Q&A with multi-genre author K. Rowe
Posted by Kimberly Bennett on Friday, August 26, 2011
Under: Author Q&A
I would like to introduce multi-genre author, K. Rowe. She has served our country for over 20 years in the Air Force. She has recently published a contemporary romance, Cowboys & Olympians, which was released April 4th 2011. She has also previously published 2 books in a series titled, Dragonslayers.
Before I begin with the questions, I want to thank you for your time spent in our military. It is a huge sacrifice, not just for you personally, but also for your family and friends. It takes a very special person to do what you do and I have nothing but admiration for those who serve in our military.
So, tell me a little about your Dragonslayers series. How did you come up with the project concept and title?
I started working on the book way back in high school. Living in San Diego, and not far from Miramar NAS, I was fascinated by the military, planes and all that stuff. Plus I grew up in a navy family- my father served during Korea for a short while, and my brother was in about 7 years. He spent lots of time in Antarctica, and brought back neat things. I also liked dragons, thinking they were cool. So I’m not exactly sure (or do I even remember) how I arrived at the exact title for the first book: “Project: Dragonslayers” I know the “Project” part comes from the military side- it’s even somewhat explained in chapter one. The “Dragonslayers” lore kind of came out of a rewrite almost 20 years later.
Do you find that you put a little of yourself into each of your characters or do you create them to be completely different from you?
I create a blend of me, friends, family, and other characters I may see in movies or TV; each is a different person, they have their own likes, dislikes and motivations. Some say the main character “Eagle” is alot like me, but actually, I wrote her to be completely different. Truly, I don’t really like putting too much of me into characters, I like to explore and create entirely new ones. I saw one character on a TV show, did research on the real person who plays him, and created an entirely different character out of it. I won’t tell you who it is, but the character that sprung from the person is named “Kippie” and is in Battle Rhythm. I love researching different races and cultures. My best friend jokes that the Dragonslayers are more like the Village People because of all the varied backgrounds the characters come from. I like the diversity and feel it lends to the uniqueness of the books.
Tell me a little about Cowboys & Olympians? What inspired you to completely change your genre with this book?
My husband and I own three horses. I’ve been involved with horses most of my life. So writing about them is quite easy. I wouldn’t say I completely changed genres, as the Dragonslayers series has quite a bit of romance in it, so writing it was fairly simple. It was just a matter of coming up with a believable storyline and interesting characters. Leo and Katie seemed to fit the part. The whole book started around the first line: “The manure pile was the last place Leo Richards expected to find the love of his life.” I had that line in my mind for probably 6 months. Then we got the chance to go to the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY, and the rest of the story blossomed from there. I love that Leo’s character is flawed, tender, and manly all thrown together. Katie’s character came from a blend of “back-east” characteristics I found most irritating while living there.
Do writing violent or sexual scenes bother you? Why or why not?
No, writing sex or battle scenes doesn’t bother me at all. They are part of life. I do find them difficult to write because of what I call “choreography”—making sure the characters are in the right place, right time, doing the right thing, and making sure the timeline and action fall into place. Battle scenes are the hardest because you are usually dealing with many characters, different points of view, and in some cases different locations in and around the actual battle. I’m notorious for having to “draw” out the battle on sticky notes so I can keep track of everyone. When I get done writing a battle scene, I’m tired!
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in writing and publishing your work?
One of the most surprising things I learned about writing and publishing is that I could actually self-publish my work. My first book got vanity published. Yeah, I was new to everything and uneducated. So I got messed over on that one. But then I started looking around and seeing what others were doing, and I began to play with formatting and covers, and within a year, I’d self-published the second book of the Dragonslayers series: Mind Games. Then I published Cowboys and Olympians, and will soon have another of the Dragonslayers series: Battle Rhythm out in a month or so.
What are you working on now?
I have several different projects going, depending on what I feel like doing. I have the “Space” series which is a sci-fi trilogy about a half human, half alien named Dar Meltom. It follows his adventures starting from a teenager on a planet being bullied because he was different, to becoming captain of his own space freighter, and then taking a chance and going through a worm hole in hopes of finding his human father. It’s been really fun to write, and I had to create an entirely new galaxy for the book, and a host of interesting aliens to play in it as well. The three books are: Space Crazy, Space Junk, and Space Available. I hope to have Space Crazy out as a free eBook in a few months.
There’s also at least one more book in the Dragonslayers series: Kill Box, and have written (but not yet published) a supernatural thriller set in Memphis, titled The Hall, an even spicier romance novella called Silks and Sand which primarily takes place in Kentucky. And on the even naughtier side, I’m putting together a series of erotic short stories called Raunchy Writings—which have received much praise from a select few who have read them.
What compels you to write? Have you always wanted to be a writer?
I’m not sure what compels me to write; it’s kind of like a sickness that unless you write, you won’t feel any better. The more I write, the more ideas pop from my head and beg to be put down on “paper” for all to read. I blame my best friend, Jessica, for getting me into writing early on in high school. I’ve always had a vivid imagination, she just kick-started it for me.
Who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?
I do like military thrillers, but I’m not a Tom Clancy fan. I read Dale Brown, Stephen Coonts, and a couple others. But actually I’m so busy writing that I barely have time to read! I do read indie authors to see what they are producing, and also to help give me ideas for other stories.
Where can people learn more about you and your work?
I’m in as many places as I can be:
http://www.amazon.com/K.-Rowe/e/B003H2UCNI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/sturgeoncreekpublishing
http://sturgeoncreek.blogspot.com/
Twitter: sturgeon3736
http://www.facebook.com/pages/K-Rowe-Author/136794706391542
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Dragonslayers/411626645650
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kathy-rowe/32/740/333
I’m also on BranchOut as well.
If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?
“Learning About Life the Hard Way” It seems that everything in my life I have had to work extra hard for. But in the end, the reward does seem greater.
Thank you, K. Rowe, very much for taking part and being so thorough, and I wish you well with all your future projects.
Before I begin with the questions, I want to thank you for your time spent in our military. It is a huge sacrifice, not just for you personally, but also for your family and friends. It takes a very special person to do what you do and I have nothing but admiration for those who serve in our military.
So, tell me a little about your Dragonslayers series. How did you come up with the project concept and title?
I started working on the book way back in high school. Living in San Diego, and not far from Miramar NAS, I was fascinated by the military, planes and all that stuff. Plus I grew up in a navy family- my father served during Korea for a short while, and my brother was in about 7 years. He spent lots of time in Antarctica, and brought back neat things. I also liked dragons, thinking they were cool. So I’m not exactly sure (or do I even remember) how I arrived at the exact title for the first book: “Project: Dragonslayers” I know the “Project” part comes from the military side- it’s even somewhat explained in chapter one. The “Dragonslayers” lore kind of came out of a rewrite almost 20 years later.
Do you find that you put a little of yourself into each of your characters or do you create them to be completely different from you?
I create a blend of me, friends, family, and other characters I may see in movies or TV; each is a different person, they have their own likes, dislikes and motivations. Some say the main character “Eagle” is alot like me, but actually, I wrote her to be completely different. Truly, I don’t really like putting too much of me into characters, I like to explore and create entirely new ones. I saw one character on a TV show, did research on the real person who plays him, and created an entirely different character out of it. I won’t tell you who it is, but the character that sprung from the person is named “Kippie” and is in Battle Rhythm. I love researching different races and cultures. My best friend jokes that the Dragonslayers are more like the Village People because of all the varied backgrounds the characters come from. I like the diversity and feel it lends to the uniqueness of the books.
Tell me a little about Cowboys & Olympians? What inspired you to completely change your genre with this book?
My husband and I own three horses. I’ve been involved with horses most of my life. So writing about them is quite easy. I wouldn’t say I completely changed genres, as the Dragonslayers series has quite a bit of romance in it, so writing it was fairly simple. It was just a matter of coming up with a believable storyline and interesting characters. Leo and Katie seemed to fit the part. The whole book started around the first line: “The manure pile was the last place Leo Richards expected to find the love of his life.” I had that line in my mind for probably 6 months. Then we got the chance to go to the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY, and the rest of the story blossomed from there. I love that Leo’s character is flawed, tender, and manly all thrown together. Katie’s character came from a blend of “back-east” characteristics I found most irritating while living there.
Do writing violent or sexual scenes bother you? Why or why not?
No, writing sex or battle scenes doesn’t bother me at all. They are part of life. I do find them difficult to write because of what I call “choreography”—making sure the characters are in the right place, right time, doing the right thing, and making sure the timeline and action fall into place. Battle scenes are the hardest because you are usually dealing with many characters, different points of view, and in some cases different locations in and around the actual battle. I’m notorious for having to “draw” out the battle on sticky notes so I can keep track of everyone. When I get done writing a battle scene, I’m tired!
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in writing and publishing your work?
One of the most surprising things I learned about writing and publishing is that I could actually self-publish my work. My first book got vanity published. Yeah, I was new to everything and uneducated. So I got messed over on that one. But then I started looking around and seeing what others were doing, and I began to play with formatting and covers, and within a year, I’d self-published the second book of the Dragonslayers series: Mind Games. Then I published Cowboys and Olympians, and will soon have another of the Dragonslayers series: Battle Rhythm out in a month or so.
What are you working on now?
I have several different projects going, depending on what I feel like doing. I have the “Space” series which is a sci-fi trilogy about a half human, half alien named Dar Meltom. It follows his adventures starting from a teenager on a planet being bullied because he was different, to becoming captain of his own space freighter, and then taking a chance and going through a worm hole in hopes of finding his human father. It’s been really fun to write, and I had to create an entirely new galaxy for the book, and a host of interesting aliens to play in it as well. The three books are: Space Crazy, Space Junk, and Space Available. I hope to have Space Crazy out as a free eBook in a few months.
There’s also at least one more book in the Dragonslayers series: Kill Box, and have written (but not yet published) a supernatural thriller set in Memphis, titled The Hall, an even spicier romance novella called Silks and Sand which primarily takes place in Kentucky. And on the even naughtier side, I’m putting together a series of erotic short stories called Raunchy Writings—which have received much praise from a select few who have read them.
What compels you to write? Have you always wanted to be a writer?
I’m not sure what compels me to write; it’s kind of like a sickness that unless you write, you won’t feel any better. The more I write, the more ideas pop from my head and beg to be put down on “paper” for all to read. I blame my best friend, Jessica, for getting me into writing early on in high school. I’ve always had a vivid imagination, she just kick-started it for me.
Who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?
I do like military thrillers, but I’m not a Tom Clancy fan. I read Dale Brown, Stephen Coonts, and a couple others. But actually I’m so busy writing that I barely have time to read! I do read indie authors to see what they are producing, and also to help give me ideas for other stories.
Where can people learn more about you and your work?
I’m in as many places as I can be:
http://www.amazon.com/K.-Rowe/e/B003H2UCNI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/sturgeoncreekpublishing
http://sturgeoncreek.blogspot.com/
Twitter: sturgeon3736
http://www.facebook.com/pages/K-Rowe-Author/136794706391542
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Dragonslayers/411626645650
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kathy-rowe/32/740/333
I’m also on BranchOut as well.
If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?
“Learning About Life the Hard Way” It seems that everything in my life I have had to work extra hard for. But in the end, the reward does seem greater.
Thank you, K. Rowe, very much for taking part and being so thorough, and I wish you well with all your future projects.
In : Author Q&A