions of the characters.

Q: I’ve read criticism from particular bloggers (Fangs for the Fantasy being one) about the lack of people of color and different sexual orientations in fiction. We know your romances feature gay, lesbian, and straight characters. Do you take the lack of racial diversity into consideration when creating plots and characters?

A: I’m a big fan of diversity in the books I read. For me it comes down to what type of setting I’m planning and if a certain type of character will fit in that world. I would love to write more diverse characters in my books, which I try to do if I can. I have a few books published with racially diverse characters. Xavier was first introduced as a minority character in The Claiming of Suzy. He ended up as the hero in Xavier’s Loving Arms. Also Rebecca, the heroine from Xavier’s Loving Arms has an ex-boyfriend Devdan, who is the villain of the story. He’s half Indian. Also, Quinn, the love interest of Carly, the heroine in Island Pleasures is half Moroccan. Lack of diversity in fiction is a big concern, and it should be. I feel fiction should show as much diversity as possible. Writers would be open in creating and adding more diversity in their books and with their characters they create.

Q: Do word counts mean anything to you? Do you find your books top out at around the same lengths?

 

A: When I’m involved in writing my first draft, I push myself to reach a weekly word count. The more words I write, the quicker I can finish the first draft. I have a love/hate relationship while writing a first draft and my goal is to be as productive as I can be, which means writing as many words as I can in a day. While writing my first draft, I try my best to write everyday and more so on the weekends because I have more free time then. When I first started writing, I produced shorter stories, and as I continued writing and producing more work, I found myself writing longer stories. It’s harder for me now to write short stories under 10,000 words. Most of my work ends up being over 50,000 words minimum.

Q: What trends do you hope die in 2013? Are there any you hope take off?

A: I’m not a big fan of what I call the “walking STD” hero. I don’t find a hero who’s proud to have slept with hundreds or thousands of women and feels he’s god’s gift to women. I really have to suspend my disbelief then if the hero ends up with the heroine and promises to be faithful to her even though he hasn’t been faithful to any other women he’s been with in the past. If I can’t believe in the main couple’s HEA, then the story won’t work for me. I’m also not thrilled with the hero or the love interest being too possessive or having every single emotional problem possible because of some trauma in his past. I wish there were more beta heroes written. I love a sexually inexperienced or virgin hero. It would be nice to have a nice guy hero and for once show a heroine who wants to takes charge in the relationship and take over the hero.

Q: What are you plans for 2013 as an indie writer?

A: I want to continue to grow as a writer and improve my craft. I also plan on self publishing more and research other avenues to promote myself as an author and my work.

Find KT's books at Amazon.
Follow her at her two blogs KT Grant and Babbling about Books, Goodreads, and Twitter.