The Third Day of Christmas with C. Margery Kempe by Gerri Brousseau

Welcome to Nights of Passion.  We're so excited to have C. Margery Kempe here with us today.

NOP:  Please tell our readers about Four Play.

Margery:  This is a collection of four stories that explore the flowering of relationships, some new, some old, all quite different. I joshingly said it was like Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham because they're on a golf course, in a kitchen, on a bus and in the library.

NOP:  What inspired you to write Four Play?

Margery:  When you write a lot of very long projects that can take months or even years to complete, there's something wonderful about writing a story that you can finish in a number of hours or days. Puting four of them together makes the collection robust and yet still a bargain at 99¢.

NOP: Of all the characters you have created, do you have a favorite?  If so, who is it and why is he/she your favorite?

Margery:  It's hard to choose, but it would probably be between Chastity Flame's title character or Constance Wynne Hare of The Big Splash (under my other romance name, KitMarlowe). Chas is like a female James Bond, who can cope with any situation and stop bad guys with style. Constance is the kind of wealthy spoiled woman of leisure that I would love to be

NOP: How would your hero and heroine have spent Christmas?

Margery:  Constance and her fiancé would doubtless spend it fighting with each other and not speaking. Chas would doubtless spend the day in bed with Damien if they could elude her co-workers long enough. I, however, celebrate Yule.

NOP: If you were to give a Christmas gift to your hero, what would it be and why?

Margery:  I would give Damien a new job so he and Chas could finally be together without interference from their boss and all the people busy trying to kill them!

NOP: What advice do you have for new writers who are striving to get published?

Margery:  I steal my advice from Ray Bradbury, who said, write, finish what you start, send it off and keep writing. I'd also add get as much criticism as possible: it may not all be good, but you need to hear it. Know your goals: if you want to be a published writer, you need to meet your editors and readers at least half way.

NOP: If you were unable to write, what other profession would be of interest to you?

Margery:  If I were unable to write I could not live. I have never been able to do any other job without getting bored.

NOP: How do you deal with the dreaded "doubt monster"?

Margery:  I surround myself with creative, positive people. We all have those moments and we remind one another how fabulous we are and cheer each other on until we get back into the groove.

NOP:  Do you ever get writer's block and if so, how do you deal with it?

Margery:  I've gotten blocked on projects. If it's my own, I might just abandon it until inspiration resurrects it. If it's contracted work, I buckle down and write a crappy first draft and then fix it, which does usually work. I find that when I am blocked it's because my head is empty, so I go off to fill it up again with nature, art or music. Anything but words.

NOP: If you could be any fictional character, who would that be and why?

Margery:  Alice in Wonderland

NOP:  Who is your favorite author?

Margery:  Oh, too too many to answer that! Among my favourite romance-themed authors are Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer.

NOP: What is your favorite novel?

Margery:  Again, impossible! I have favourite novels for different moods. One fave is Jane Eyre which is a good acid test to determine how I will get along with people. If they do not love Jane's story, I am unlikely to feel completely warm to them. My currentserialnovelhas Jane's daughter as its protagonist.

NOP:  What's next for you?

Margery:  I have a football-themed story with a publisher now, not sure when that collection's coming out. That's real football, but the way (soccer to you Americans). I'm working on the much-delayed sequel to Chastity Flame which is called Lush Situation. I have several projects in the works for next year including more fairytale-themed shorts for Noble Romance and another Gothic tale.

Of course I'm hoping that my new home in Ireland will offer a lot of inspiration. I have penned a couple of very dark crime stories that came out under my given name (K. A. Laity) but the lush countryside and the gorgeous bay will inspire some happy stories as well. There seems to be magic around every corner here: I've got magpies outside my window, which always delights me. The streets are full of music and here in Galway you hear a lot of Gaeilge spoken. The rhythms fill the English as well. The square below me hosts the Xmas market, so there's a carousel and sparkly lights and smiling faces everywhere. Magic.

Margery has graciously agreed to have a give away.  One luck winner will get a copy of Four Play and here is what you need to do.  In your comment you MUST put the words "I want three french hens" to qualify.  Good luck.

Filed under: romance