Kaye #5: Welcome Robin Kaye!

The 30 Days of Kay(e)s Blogfest continues on and I'm very excited to host fellow Maryland Romance Writer and contemporary romance author:
Robin Kaye!
Welcome, Robin!  So, to start, please tell us how and why you came to use the name Kaye!
[image error] Kaye is my pen name. My maiden name is Robin Williams and unfortunately my publisher wasn't happy with me using it. You'd think with all the hell I went through growing up with the nickname Mork, I'd be able to benefit a little bit at least.  My last name is a scary, Russian-Pole, ten-letter name that looks even worse than it sounds. I'm famous for doing sign language to teach people how to pronounce it. I'm not sure they'd be able to fit it on a book cover. All my kids friends call me Mrs. K so I just went with that (I added a few more letters though.)
That is a great pen name story!  Okay, please share a little about yourself, your genres, any other pen names you use.
I write funny contemporary romances under the pen name Robin Kaye. I have four books in my Domestic Gods series, and the first book of my Domestic Gods Gone Wild series, On the Wild Side, is coming out December 6, 2011.
What fun series! And such delicious covers!  So, tell us a little about your latest release.
[image error] Comment for a chance to win!!!Yours for the Taking is a marriage of convenience book with a modern-day, urban twist. Ben Walsh has looks, money and charm but if he wants to keep the one property of sentimental value to him, he needs a wife.

Gina Reyez, a crack shot turn-around expert, doesn't need or want a husband but accepts Ben's "strictly business " proposal because the money will solve problems she intends to keep entirely un-marital. By the time the two find that marriage with benefits can never be "strictly business," their lives are entwined and seriously complicated.
Sounds like one for the TBR pile, folks!  Plus, Robin is willing to give away one copy of Yours for the Taking to a lucky blog commenter!  Woot!  Robin, what are you working on right now?
I'm working on the second book in my new series, Domestic Gods Gone Wild. Wild Thing is Fisher Kincaid's book and so far, I'm having a screamin' good time! Of course, it's still early in the process. I think Fisher's just waiting to show me his ornery side. He's so not gonna be happy when my heroine takes all his clothes and his wallet out of his hotel room while he's in the shower and he has to call home and ask his brothers for a little help. Oh yeah, he'll never live that one down.
OMG that's hilarious! We're all drooling for his ornery side, too! What about the first book you ever wrote—what happened to that?
[image error] The first book I wrote toward publication was Romeo, Romeo and it's for sale. Before that, I wrote a modern-day retelling of Pride and Prejudice with a twist of persuasion called Come Hell or High Water. I posted it chapter by chapter on a few Jane Austen Fan Fiction sites. It had a huge following, was about 330,000 words, and contained three complete love stories. It was about a year of work and I had a great time writing it. If I ever find the time, I'd love to rewrite it toward publication. It was a really fun story and I still love the characters.
I think it's cool to hear about other authors having dabbled in fan fiction…I've done a little of that myself. What do you find easiest and hardest to write?
Easiest—dialogue. It just flows.
Hardest—synopses. They're the bane of my existence.
OMG—synopses suck!  That's trufax, there, sistah!  Have you incorporated actual events or people from your own life into your books?
Not really…okay, well maybe once. I got the idea for Rosalie to not have a spare from my mother. Her brother routinely used to take parts off her first car and sell them—the spare, the air filter (he replaced it with a pair of her stockings)—well, you get the picture. In this case, Rosalie had given Rich money to buy her a new spare and he forgot to replace it.  She didn't realize it until she was stuck on the expressway with a flat.
[image error] Oh, I forgot. I use my animals in my books—Dave, Rosalie's dog in Romeo, Romeo and Too Hot to Handle is the male version of my dog Clancy who I always thought looked so much more like a boy than a girl. She was half Black Lab and half St. Bernard, Tripod in Breakfast in Bed is my cat Raja—a three-legged Bengal, only Raja doesn't drink coffee…much. Jasmine in Yours for the Taking is the sweet little pointer mix I have now.  We rescued her one 4th of July right after the fireworks. She was running down the highway during a terrible thunderstorm—I don't think I've ever seen a more frightened animal. It was horrible. She's a sweetheart but is still afraid of her own shadow.
Is there a theme or message that runs through your work?
Belonging and family, it seems my heroes and heroines are always searching for it.
What would your readers be surprised to learn about you?
I'm married to a real Domestic God so I can attest to the fact that they do exist—oh, and my 17 year-old son is a Domestic God in Training. 
Ooh, your house sounds like fun!  Which romance book or series do you wish you had written?
The Chicago Stars Series by Susan Elizabeth Phillips or The Chesapeake Bay Series by Nora Roberts. But then I pretty much loved all her Irish series too…ooh and the Three Sisters Island Series. What can I say? I've loved every book I've read by SEP and Nora. I can't think of one of their books I wouldn't have wanted to write.
Of all the characters you've written, who is your favorite and why?
Oh, that's like asking which of my children is my favorite—it depends which one of them is in the room. LOL Wow, let me see. I have a real soft spot for Aunt Rose—she's so much fun to write, Grampa Joe is awesome too, and Cousin Vinny. Why? Because they are all people I wish I had in my life. People who love you enough to give you a smack upside the head when they know you're doing something stupid, are there for you when you need them, and never resist the urge to tell you "I told you so."
Okay, Robin, down to basics:
Milk chocolate or dark chocolate?  Dark. Salty or sweet?   Salty Bed or kitchen table?   What? I can't have both? Beach or mountains?   Mountains. Give or receive?   Depends on what kind of favors we're talkin' about.
Wow, Robin, this has been so much fun! Where can we find you on the web?
Website:  http://RobinKayeWrites.comBlog:   http://CasablancaAuthors.blogspot.com; http://KillerFiction.netFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Robin-Kayes-Books/150875591640292Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/RobinkayewritesMySpace: http://www.myspace.com/379937051Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1120626.Robin_KayeAmazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JS6N4EPublisher's Author Page: http://www.sourcebooks.com/author/robin-kaye.html
Thanks so much for having me, Laura. It's been great fun!
You're welcome!  Okay, folks, don't forget—Robin's giving away one copy of Yours for the Taking to one lucky commenter (U.S. or Canada)! Please leave your email address with your comment so I can contact you tomorrow!  And please stop back tomorrow for some RELEASE DAY FUN for my debut contemporary romance, HEARTS IN DARKNESS!
Thanks for reading! Laura & Robin