Kristen Ashley's Blog - Posts Tagged "tack"

For those of you who have not read Motorcycle Man, don’t read on…

But.

I miss Tack.

I love my books, as I would. But this one gets to me and the reason it does is that I adore the transformation of the hero.

See, I went into this book thinking that it would be Tyra who would be conforming to the Motorcycle Club world. And she does. Kind of.

Beginning the book by slinking out of Tack’s bed when ordered to do so, not long after she holds her ground and then goes truly badass when she puts her foot down about what she finds unacceptable in Tack’s rough, gruff behavior. Enough to draw the line and walk out on him. Which she does. She also absorbs very quickly that she’s safe, not only with Tack at her back, but all of Chaos, to be herself. Be wild. Let loose on some jerk who hurt her girl. Make her point when some bee-yatch invades her space and hurls unacceptable insults. Get drunk and smile when the Cool Whip comes out. She finds her place and genuinely earns the respect of those who inhabit her new world.

But it’s Tack who I find extraordinary. Older, he’s lived in the MC world since birth. It’s all he knows. He’s seen a lot. He’s done a lot. And not all of it is good. He understands the concept that his world is not like “the real world”. But in the beginning of the book, it’s all or nothing with him. Either Tyra accepts him and his world as it comes or he’ll cut her loose.

Then his dream woman walks out on him because she finds that ultimatum, but mostly how he voices it, unacceptable. And he not only accepts that he screwed up, he admits it and, in his (lush) way, he apologizes for it. He loses sleep at the thought that he might have lost her. And then he sets about handling her with care like she deserves. I have to say, I totally dig Chapter Seventeen “Foregone Conclusion” and not just because Elvira cracks me right the heck up. But because Tack does not delay in admitting he was wrong and setting about making things right.

A man like that? It says it all.

This does not mean he loses the man he is. He loses his temper. He says the wrong thing when he’s angry. And in these times he lets it all hang out. But it’s quick to flame out, it’s driven by the depth of emotion he feels for her, he explains and he never dishes out more than she can take.

But it’s the penultimate chapter, “Rivers of Blood” that kills me. Throughout writing that chapter, I was barely breathing. When he finds her, the run into the emergency room, the wait, I couldn’t type fast enough. I wouldn’t even allow myself to cry for that would delay my writing. I had to get her pulse back. For Tack.

And the Epilogue, mostly in Tyra’s voice, is all about Tack. He erases her scars even though their memory is burned in his brain. He puts his ring on her finger while she’s in a hospital bed. He makes an all out effort to win her father’s trust and respect. He takes her for the long ride she wants, marrying her along the way. He inks his woman into his skin, twice. He bonds with Hawk, Brock and Mitch not because they took his back but because they took that house with him at his side, putting their lives and the future happiness of their families in jeopardy to do it.

My books are often about the hero and heroine accepting each other exactly as they are. Finding The One who is already The One and settling into a beautiful life together. But more, my heroes are alphas who are who they are and mostly, that’s just it.

Somehow, the ones where the hero and heroine find middle ground strike me deeper. The Golden Dynasty is one.

Motorcycle Man is now another one.

It’s funny how the two men who you would think would be most unlikely to learn how to compromise, Dax Lahn of The Golden Dynasty and Kane Allen of Motorcycle Man, learn. And learn well.

I love my Tyra. I think she kicks ass. Her awakening is a beautiful thing to see. Thinking about it, Tyra simply woke up and embraced who she really was. She didn’t exactly transform at all. Tack just made it safe for her to take that step from existing to being alive.

But to me, it’s all about Tack. On the steps to the office of the garage at Ride that Monday morning, it started to come clear to Tack that he might have just found his dream woman. With Kane “Tack” Allen, you expect the unexpected so it would stand to reason the woman of his dreams would be anything but predictable. And every second he spent with her after, as her layers peeled away, that discovery became clearer and clearer. She was feisty and vulnerable, funny and loyal, she stood up for herself and those she loved and her depths were so deep he’d never hit the heart of her. And he knew he’d do anything to win her and keep her. Even meet her and live blissfully happily in middle ground.

So he did.

And that, somehow, makes him more badass than he already was.

“You don’t know this, baby, but some men have dream women too.”

God, I miss Tack.

Right sistahs! Onward. Earlier this week, I gave you Part 1 of my interview with Goodreads's Searock. Below you'll see my answers to Part 2. This'll take us halfway through. SHOO!

FYI: Searock's questions are bulleted and mine are italicized. And remember, there may be some spoilers to several of my books in my answers so be cautious while reading.

Right away we go...

• There were so many themes and metaphors showing up in Motorcycle Man. I’m wondering what that writing experience was like. Did it feel especially creative? For example, “letting go” was a pervasive theme and was woven richly through the book, but it is just one of many and of course I have to mention a few like “colors” and the rollercoaster, and the pulse thing (oh my).

Actually, mostly I was anxious about giving Tack a happy ending. I adore him and I really wanted his story, and the love he found, to be a good one. I also very much wanted my readers to have a knock you back awesome end to a series that I’m very proud of. The rest just came to me and fit very well with Tack and Tyra’s story. There is not a lot of back story to Tyra’s life mainly because, before Tack, she was drifting… as I said in the book, she was essentially asleep until she met Tack. He woke her up. He taught her life was about living. But, considering she had to move into and accept a whole different world and way of life, just as Tack needed, Tyra needed to know he had her back. He wouldn’t let her go. He would always be there, no matter what. So he showed her a life in color then invited (or pulled her onto) the ride of life. It all just fit.

As for the pulse thing, I don’t think anyone would argue with me about Tack’s intensity. This is a man who devours life. He has an awesome amount of energy and strength. He can be extremely patient in getting what he wants. He is highly intelligent. He has a keen sense of loyalty, a deep protective instinct and a definite way he views life. It would stand to reason a man like that feels things incredibly deeply. And, for Tack, that goes beyond his unique ability to express those feelings in his Macho Tack Way. He had a shit life then, practically from the moment he left home as a young man, he patiently, methodically went about making it better. But in doing that, he hit obstacle after obstacle. I could not imagine waking up and finding my sister dead, she was messed up on drugs or not. That didn’t mark him. It scored through him, a wound that would never heal. And beyond the tough, gruff Macho Tack Way of explaining his feelings verbally, because of what happened with his sister, he does it physically. Going straight for the pulse and permanently inking his body. Pure Tack.

But again, this all fell into place. It was simply their story as it played out in my head. So it really all came naturally.

• I suppose this question only applies if you don’t always have the whole story before you write it: Are you going through the same emotional process as the reader will when you are writing a book? Do ever wonder along with us, “how the blazes are they gonna come back from that”?! For example, when did you know about the word, “filler” in the writing of Mystery Man? I don’t want to create spoilers so maybe you can’t answer that, but that word still gives me a case of the freakin’ shakes and I am super-curious about moments like those. Do you know with malice aforethought (lol) that you are going to traumatize us or are you just as shocked as we are?

Yes, I go through the same emotional process. Absolutely. As I’m typing, I’ll be breathing heavily, tears will sting my eyes, my blood pressure will skyrocket. And as these books I write play out like movies in my head and I just record them on the computer, these moments hit me with a zing too. I have no freaking clue where “filler” came from and when Gwen heard that in Mystery Man, I felt her pain, her humiliation and it was extreme. Though, I will note, Hawk never, never called her that nor did he think of her like that. And he was enraged and did something about it when he heard someone else did.

I think many people get so caught up in “filler” they miss Hawk’s response to it. It is very telling that, although he is removed from Gwen (in the beginning) for self-preservation purposes and he does, indeed, have other women in his life before things fire up with Gwen, he does not have the emotional connection with or protective instinct about the other women in his life. He’s kidding himself that Gwen doesn’t mean more to him for reasons he’s clinging to after experiencing a grave loss. But his actions state precisely how he feels about her. Even before things fire up, he watches over her and the instant she lands in trouble, he’s in her face and at her back.

• Another example would be the incidences of violence in “Golden Dynasty” that were so heart-rending. Were you as traumatized as the reader when certain “culturally acceptable abuses” occurred? Was it beyond your vision at any point that the love between could be rescued? Are you always confident things will work out when disastrous events occur in your stories?

Again, this stuff plays out in my head and I have no idea what will come next. But I’m glad you mentioned The Golden Dynasty because it was definitely one of the most difficult books I’ve written. I promised myself I would never, ever write a rape scene. Ever. Have a character who was raped, yes. Write a rape scene. No. Absolutely not. So having the hero rape the heroine was totally beyond my comprehension. Though, I didn’t describe the rape scene in detail, still. It happened and the reader knows it.

The same with a hero striking a heroine. No effing way. And Lahn did that too! And man, oh man, when that happened, it was almost worse than the rape as the rape was part of the Korwahk culture and they don’t even consider it rape. But Lahn hitting Circe was a break in trust that was unforgiveable. My hands were shaking as I typed that scene. I felt her sense of betrayal but worse. I felt Lahn’s reaction as he was comprehending what he did. Her speech afterward tore him up. Shredded. He had no freaking clue. But when she was done talking, he knew, boy did he know. And he already knows he loves her beyond anything. And he has no clue whatsoever how to heal what he’s done. He is not a man who doesn’t know what to do. His action undid him more than her. And feeling both the characters emotions in that intense scene, crap! I’m actually trembling right now just recalling how it felt!

And I’ll tell you, Searock, I debated with myself leaving BOTH of those in. I really, really wanted to make Lahn the type of person who knew what he had during The Hunt and decided against taking her then. But that made no sense whatsoever to the story. That story is about compromise. He had many lessons to learn about love and caring for his woman. The same with striking her. If I had taken those scenes out, it would not have been true to the story but more, Lahn and his journey. The story and the love that grew between those two would have been far less rich and, in the end for them (and the reader), rewarding.

So yes, I was traumatized and I worried Lahn couldn’t pull it off. Thankfully, he did. Then again, he fell in love with Circe the moment he looked into her eyes and when he did, he fell hard. So he’d do anything for her.

But with that book, Dortak was worse. I hated, hated, HATED having him in my head. And, again, I wasn’t keen on writing a scene/chapter that described a great deal of gory violence. If I see a movie or TV show with blood and violence, I look away and even chant “la la la” to myself if you can hear unpleasant things so writing one was something I didn’t think I could even do. But Dortak’s death, for the story, had to be described. It further defined Lahn, his relationship with Circe and the Korwahk people so it was necessary.

• I notice that you don’t defend or reject your hero’s bad behavior and you don’t have them reject their own bad behavior in your stories. They are unapologetic bad-asses for sure. For Tack, he was imperfect, but perfect for Tyra. Do you ever find yourself writing something that begins to feel too imperfect or too scary or unacceptable in your hero and therefore adjust it or do you just let it fly?

Hmm, I’m not sure I agree with this. Tack messed up with Tyra and he knew it. He didn’t apologize straight out, but he lost sleep over it and admitted that. He also talked through the incident with her. And last, he changed how he communicated with her.

I’m rereading Sweet Dreams and Tate straight out apologizes for being a jerk to Lauren and he does it more than once. He does explain to her that he’s always had a bad temper and he’ll do his best not to say mean stuff but he can’t promise he won’t. Then, not long after, he’s angry about something happening with Jonas and Laurie see’s he’s about to blow and instead he takes a breath and a drink of beer and doesn’t do it. It’s subtle but Lauren has pointed out how his flares of temper can be wounding and he makes every effort to stop doing it.

Hawk is a total jerk to Gwen in Mystery Man when he becomes terrified of the depth of feeling he has for her and breaks it off but he also explains why he breaks it off. He later seeks her out (in his Hawk way, HA!) and explains what was going in his head when he did it. Of course, he did it in a macho alpha way that, to my recollection, didn’t include the words “I’m sorry,” but he shared his thoughts and emotions with her in an effort to explain his behavior. Hawk’s a commando, for goodness sake. Him sharing his feelings at all is telling.

I’ve also just reread The Gamble, and Max goes caveman on Nina a couple of times but he then admits straight up he was wrong.

Yes, my boys do find it difficult to admit they’re wrong or apologize straight out. But my men are action men and actions speak louder than words. It may SEEM they get away with a lot. But they really don’t. If you pay attention to what they do rather than what they say, you’ll see it.

And to answer your last question, I just let it fly, always. I may have mentioned this before in a blog or something but when writing Sweet Dreams, Tate and Lauren are having a very intense fight and he loses it, picks her up to carry her to the bathroom and he smacks her ass when she’s protesting. I had severe problems with this because I do not find it acceptable in any way for a man to hit a woman, especially if he’s angry. Tate was not working out anger, his intention was not to hurt her and he didn’t. That said, I believe that Tate spanking her ass was wrong and I still do. I walked away while writing that scene and struggled mightily with taking that out. Then, like with Lahn in The Golden Dynasty, I found I had to do what you said… just let it fly. It was Tate. It was what Tate would do. It’s what he DID do when it played in my head. I had to stay true to Tate. So I had to let it happen and hope.

• In the same vein, you don’t seem to shy away from hot potato issues in your writing. Illegal behavior, infidelity, etc. is notably present in Motorcycle Man (not shocking as it is set amidst a notorious MC). You don’t glorify the behavior either and seem to write them with a light hand. Are you purposely delving into these gritty issues? Does striking the balance that keeps them from overshadowing a story come easily to you?

The thing is, my stories are fantasies. The purpose of reading fiction and, for me, especially romantic fiction, is to come out of my life, enter another world and enjoy the ride. That said, I, personally, prefer it when the hero, heroine, etc. is not absolutely perfect in every way. Says the right thing, does the right thing, every time. I like a little reality injected because it seems less of a fantasy and I can slip into those worlds easier. People make mistakes. People say the wrong thing. Crime happens. People sleep around. People have different philosophies about right and wrong. And I like these faults and foibles, complex worlds, situations and people because I can identify with them seeing as I’m not perfect nor is anyone around me and life is complex. It isn’t your best attributes that make the person you are. Everything you are makes you the person you are. So how we deal with our mistakes or the shortcomings in others (acceptance, forgiveness) makes us the person we are. So yes, I purposefully delve into these issues, or, more to the point, as these stories play out in my head, I tell them like they are and don’t pussyfoot around. I do not shy away from much. And I think it makes the experience richer.

As for the infidelity in Motorcycle Man, Tyra had a lot of learning to do about how she was going to be expected to negotiate in her new world. And Tack had a lot of learning to do about how to guide her through it. These men are MEN and they’re going to do stuff like that (Hopper having sex with BeeBee). Tyra was going to know it, see it or hear about it. And she needed to learn what to do or in his case what NOT to do in order not to put Tack at odds with his brothers.

That said, it isn’t only Shy and Tabby who got me thinking about the spin-off Chaos series. Hop intrigues me. His behavior with BeeBee, his infidelity to Mitzi and his conversation with Tyra… he’s a good but complicated man who’s going through some stuff. Although Mitzi does not play a major role in this book, she’s fully formed in my head. It may be, in future, we’ll see more Hop. But, I’ll warn you, it is unlikely he’ll find his way with Mitzi. There’s a reason he did what he did. And there may be a lesson he learns from it.

• Similarly, you mentioned in a previous interview that you are quite fearless in your writing. Are you deliberate about being fearless or adventurous in your craft?

Yep. As above, sistah!

That's it for Part 2. Stay tuned... in a couple of days I'll give you Part 3!

Here we go again. This is part three of four of my interview with my darling Searock of Goodreads. Now remember, read at your own risk considering we're discussing my books so there may be spoilers contained. And Searock's questions are bulleted, my answers italicized.

Away we go...

• How do you decide on your next book or series? For example, how did you decide on an upcoming series about the Chaos MC?

I couldn’t say good-bye. I struggled with finishing Motorcycle Man because I didn’t want to say good-bye. And I love Tabby. Then I introduced Shy and thought, “Hmm…” The stuff went down with Hop and I thought, “Hmm, hmm…” There is a rich tapestry here I haven’t even begun to sew. So I decided, SPIN-OFF!

As for other series, they just come to me. Rock Chick I knew would be just as it was, a sequence of stories interlacing this crew of friends. The goal was not to lose the heroes and heroines of the previous books. As a romance reader, if I liked a book and especially the characters, I was forlorn when the story ended. I missed them. I wanted to know more. I wanted to see their lives play out. With Rock Chick I wanted to give my readers the future of previous relationships in ongoing books. Weddings, babies, etc. It didn’t end. It would keep going. Not forever but you wouldn’t have to say good-bye after one book.

• Do you already know who will have books in that series? Will it be about other biker bad-asses coming up in the ranks of Chaos or will it be dudes that we already met like maybe Roscoe? I think you said Dog may be a future hero.

I have no idea. I knew with the Dream Man Series that the men in Gwen’s book would all have their own books so I knew it would be a four book series. With Chaos, I have no clue. I know Shy and Tabby will be first. Hop will likely have his story told. After that, no idea. Though, I’ll likely know more once I dig into Shy and Tabby. I will say, with Hop having his story told, it will probably be a back and forth… men we know, men who have been recruited into the Club since. Though, I can’t even say that for certain!

• Do you have to chart connections and timelines for your books?

Um… prior? No. Not prior? No. HA! Actually, right now I’m rereading a number of my books and doing some organization, character mapping, etc. They’re just notes on pieces of paper and in notebooks. But I normally just write and don’t spend a lot of time fiddling with stuff. I’ll take notes while I write so I close loops, finalize storylines, get the timeline right, but nothing terribly organized. It jacks with my obsessive writing to have to stop and write notes… so most of the time, I don’t.

• Do you have to plot out your books or series?

Nope. They just come to me and I go with the flow.

• Your writing gift seems nearly effortless. Is it possible that you simply sit down and write your story in full and then merely edit for grammar and clarity? That would be astounding! Do you edit much of the content while you are writing or when you are done? Do you ever second guess yourself or re-write scenes?

What I do is, I write down the action/dialogue as it happens in my head. This usually is rather manic because I don’t want to forget anything. You’d probably be surprised at how incredibly rough this first go is. Then, once I get the action/dialogue down, I’ll go back and add/delete things. Like I’ll type in a “she whispered” or edit a run-on sentence or take out an “he told her” or add more description. I’ll read it, reread it, reread it again and I won’t leave a scene/chapter until I’m completely happy with the flow. Then I’ll move on. The next day, I go back at least one but sometimes two to four chapters and read all the way through before I start again. This could also incur some minor editing.

I don’t tend to second guess myself and I very rarely rewrite a scene. The only time I gave up on something was Tack’s first book.

• You may have noticed a lot of us in the addict group on GR have our own playlists for your books. Do you have specific music that you listen to before, during or after you write?

If a song is in a scene, I will listen to it while I’m writing the scene and I’ll do it repeatedly as I’m writing the scene then going over it to tweak as it takes some time. For instance, in Fantastical, the song “Crash Into You” is pivotal in a scene and I must have listened to that song a dozen times while writing that scene. I’ll also stop, close my eyes and listen to a song over and over again before starting a scene or going back to it. This same thing happened with K’s Choice, “I’m Not An Addict” as used in Games of the Heart.

Other than that, I don’t listen to music before, during or after I write in order to write. I have no distractions at all when I write. However, when I’m not working, I listen to music all the time. THEN I’ll often get inspired to write.

• I know you have listed songs and playlists previously, but do you normally have a playlist that goes with different scenes in your stories?

Songs in my scenes come naturally to the scene. For instance, in For You, Feb put on Fleetwood Mac after Amy’s funeral and I just happened to be listening to Fleetwood Mac later because of that scene and the words to “Landslide” washed over me. I’d heard that song time and time again and never really listened to the words so it was like, divine intervention or something that I chose Fleetwood Mac for Feb and then “Landslide” hit me as perfect for her and Colt. Therefore, it came naturally into a later scene.

Or I’ll be listening to my iPod and a song will hit me and it’ll fit a story I’m writing.

The only time I researched music and carefully selected it was for Stella in Rock Chick Reckoning.

• My GR friend, Rain, wants to know if you could pick a song for the moment when Tack can't feel Tyra's pulse, what song would it be?
(she says she has a reason for asking).

God, I have no idea. But the very first thing that came to mind is Kate Bush’s song “This Woman’s Work”. An unbelievably gutting song. Pure beauty. Pure pain. I’ve just snatched up my iPod and am listening to it right now. My take on that song is that the woman in the song is dying during childbirth and these are the thoughts of her man or the words her man is saying to her. I know, Kate Bush doesn’t seem like something Kane Allen would slip in the CD player. But I can see the lyrics turning around to be from Tack to Tyra in their situation.

This Woman’s Work:
Pray God you can cope…
I stand outside this woman’s work, this woman’s world.
Oo, it’s hard on the man. Now his part is over.
Now starts the craft of the father.
I know you have a little life in you yet. I know you have a lot of strength left.
I know you have a little life in you yet. I know you have a lot of strength left.
I should be crying but I just can’t let it show. I should be hoping but I can’t stop thinking.
Of all the things we should’ve said that we never said. Of all the things we should’ve done but we never did.
All the things I should’ve given but I didn’t.
Oh darling, make it go.
Make it go away.
Give me these moments back.
Give them back to me.
Give me that little kiss.
Give me your hand (effing hell, so Tack)
I know you have a little life in you yet. I know you have a lot of strength left.
I know you have a little life in you yet. I know you have a lot of strength left.
I should be crying but I just can’t let it show. I should be hoping but I can’t stop thinking.
Of all the things we should’ve said that we never said. Of all the things we should’ve done but we never did.
All the things that you needed from me.
All those things that you wanted for me.
All the things I should’ve given but I didn’t.
Oh darling, make it go away.
Just make it go away now.

Uh, yeah. I think that works.

• Speaking of music, that is your favorite Carpenters song? I heard you are a fan. Mine happens to be “I Won’t Last a Day Without You” because it was the first “grown up” song I ever learned. I have a vivid memory of learning it while tee-tottering with my best friend’s older sister at the park. I think I was in first grade.

Um… weirdly enough, my favorite Carpenters song is “The Christmas Waltz” from one of their Christmas Albums. Karen’s clear, beautiful voice starting the “Frosted windowpanes…” Gives me the chills! I do dig The Carpenters but their Christmas albums are the… freaking… best. That’s my favorite Christmas song of all time too.

• Do you have any have any writing rituals or superstitions or obsessions? Do you find yourself eating certain foods while you write (I feel strange even wanting to know that as it seems rather personal) or do you have things you do for inspiration when you are writing?

Nope… nope… and nope. I have to have complete quiet and focus. That’s it. I don’t eat certain foods or have any obsessions. I breathe, I write and whatever goes… goes.

Okey doke... that's it for now. One more part to go. Stay tuned!

And now, the finale of my multi-part interview with Goodread’s Searock. Remember, there may be spoilers from my books so beware! Searock’s questions are bulleted, mine are italicized.

Rock it!

Starting this last bit of Q&A is a follow up from an earlier question by Searock: The Q was from Part 2 if you wanna go back and check my response.

Searock’s Q: I notice that you don’t defend or reject your hero’s bad behavior and you don’t have them reject their own bad behavior in your stories. They are unapologetic bad-asses for sure. For Tack, he was imperfect, but perfect for Tyra. Do you ever find yourself writing something that begins to feel too imperfect or too scary or unacceptable in your hero and therefore adjust it or do you just let it fly?

And Searock’s response to my response:
I loved your answer by the way, but just want to clarify my question a bit. One of my favorite features in your stories is the very thing you mentioned, that eloquent verbal combination punch (for lack of a better phrase) the heroine gives to the hero when he has crossed a line or has emotionally injured his lady love (Dusty and Tyra get my vote for all-time, stellar favorites). The way the hero responds is always swoon-worthy whether by words or actions regardless how delayed that response may be. It's especially beautiful because the heroine's words affect the hero like no other’s ever could. My term "unapologetic bad-asses" was referring to your heroes who aren't "choirboys", probably wouldn't win "father of the year", use whatever language suits them and don't always follow the letter of the law *grin*. They don't apologize for any of that, and, of course, I fall head over hiney for them every time.

Also, when I stated Tack was imperfect, but perfect for Tyra, I was referring to the part in the book where Tyra says to Tack:
"The perfect I was looking for wasn’t perfection. The perfect I was looking for was the one. And he was you.”
Tack is rocked by that statement. It was awesome!

Just wanted you to know, I really was paying attention, lol!

First of all, darlin’, I didn’t take any offense to the question. I know everyone has their own take on everything. The only further comment I would make is if I think about it with any depth, something, weirdly, I’ve never done until um… right now is that I think this is precisely why, for me, my boys are so freakin’ hot. Confidence is a major turn on. And knowing who you are, accepting it and being it no matter who thinks what is totally freaking awesome. Two of the biggest examples from my books are yours of Tack as well as Knight. They are who they are, they do what they do, there’s a reason why they do it and they understand it isn’t socially acceptable and they don’t give a crap. This is not to say I agree with their takes on the world. But I admire their ability to be as you call them “unapologetic badasses”. Clearly you do too!

As for using whatever language that suits them, obviously this comes through with their characters and is a part of being who they are. I also like to play with this. Words are powerful, definitely, but we give certain words more power than they actually have. I love it that these men, at a glance or upon first impression are men that would smack you back and make you think, “Hoo, Lawdy. I wanna spend about point five more seconds with this dude and get the ef outta here! What a jerk!” Then, as you get to know them and see how they behave, give them more time to express themselves in a variety of ways, all that surface stuff (outside of them being hot, of course) melts away and you see them as deep, complex individuals that are worth a shedload of your time. And I love it that my readers give them that time. I have no clue but I think first-time readers get a load of Hawk or Luke or Joe and think, “What on earth!?!” But as the story unfolds, they fall in love. That… is… awesome!

Now back to the regularly scheduled Q&A:

• Many of your fans and readers are calling Motorcycle Man “Vintage Ashley” (I think Becs coined it first)? Are you aware of some of these “vintage” qualities? Would you embrace the idea that you have signature details and qualities. Do you write with these signature details or qualities in mind?

HA! Funnily enough, I was thinking of this (not the “Vintage” part) when I got these questions from you because I was working on Lucky Stars, or just finishing it at the time. I started Lucky Stars ages ago and it is what I consider a kind of traditional romance. Not my normal gig. Written in third person. Less slang. More description. The setting more idyllic. The hero a bazillionaire playboy. Going back to it, it took me a while to settle into the flow of how it was written and yes, I wrote it! Then, not to spoil anything, but a character came to me (in that book) and part of the narrative switches to his voice. He’s definitely what would be considered perhaps one of my more “vintage” characters so although I was struggling with the flow of the book, when I slipped into his voice, I wrote his passage in, like, minutes. It just flowed. I do love that book and the characters, especially my gentle Jack who could be the most patient, gentle hero I’ve ever written. He’s amazing. But I was much more comfortable, if you will, with this other character. I figure you’ll see what I mean immediately when/if you read it.

So yes, I would embrace the idea I have signature details and qualities. But I don’t write with them in mind. Just more comfortable with them, I guess. That said, anything goes in Ashley world. I like to challenge myself and I write whatever stories come to me. So this could change.

• Are you easily able to keep up the pace of your writing? You have us fans in a near-frenzy with all the impending Kit-crack you plan to release over the next year. Will it mean that you are holed up in a pink cave somewhere with someone bringing you cashews and cosmos to sustain you? Or does that represent a pace that is comfortable for you?

Since my stories obsess me, and I do this for a living, I’m pretty comfortable with the pace. But it is more. I HAVE TO get these stories out. They are all jumbled around in my head and I NEED to let them loose. So, I’m totally thrilled beyond reason and maybe even sanity that I have readers who can’t wait to read my stuff. The thing is, I know this is going to sound weird, but a good deal of the time, it feels like these things, my books, aren’t really FROM me. They are their own entities and I’m the conduit that puts them out there. So, I’m like you. I cannot wait to see what happens.

• Some fans might think your books will become shorter and/or have less of the length, depth and breadth that we were seeing in your earlier work (such as the Colorado series). Is this something we should expect? Can you share about what factors have determined the length of your books to date?

I cannot begin to imagine. Knight was shorter because I was on a mission to tell that story before I went on holiday but also, that story was focused almost entirely on the love affair between Knight and Anya because I felt, due to its intensity, it needed to be about them and what they were building. Not about kidnapping or crazily bitchy exes. There weren’t a great number of secondary characters and a bunch of plot strings woven into the story. I think there is a good possibility that Creed, which will be a story that mingles with Knight’s world and the next in that series, will be longer than Knight. Though I can’t be sure.

But I just tell the story as it comes to me and however long it is, that’s its length. My stories don’t tend to be about boy meets girl, boy wins girl, boy loses girl, boy wins her back. I build communities, entire towns, families, friendships. It’s necessary to tell the story and define the characters in it by having lots of stuff happening, making it action-packed, so how the characters react to all that is happening around them further define who they are.

As an example, rereading Sweet Dreams right now, I shudder to think what an editor would do to that book. There is a lot that goes on that might not seem pivotal to the story but I feel is essential. Lauren describing Deke picking her up from the airport. The fullness of Lauren’s meeting with Jonas, including the short scene where Jonas sticks his finger in the frosting of the cake Lauren made for him. Lauren and Twyla’s altercation with Neeta’s posse at Bubba’s. Nearly the entirety of the post-Neeta-funeral get-together. The scene with Jonas and the cake, I would assume an editor would delete this whole scene. It doesn’t move the action forward at all and essentially just reiterates what was communicated in the scene before that Jonas is most definitely Tate’s son. But, for me, it would be a little death to lose that scene. The seed planted of the relationship that would grow between Laurie and Jonas from the scene prior buds in that scene and I love it. These are the things I hope to continue to give to you. These little nothings that are everything.

So I cannot promise that my books will be as long as some of them are. What I hope I can promise is that you’ll continue to get love stories that are rich in characterization and plot, showing the planting of the seed and taking you along for the ride as that seed blossoms and, in the end, it’ll be an enriching experience.

Random other questions:
• If I ever met you, I’m a little nervous that I would fan out and squeal or embarrass myself somehow. Has that happened to you yet, a fan going all squeaky or emotional? Would you be excited or would you want to run away?

Nope. Hasn’t happened yet in person. Though I have had folks who have been fangirl/squealing if I e-mail them or some such. First, it makes me smile. Truthfully, it can’t help but feel good to have someone get excited that you responded to an e-mail. So, it feels good and that’s an understatement. But second, I’m Kit. That’s who I am. My cat annoys me but I love on him like he’s the prince of the world. I need coffee to function in the morning. I have way, way, WAY too many shoes. And I perv on hot guys… a lot. I’m just a normal, everyday woman. If I met you, you might squeal but then we’d get a latte or a beer and we’d gab… about hot guys!

• Popularity can be a two-edged sword? Which part of your increasing popularity has been the most pleasant so far and which part the most unpleasant about having a higher profile?

So far, I have yet to hit on the unpleasant part but I don’t really have that high of a profile.

But the most pleasant part has been connecting with readers. I have had readers become friends and these are women I would never, ever have “met” if I didn’t publish books. And these are women who have enriched my life in ways… such ways! How awesome is that? I also have people share personal things with me, how they connected to a story or how a book affected them. Just yesterday I got an e-mail from someone who shared something incredibly intense with me and the instant I read the words, my hand covered my mouth and I froze. Then I read the email again. And again. Then I cried buckets of tears.

I have said to people I know, and now people I don’t, that I wish I had magic. Magic to take away shit that has happened that is life-altering and painful. I have so often in my life wished with all my heart I had a magic wand and could wave that kind of pain away.

So, the most pleasant thing about my “increasing popularity” is connecting with readers and coming to the understanding that I DO have a kind of magic. It doesn’t take pain away. But it makes people realize they are understood. It makes people laugh through times that are hard. It connects people. And it makes people feel less alone. It’s my writing that gives unknown people all over the world that. And knowing my work does that is far more than pleasant. It’s stunningly beautiful.

• Who are your Alpha Male role models?

My brother… he’s very protective, he’s very loving, he’s incredibly generous, he’s funny as all hell and he is a total, freaking man. Anyone hurt me, he’d lose his freaking mind. I was lost, he’d go to the ends of the earth to find me. But he can be a jerk during an argument. Even so, you can’t help but love him because of all that other stuff. Sound familiar?

• Out of all the places you’ve lived, you seem to have the biggest love affair with Colorado. Why is that? What other places do you dream of writing about or setting characters in?

Well, I spent a lot of happy, happy years in Colorado and I know it well. I also miss it so writing books set there takes me back. Especially with Rock Chick since most of that action takes place in places where I lived or went regularly. In fact, it started because I was crazy homesick and it was my way to get over it. But you never know what’ll come next. Lucky Stars is set in Cornwall which is one of my most favorite places on earth. I love, love, LOVE Cornwall. So anywhere that strikes me could be where I tell a tale.

• What kinds of jobs did you have prior to writing full-time? You’ve written about a variety of work settings and they feel quite authentic. Do you have first-hand experience with any of those?

Before giving up work to write full-time, I worked in charity throughout my career and working in charity, you learn a lot. I did IT. I did HR. I did fund-raising. The list goes on. Sibyl’s community centre in Lacybourne Manor is based on a place where I worked and filled with people who I worked with/for/around who I adored.

Mostly, though, I just make it up.

• You are obviously a creative person. Do you have other artistic tendencies? Do you have hobbies like pottery or photography or design?

I can wrap a mean present. My presents are works of art. And I tend to be humble and I still will say my presents are works of art. Ask anyone who gets a present from me. My presents ROCK! And I can cook. Not healthily and I’m not a gourmet. My food is just good. That’s it. I’m woefully bad at anything creative outside writing. I can barely sew on a button, I can’t draw a straight line, my handwriting is barely legible and my pictures are rubbish.

• What three descriptive words have been used about your writing that made you giddy with happiness?

You made me laugh. You made me cry. That guy was hot.

• What is one word that has been used about your writing that makes you cringe when you read it?

You need an editor.

• What two things do you think your readers would be surprised to know about you?

Uh… I’m pretty “out there” so this is a tough question because I’m the kinda gal that lets it all hang out. I’m wracking my brain to think of something but I can’t. Oh! Maybe it’s my tendency to be a geek girl. It is not unheard of for me to sit in front of serious geek TV and geek out. And I’m a Harry Potter fan and on the Pottermore website, the sorting hat put me in the Slytherin house. And I’m proud of my Slytherin-ness. And trust me, I should be. Slytherins ROCK!

And lastly, a famous question from the Artist’s Studio:
• If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

“Kit, honey, you done good. Now, do me a favor and bake some cookies.”

Your questions were awesome, babe. What fun! Thank you for wanting to know the answers, taking the time to do this and sharing your interest with everyone. What a blast! Xoxoxxo, darlin’ and rock on!