Interview and Giveaway with Kathryn Le Veque

I am very excited to welcome Kathryn Le Veque to Confessions from Romaholics. I’m afraid that I read and reviewed only two of a very long list of fabulous historical novels but I intend to remedy this very soon. I have to say that I found ‘The Dark Lord’ and ‘Lespada’, though very different, two very strong and rich stories with a very unique personal style. You may find the reviews here  and here.

Hello Kathryn, thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed on the site.

Can you tell us something about Kathryn the writer and Kathryn the person and what drives you to write the kind of stories you love and when did you start writing?

Kathryn the writer has always been a writer. I can remember drawing cartoons and writing horse stories (because I was horse fanatic) when I was in grade school. I wrote my first ‘serious’ story when I was about 13, a sci -fi space story that involved teenage girls getting kidnapped by cute alien teenage boys. Go figure! It therefore stands to reason that Kathryn the Person has always has a vivid imagination, something that I put to good use as I grew older and realized vivid imagination + good English skills might make me a good author.

The driving force behind my writing is a) writing something I personally would love to read, and b) writing something that makes the reader ‘feel’ something. If I’ve made just one person laugh, or cry, or get angry, or feel hope, then I’ve done my job as a writer. I love, love, love to tell a good story!

What inspired your first book? What was the title? Which writer or writers influenced you?

“Star Wars” inspired my first book. I was 12 when I first saw it and created my own little sci-fi adventure as a result. I can’t even recall what it was called—I think it was something like “To The Stars”—but it was pretty darn involved, handwritten as it was in spiral-bound notebooks.  How times have changed!

My biggest inspiration at first was Ray Bradbury. ‘The Martian Chronicles’ is my favorite piece of literature of all time. I really wanted to emulate his simple yet descriptive style of writing. Then, I started reading Virginia Henley (Medievals!!) and Bertrice Small (Sex and Medievals!!) and really got hooked on historical fiction.  Mind you, I’d always been writing throughout my adult life, in long-hand on yellow legal pads, but when my son was born, I bought a second-hand HP 286 computer and decided to get serious about it. My first full-length medieval novel was called “The Wolfe”, and it was 600 pages of a roaring adventure. That book started it all for me, and will soon be available on Amazon (600 very old pages is a lot to edit!).

How do the ideas for your books come to you?

Who knows? My mind works in mysterious, bizarre, and sometimes strange ways. I outline every story I write, and I currently have outlines for 180 novels tucked away in 9 spiral bound notebooks that are in a fireproof box in my closet. I should live so long to write them all! Sometimes I’ll get inspiration in the weirdest places—I’ll see a picture of a castle and create a story around it, or I’ll read an event in medieval history and put my characters in it. That happens a lot—real historical events with my characters right in the middle of the action. “The White Lord of Wellesbourne”, “Lespada”, “The Savage Curtain”, “Great Protector”, “Lord of the Shadows”, “The Whispering Night”, “Fragments of Grace”… all of these involve real battles, some of which decided the fate of a king.

What drew you to writing historical adventure stories?

I grew up in a house with a love of history. My mother’s college degree is in history and we had five ancestors who fought in the American Civil War, and at least one we know of who fought in the Revolutionary War, so I was always surrounded with history. I’m not sure what pulled me to medieval history, but it was a pull so strong that it’s dug its claws in deep and held me fast. If you believe in past lives, I have a feeling one of mine must have been during medieval times because the lure and attraction to the Angevin/Plantagenet medieval period is way too strong to invite another explanation.
I grew up in a house with a love of history. My mother’s college degree is in history and we had five ancestors who fought in the American Civil War, and at least one we know of who fought in the Revolutionary War, so I was always surrounded with history. I’m not sure what pulled me to medieval history, but it was a pull so strong that it’s dug its claws in deep and held me fast. If you believe in past lives, I have a feeling one of mine must have been during medieval times because the lure and attraction to the Angevin/Plantagenet medieval period is way too strong to invite another explanation.

In fact, just for fun once, I visited a tarot card reader at an Irish Fair. I don’t usually believe in that stuff, so I wasn’t too serious about it—it was all in fun, after all—but the tarot card reader laid my cards down and sat there for a few moments, reading them, before she looked at me and asked, “What’s your connection with old England?” So I told her I wrote medieval novels.  She shook her head and said, very firmly, “No, you don’t write them. These people come to you and tell you their stories, and you just write them down. I see so many of these people crowding around, all trying to tell you their stories because they know you’ll do them justice.” I just sat there, dumbfounded. But in a way, it makes sense… sometimes I can’t outline a story fast enough because it’s coming to me so fast, or sometimes in the midst of a tale, a twist will come to me out of the blue and I have no idea why I thought about it. Epiphany! … or is it …? Perhaps those long-dead souls of knights and their ladies are speaking to me and I’m not even aware … it makes an interesting thought, that’s for sure.

Most of the historical market is centered around “romance” but your books focus generously on action and adventure as well, why do you think readers are drawn to your work?

I love feedback from my readers, and they definitely tell me what they like, or what they don’t. And I listen! I’m not so arrogant to think that everything I do is perfect. The market, in historicals right now, is hugely populated with erotica, and I offer a change from that. My books are more ‘classic’ style, meaty, with strong stories and vivid characters, and I get a huge amount of feedback from people who appreciate that. Someone once said if you take the sex out of any novel, a truly good book should be able to stand on its storyline alone. I live by that mantra. You can get sex in a story anywhere … but a truly great novel will leave you feeling happy and satisfied even without all of the sex in it. I once had a reader comment on one of my books by saying “Finally! Someone who knows how to write a real novel!” That was perhaps the greatest compliment I could ever receive.

Your characters are often difficult, conflicted and sometimes damaged in some way, which I love; do you feel that the readers who are looking for lighter fare could be turned off by the depth you give the individuals in your stories?

My books aren’t light, that’s for sure. I get into my characters because I love them, like family. I want the reader to love them like family, too. I don’t get too heavy with personal issues or mental problems or anything like that, because that’s just TOO heavy and people read romance because they want to feel good. You don’t want a reader to finish the book and feel depressed. However, I write real people with real issues. That makes them more relatable to the reader, but the author walks a fine line with creating character ‘flaws’ for the simple fact that readers read stories to live vicariously through them, so you don’t want a hero or heroine that’s ‘too’ flawed. That turns readers off in my experience.

I like the fact that the great majority of your historical novels are “stand-alone” but they often are, nonetheless, linked to each other in some way. Can you explain how you keep track of such a large “family” and all the inherent details?

The Le Veque Family Tree! Yes, it’s true: most of my characters are related or at least know other characters or family members from other novels. The simple fact is that my novels all take place between about 1149 A.D. and about 1495 A.D., with most of them taking place in the two hundred year time span between 1200 A.D. and 1400 A.D. It would therefore stand to reason that, England being a relatively small place, that great knights would know other great knights, so that’s kind of how that started. Everybody just started running in to each other. You will find family crossovers all over the place. You will see de Lohrs and de Laras everywhere. Those are perhaps my two biggest families. There are de Russes, Wellesbournes, Hages, le Becs, St. Hevers, de Norvilles, de Reims, etc., etc., popping up here and there. There are grandfathers, sons, uncles, brothers and cousins of characters everywhere. I can keep them straight but sometimes it isn’t easy. One of these days, I’ll have to do a family tree just to keep myself on track because right now, I’m working on a novel that has de Lohr, de Lara, Forbes and de Wolfe all involved with each other.

How heavily do you plot/outline a book and how far do you deviate, if at all, from your original plan?

I plot the general story flow, not chapter by chapter. For instance, how the hero and heroine meet and how the story ends are the two biggest factors in a book. I fill in the rest with adventure, history, love, death, marriage, children, etc. So I’ll outline the story with ‘this is how they meet, this is what happens once they meet, and this is how it ends’, and then stick to the overall outline as I write and fill in details. I rarely, rarely deviate from the original plan; in fact, there are only three books I can think of where I did deviate because the hero was intended to die and I just couldn’t bring myself to do it: “Lord of the Shadows” was one and “Fires of Autumn” was another. A dead hero does not constitute a happy ending, and I have been lambasted by readers for writing what they thought was not a happy ending. People don’t read books to be depressed.

How much do you research for your books, do you travel or mainly read or do both?

I research, research, research! Readers are very educated these days, and mine in particular seem to be, so I make sure my facts are straight. If they’re not, my readers definitely let me know and I love them for it. I have traveled some, but most of my research is done via the internet and the library.

Can you tell us more about your time travel works and the contemporary novels you write as well?

The first time travel I read was Jude Devereux’s “A Knight in Shining Armor”. I loved it!! So after much concocting and reasoning through the logical aspects of time travel, I wrote my first time-travel “The Crusader”. I tried to make the time-travel aspect a very small portion of the overall book, but something that was, in theory, a believable circumstance.

As for my contemporary novels, I kind of got on a kick of writing about American Heroes—a Navy S.E.A.L, a sheriff, an FBI agent, a secret service agent … and, of course, I’m in love with every one of them. Writing the contemporary line is a little out of the box for me, but I really love it. And another big thing you’ll notice about me, as an author, is that I have a huge love of archaeology, and Egyptology in particular, which is where the Kathlyn Trent series was born. I actually wrote her series about 10 years ago, giving Kathlyn the most gorgeous and brilliant husband I could in Dr. Marcus Burton. I followed that pair up last year with a book called “Lady of Heaven” in which readers were introduced to another Egyptologist hunk, Dr. Fox Henredon.  Dr. Fox has gotten some major-league attention from readers and it’s little wonder why—he’s definitely swoon-worthy.

Little known or little realized fact: All of my female characters for my contemporary novels have something in common—every one of them, whether or not they’re a part of a series. All of the women are from Pasadena, California, as I am, and are approximately the same age, and they all know each other. Kathlyn (Trent/Burton series), Cydney (“Resurrection”), Morgan (“Lady of Heaven”), Casey (“Fires of Autumn”), Elliot (“Purgatory”), Blakesley (“Sea of Dreams”), Rory (“The Crusader” and “Kingdom Come”), and the latest one, Alix (“Evenshade”), are all from Pasadena.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? What’s the easiest?

Hardest:  Staying on track to finish one story at a time. I tend to have ten or twelve going on all at once. It’s a bad habit I have.

Easiest:  Writing in general. When I’m in the zone, it flows, and it flows fast.

What is the toughest criticism you have ever received? How did you handle it?

I think I’m pretty accepting of criticism. As a writer, you have to be. But you have to know where to draw the line and not take it too seriously. Sometimes reviewers are very helpful. But sometimes they attack anything and everything about a story, you personally, and the horse you rode in on. I have to step back from those types of reviews (and every writer gets them) and just chalk it up to one person’s individual opinion and leave it at that. I’m not sure if reviewers really realize that authors are people, too, who get their feelings hurt just like everyone else. Sure, we hide behind printed or electronic text, but we’re flesh and blood people. Critique all you want but draw the lines at the personal insults. Those tend to be the toughest to take.

The toughest criticisms I ever received were for a novel called “For Love and Honor”. This book was an out of the box love story with an unexpected ending, and people either loved it or really, REALLY hated it. There was no middle ground. I had one reviewer say “the author must hate her readers” because she was so unhappy with the way the story ended. No, I don’t hate my readers, but I did hate that particular reader/reviewer at that point. Just kidding. No matter how bad the review, or how harsh the critique, I take it all with a grain of salt and try to see something constructive in it. I would never in a million years respond with anger. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I just leave it at that. Take the high road and move on.

What are your current projects?

Remember those ten or twelve unfinished books I mentioned earlier? Well, there you have it. All of those are ‘current projects’. Right now, I’m seriously working on four things in particular—three medievals entitled “While Angels Slept”, “God of War”, and “Dark Steel”, a contemporary called “Evenshade”, and I’m currently editing a novel I wrote about 20 years ago which was about 900 pages long, survived only in hard copy, and was recently scanned and converted back to Word, called “Dark Knight”. It is the prequel to “The White Lord of Wellesbourne” and, in my humble opinion, the best novel I ever wrote. It’s an amazing and epic journey into the world of Gaston de Russe from the time he betrayed Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth and on to finding the love of his life.

Is there a question you would have liked me to ask you?

Let me think … here’s a couple!

KLV: Do you have any methods to your writing (ie, rituals, eccentricities, etc.)?

I am a ‘muse’ person. Almost every male character I have has a ‘muse’—in other words, a man I’ve seen on television or in movies, sports, whatever, who usually has a certain ‘look’. I tend to like very big men, and all of my heroes reflect that. People comment about it, good or bad. But that’s just the way it is. That’s what I like—big, strong men and rather petite women.

But I digress. Anyway, I can tell you exactly who my muses are, character for character, because they’re all living and breathing gentlemen. Example: my muse for Kenneth St. Hever is an actor named Lee Reherman. I’ve emailed with Lee and we are Facebook ‘friends’. He’s a sweetheart, just like Kenneth. Now, I will admit that my muses run back a few decades, so my muses for the Dragonblade Trilogy were guys from a television show I used to watch religiously back in the 90’s called “American Gladiators”. Lee used to be a gladiator. My muse for Tate de Lara was a man named Galen Tomlinson (aka “Turbo”) and my muse for Stephen of Pembury was a man named Steve Henneberry (aka “Tower”). Yes, I know, very corny, but it’s the truth. My heroines, however, are totally different. They’re usually some female I’ve created in my mind, but I swear that, to me, she’s as real as a living, breathing person. I really don’t have any muses for the ladies.

Do I have a writing ritual for starting a novel? Absolutely. First, it has to have a rockin’ title. Second, I have to have my two lead characters named. Third, the opening scene usually has to be something that just reaches out and grabs you. Once I have those three things, I’m usually good to go. That’s the normal formula, although it does vary at times.

Secret: I read my books over and over again and, if needed, change or add things. They’re never 100% completely finished—ever!

-KLV:  Do you have a favorite hero/heroine, or novel?

That’s like asking me if I love one of my children better than the other, but the truth is that I do have favorites. Every author does. My favorite heroes are Matthew Wellesbourne (“The White Lord of Wellesbourne”), Kenneth St. Hever (Dragonblade Trilogy), Beck Seavington (“Sea of Dreams”) and Colt Sheridan (“Fires of Autumn”). That’s just the top tier. I could go on because I love each and every one of the guys for their outstanding qualities. As far as my favorite novels, I love all of them, of course, but I think some of the best ones out there are “The Savage Curtain”, “Fires of Autumn”, “The White Lord of Wellesbourne”, and “Great Protector”. I actually have a novel outline where the heroine is an author (me??) and she enters into an altered state through a medical emergency and ends up meeting nine of her most famous heroes. These guys are there to help her find her way ‘home’ because she ‘gave them life’. It’s an adventure, and a really good one. Think of it as “The Wizard of Oz”, except instead of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion, we have Tate de Lara, Kieran Hage, and Richmond le Bec.  I’m not sure I would really want to find my way home if that was the case …!

-KLV:  Tell us something about the giveaway book and your inspiration behind it.

Answer: The Dark Lord is my giveaway book, and it has been one of my very best sellers. I think every woman loves a ‘bad boy’ and every man, deep down, wants to be a ‘bad boy’, so this is a book for both sexes. When I conceived of The Dark Lord, it was as the lead-off book in a series called “The Titans”. I wanted to write about a group of nasty, vicious and brutal men and the women who tamed them. Ajax de Velt is the baddest of the bunch, raised by a ruthless father, knowing little affection growing up, he turned in to a murder machine. He conquers, he takes what he wants, and kills anything he perceives as a threat. When he conquers Pelinom Castle on the Scots border, he meets a beautiful slip of a woman who intrigues him. Gradually, the warlord develops feelings for the lovely Lady Kellington and in doing so, realizes there’s more to life than what he’s known. Kelli shows him beauty where all he’s known is ugliness. It’s truly a beautiful tale of an awakening, but it’s not for the faint of heart. When I say Jax is a brutal guy, I mean it. The beginning of the book is very nasty and graphic. Like one reviewer said, this isn’t a Disney story, but it is an amazing tale of love and the growth of the human spirit. In every man, there is hope.

KLV: If there was one thing you could say to your readers, what would it be?

Easy. Thank you!!!

Thank you so much, Kathryn, for stopping by.

You can follow Kathryn via her blogspot or friend her on Facebook or Twitter. She also can be found on Goodreads.

Blog:http://www.kathrynleveque.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathrynLeVeque
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5989639.Kathryn_Le_Veque

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