Interview with Kristen Ashley

Some people leave their hometowns and never look back, but not Kristen Ashley. After moving all around the United States and then across the pond to England, the bestselling romance author of the Rock Chick and Dream Man books decided to set a series in her hometown of Brownsburg, Indiana. The 'Burg books weave together tales of neighbors, lovers, family, and crime (because sometimes murder is just what a small town romance needs). Ashley's new book, Hold On, wraps up the series with Cher Rivers and Garrett Merrick's story. Cher has adored the 'burg bachelor for years, but friendship—and another woman—kept their slow-burning chemistry at bay. It takes a deadly twist of fate to open Garrett's eyes to the love that's been in front of him all along.

Read on as the author answers your questions on falling for fictional characters, cooking up delicious stories, and "researching" hot guys online.

Melania: Who is your favorite badass alpha male from the 'burg? They are all pretty fantastic, but there must be one who stole your heart!
It's practically impossible to pick a favorite of any of my heroes. I love each of them for different reasons. Colt's never-failing loyalty to Feb and his understanding of the important things in life ("The only precious things in life breathe.") Joe's heartbreaking backstory and watching him fall in love with a family rather than just a woman. Layne's fiercely protective spirit toward Rocky and his love for his boys. Mike's bad-boy repentance and drive to provide good for his family. Benny's open emotionality, maturity, and skills in the kitchen (and elsewhere). Merry's ability to show vulnerability to the woman he trusts and at the same time have the strength to protect her right back.

Sally: If you could have lunch with any author, who would it be and what would you eat?
Didn't even have to think. I'd have lunch with Judith McNaught. Her books are still my favorite romance novels (and I've read a ton, including a ton of amazing ones), and her work is an inspiration. She had it all in her books: spunky heroines, heroes to swoon over, love and laughter, deep emotion, and beautifully drawn secondary characters. I'd love to cook for her (my fried chicken) or take her out to a decadent dinner, both to say thank-you for the hours of enjoyment from reading (and rereading and rereading…) her beautiful stories.

Lindsey: How do you find the recipes you feature in your books? Do you ever bake or cook them yourself?
I don't think I've ever put a recipe in one of my books that I don't cook or bake myself. In the beginning, they were family recipes or favorite recipes I'd discovered through my culinary journey through life. Now they're NEW family recipes or favorite recipes I've discovered! If you want to try them, a number of them are on my website, and I can vouch for how good they are!

Marla: If you were writing a book about yourself, what would the title be?
She Tried.

Angely: Which of your books was the hardest to write? Which character surprised you the most?
The Golden Dynasty was the hardest to write. Not only the story, which was very intense, but building that world from the bottom up, inside and out, to the point of creating a language. I loved every minute of it. But I went places in that book that I never thought I'd go. That being so, I'm super proud it turned out the way it did because it could have gone very wrong.

Now I've been scrolling through my titles on my website, trying to figure out which character surprised me the most. I must say that's an excellent question because I don't know! It's not like I know them through-and-through as I'm writing them, so I could say all of them—even secondary characters—surprise me, take me for a ride I don't expect. I just hang on and see what happens.

I think watching Sadie's transformation in Rock Chick Regret was one of the most rewarding journeys one of my characters took me on in a book. And I think Ryker from The 'Burg introducing himself as a rough, standoffish thug who eventually exposes a heart of gold was truly unexpected.

But I could list a dozen other examples just like these! I guess it's good they keep me on my toes.

Marcy: What would be some of the most eyebrow-raising topics I would find in your computer search engine?
I tend to go to the source so Homeland Security doesn't tag me or some moron doesn't code a site with a virus and ruin my day by crashing my computer when I hit it.

In other words, if I need to know when a gunshot victim can have sex again, I ask my cousin, who's a surgical nurse. If I need to know what being tasered feels like, I ask my other cousin, who's a cop. (When Tasers came out, all the officers were supposed to get tasered so they'd understand the weapon. All the dudes shied away—my cousin was the first to volunteer. She's a badass, but even so, she said it hurt worse than childbirth. OUCH!) If I need to know how a call would be made if someone needs a squad to go out, I talk to my friend, who used to be a police dispatcher. If I need to know military acronyms so dialogue is authentic, I ask my sister, brother-in-law, or aunt, who were all in the Air Force.

Luckily I have a huge collection of friends and family to pick their brains. So you'd probably see things like "Hot Guys and Cars" or "Elegant Living Rooms" in my search engine topics, but I don't know how much research that is.

Randi: What's an aspect of being a writer that you didn't know about going in? Any advice for aspiring writers??
Pretty much all aspects! HA! I kinda just went for it. I trundled along with some hope, very low expectations, and a lot of books I'd already written (or mostly written) over the span of more than a decade. I put them out there, honestly not thinking much would come of this writing gig. I had that dream, but I went in with a plan, giving myself a certain amount of time to devote to it and having the understanding I'd need to move on if it didn't work. That doesn't mean I intended to quit writing, but like it was before and as it always should be, I'd do it for me.

And I guess that's the advice I'd give aspiring writers: Write for yourself. Write because you love it and can't NOT do it. Find YOUR voice and let it loose. Write like no one is going to read it…the only one who will is you. Stay true to your characters and their journey, not worrying what anyone will think about them or it. Put YOUR stamp on your story and tell a story that's YOURS.

B: How much of your story is outlined before you start writing a book? Do you have some kind of storyboard, or do you let the story evolve as you write?
None. I do no outlining. If it's a fantasy book or part of a series (especially if it's deep in the series for both), I have a variety of notes I took while writing/editing/rereading the previous books. But mostly I just let the book flow through my brain to the computer. It's like a movie playing in my head, and I see it all, hear it all, and feel it all…then I write it all. So I type as fast as I can in hopes of capturing it all!

Yesenia: Where is your favorite place to read a book? And where's your favorite place to write?
I have to have no distractions (both reading and writing). I can read anywhere, just as long as there isn't music or a television in the background playing. I love to read out on my back patio. I have a fountain there, and it's small, cozy, and peaceful, so I'd say that's my favorite place. Alas, because I'm living in Phoenix, this favorite place is only available to me nine months out of the year. So in summer, if I have a chance to pick up a book, I hit my big cuddle chair in my living room.

I write mostly in my office, which is above my garage. I can sometimes sit at my kitchen island or haul my laptop out to the pool deck, but I prefer to be in my office. It's quiet, two walls are made of windows, there's a beautiful view of Camelback Mountain, and I have all my things around me—pictures, books, gifts readers have given me. It's a sacred place for me, and I never fail to find my "zone" while I'm here.

Leslie: Can you make Luke Stark real and have him show up in my life? Please and thank-you. Just kidding! My real question: How long does it usually take you to write a book? You are so wonderfully prolific!
Eek! I'm scared to tell you that Luke Stark IS actually real…ish. I saw the man he's based on outside Sheffield in England. Tall, dark, gorgeous, in motorcycle leathers with that mustache that no one else could make hot except Luke Stark.

As for how long it takes to write a book, if I was able to do nothing but write—which is impossible these days with travel, book launches, website updates, etc.—it would take one to two weeks. (That's how long it used to take when life was all about writing and not much else.)

That said, that's writing from around 5:30 or 6 in the morning to 10 or 11 at night, seven days a week. It's not healthy to keep that kind of schedule, day in, day out for weeks. So I try to force myself to leave my office at 5 in the evening. (This tends to be more like 7 or when my cats are truly FED UP with me ignoring their need for me to go downstairs and refresh their water.) So now it takes about three weeks to a month to write a book if there's no travel breaking that up.


It's been a delight to be here with you all on Goodreads. Thanks for asking such cool questions! Rock on!