MCRW Spotlight: Author Kate Lyon (Kathy Richards)
Author: Mary Varble
Original Publication Date in Love Notes: June 2005

MV: Kate, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule for this interview. I know you're either on deadline or have just met one. What are you working on now?

KL: I’m working on my second novel for Dorchester, HOPE'S CAPTIVE, which is due June 1st. I’ve also begun research on my third novel.

MV: What is your plotting style? Do you fly off into the mist or are you very organized with everything outlined before your start?

KL: I work from a detailed synopsis that I refine as I go. Before I ever get to the synopsis, though, I do a lot of research. The research alone for my first book took 2-1/2 years. Of course, I was working a very demanding, full-time+ job at the time, had five teen-aged children at home, held a demanding church position, and was active in my RWA chapter.

MV: From your website, I see that you must have spent some time in Texas. What kind of influence has that had on your writing?

KL: Texas is just one of many places I’ve lived over the years, but Texas has influenced my writing tremendously. For some reason, when I’m in Texas, esp. at historical sites like the Alamo, Barton Springs or even standing on the Staked Plain, I’m bombarded by the energy and emotion in the place. My husband gets pretty annoyed with me on road trips; I’m constantly wanting to stop and just absorb a place.

MV: What authors have influenced your writing and how?

KL: When I was younger, I loved Irving Stone novels, esp. The Agony And The Ecstasy. I loved the classics, The Iliad, The Odyssey, Jason and The Argonauts, even the Bible. I’ve read everything Jane Austen, as well as the Bronte sisters, Daphne du Maurier, and Louisa May Alcott. The first romance I ever read was Kathleen Woodiwiss’ The Flame And The Flower, and from there I fell in love with Shirlee Busbee, Rebecca Brandewyne, Lavyrle Spencer and Judith McNaught.

MV: You were the 2003 winner of Dorchester's New Voice in Romance and won a contract for your first book, Time's Captive. How has your life changed since then?

KL: In April that year, I gave up working full-time because my migraines had escalated and were causing too many absences. Suddenly, events began falling into place, like dominoes. I learned about the New Voice In Romance contest in May; polished the manuscript and entered the contest in June; they requested the full mss in July; I became a finalist in Aug, and in Oct. I was in Kansas City, where I learned I’d tied with Norah Wilson for first place. In a period of six months, my life metamorphosed from a sad ending to wonderful new beginnings. Since then I’ve been on a steep learning curve, with very slow periods offset by bouts of frenzied activity.

MV: Many writers are true to the stereotype, they'd rather sit alone with a computer and their characters for company. Are you the exception, and if you are, how easy is it to get out there and promote your books and yourself?

KL: After working as an Executive Assistant for 20 years, it’s been hard for me to adjust to the quiet and isolation of a writer’s life. But I keep in touch with friends, and marketing and promotion satisfy my need to mix and mingle and get out of the house. I love book signings! It’s a huge kick to meet people who love my characters, as well as those who have been to the places I write about and had similar experiences there.

MV: How do you organize your writing day? And does your family support and respect your career?

KL: Professionally, I’ve always been insanely organized. For years I used Covey’s “First Things First” system of role identification and task prioritization. I’ve even taught seminars on how to prioritize and organize, with the goal of creating balance across all aspects of a person’s life. But I haven’t found those methods effective in my new career. I’ve discovered I can’t force my muse and have to write when everything comes together in my head. I generally write in the afternoon and late into the night if a particular segment is flowing well. As you can imagine, this approach has made writing to deadline a real challenge!

I have five grown children and six grandchildren, who live in Detroit, Dallas, Louisiana and South Carolina. Knowing I’m now home most of the time, they assume that I’m always available. If I tell them I’m writing when they call, they’re great about calling back, or keeping the conversation short. If I’m very involved in a segment, I turn off the phone in my office, but keep my cell phone handy for emergencies; however, their definition of “emergency” is very creative. My husband is a restaurant manager and has an erratic work schedule. He’d love for me to work parallel hours so that I’m ‘off’ when he is, but my muse doesn’t wake up at 5:00 a.m.!

MV: What's next from Kate Lyon?

KL: My first book, Time’s Captive, the co-winner of the New Voice Contest, is the first of four novels in my Captive Series. Time’s Captive dealt with events surrounding the Comanche surrender in 1875. The book I’m finishing up right now, Hope’s Captive, is a spin-off of Time’s Captive and relates the epic journey of the Northern Cheyenne in 1878. My third book, tentatively titled Destiny’s Captive and also a spin-off of Time’s Captive, will be set against the backdrop of the Nez Perce wars. The fourth book in the series, Forever Your Captive, will be a sequel to Time’s Captive. I hope to complete the series in six-month increments, subsequent to the release of Hope’s Captive in January 2006. I’m also contemplating books involving the Modoc Wars and Walker’s War. I’m fascinated by the events of the 19th century that forced each Indian nation to choose either to fight and die, or surrender and live.

In addition, I plan a Civil War time-travel, a contemporary ghost novel (based on my personal experience as the owner/operator of a haunted restaurant in southern Alabama), and a paranormal comedy series.

TIDBITS:

Favorite movie: Somewhere In Time

Favorite music: Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Paganini Rhapsody

Favorite books: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, Jane Austen; REBECCA, Daphne du Maurier; THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY, Irving Stone; WHITNEY MY LOVE, Judith McNaught; ASHES IN THE WIND, and THE FLAME AND THE FLOWER, Kathleen Woodiwiss; LOVE, CHERISH ME, Rebecca Brandewyne; HUMMINGBIRD, Lavyrle Spencer; DECEIVE NOT MY HEART, Shirlee Busbee

Favorite activities: time spent with grandchildren; exploring new history (a site, a book or event, a person); family reunions; cooking for friends and family

Hobbies: cooking (experimenting with new recipes and sharing old favorites); gardening (though you wouldn’t know it to look at my yard today!); reading (discovering new voices); traveling (preferably by car to visit historical sites!); genealogy

Things I’d like to learn/do: motorcycling (I’m hoping there’s a new motorcycle in my near future to complement all the country roads nearby!); play a guitar (I play piano, but have always wanted to learn classical guitar); take up photography; hit the NYT (should have listed that first)!

For more information on Kate and her works in progress, check out Kate's web site: www.katelyon.net

Love Notes, the official monthly newsletter of Music City Romance Writers, is provided to paying members free of charge. If you are an MCRW member and would like to submit an article to Love Notes, visit the main newsletter page for more information. If you would like to reprint one of these articles in your RWA chapter newsletter, please give proper credit to both the author and the original source. For any other uses, please contact the president.