Writing F/F Romance – A Conversation with Kate Richards Part Two & Contest!!
For Part One of this interview, click here.
So, Kate, tell us about your recent release, Trail of Hearts. It's part of the hugely popular 1 Night Stand series, but the first F/F story.
It is the first to be released, but I believe there is another in editing at this point.
Trail of Hearts is the story of a sophisticated city woman, Charlotte, who much to her surprise (and horror) finds out that her luxurious one-night stand is going to happen at a dude ranch. And her date, Birdie, has had to go to work as a cowhand and guest wrangler at the Castillo Wagon Wheel near Reno, Nevada while she waits to make her dream of having her own ranch come true. Even I thought Madame Eve might have goofed this time.
Goofed! Uh-oh… What inspired you to write this particular book?
I was out at lunch with Heather and Lisa the owners of Decadent Publishing and about fifteen other people at a Greek restaurant at Romantic Times last April and we were all talking about the genres the other editors thought would do well and I got silly and said I'm going to write a Western F/F IR and we all laughed. But then the plot bunnies started hopping around and I thought of these two characters, my city woman, and my country girl, and they just came to life and I fell in love with them and had to tell their story.
I'd love to hear how you came up with yours, it's full of intrigue and twists and turns…
It truly is amazing how we come up with ideas like these.
The idea for my F/F story actually came from something I wrote in my high school Science Fiction English class. (Although I don't think the story developed into what my teacher intended.) I kept a lot of story ideas from that class and thought I would develop this one. It started out as a woman, studying the creatures of a newly discovered planet, who longs for the mechanic who hides his desire for her. (Yes, I was thinking romance even back then.) But I didn't want your typical romance, so I decided to add more conflict, including another woman. Everything kind of developed from there, and thanks to your encouragement, I'm hoping to continue this into a trilogy.
You had a high school Sci Fi English class? What a cool school!
Yes, and I only took the class because of a boy. LOL I didn't know it would lead me to where I am now. Trail of Hearts has many subgenres of romance included in it, GBLT, I/R and Western. How did you make sure all three aspects were included?
My work is almost entirely character driven. Once the plot started running in my head I could see Charlotte, tall and elegant, beautiful clothes, mocha skin and gorgeous glossy black hair and Birdie, blonde blue eyed cowhand (do not call her a cowgirl, makes her crazy) and their personalities were their own. Western…well it's a dude ranch and I set it in the Sierras where I spend a lot of time, it's so beautiful there I thought two women from such different backgrounds would make for an interesting date. After all Charlotte packed for a luxury hotel…who knew?
So can you give the readers an idea of where your trilogy is going?
My trilogy, tentatively called The Underground takes place in a futuristic world and centers around the company, Planet Core. PC owns, yes owns, a major metropolis on Earth and has discovered an Earth-like planet several light years away. Using portals, they've sent researchers there and plan to send inhabitants from Earth to the new planet, Airondelle. But several employees have learned PC's true intentions, to mine Airondelle using the new inhabitants as indentured workers. In Never Gonna Let You Go, Calla learns the truth about the company she works for, after two people she's grown to trust break her heart. The second book will focus on two other female characters, Melina and Brook, their damaged relationship, and their part in the rebellion. All comes to a head in the third book when the rebellion takes on Planet Core, but we also learn more about the leader of the rebellion, Harrison, and his mysterious lover. I'm very excited about this, but I'm sure you can already tell.
In closing, what do you think is the most important thing to remember when writing F/F stories?
For me it is to take my time building emotional connection and tension. As a woman it's what I like in a relationship, so my characters share that with me. It's important in any book, but in a F/F it seems to be even more so.
Thank you so much, Kate! This has truly been a blast.
It really has been! It's a lot of fun and food for thought to discuss a genre I feel so strongly about and enjoy writing. I know your trilogy will be a big success with readers. Thanks so much for inviting me to spend some time with you!
Before you go, where can readers find you, Trail of Hearts, and your other books?
My website is http://katerichards.wordpress.com and Trail of Hearts can be found at www.decadentpublishing.com. Along with my other books, it can also be found at most of your favorite online bookstores including Amazon.com and All Romance eBooks.
Contest!!
In Part One, Kate Richards is giving away an ebook copy of Trail of Hearts and The Vampire's Bard. Go here to enter. Today, I am giving away a $5 gift certificate from All Romance Ebooks where you can pick up any of Kate's books, my book and/or whatever else tickles your fancy. Just leave a comment below pertaining to the our conversation over the last two days for your chance to win. Contest is international. Contest closes October 9, 2011 and midnight EST.
