Kathy L. Wheeler, who writes as Kae Elle Wheeler, has graciously
consented to an interview so readers can learn more about her as well as her Cinderella series:
CC: Where did you grow up?
Kae: I was born in Maine,
grew up in Texas, high school in Colorado, then back to Texas and eventually
ended up in Oklahoma. I have a very strange family line that could take up this
entire interview. But to keep it simple: My mother and my father were both
married 6 times. My stepmother had one son. My stepfather (who currently lives
in the Seattle area, had two sons. So sibling-wise, I have two real sisters and
3 stepbrothers. (these are the siblings I claim, well, that I grew up with)?
CC: Were you considered a “bookworm” or a jock?
Kae: I was definitely a
bookworm. I didn’t date in high school. I collected Harlequin books. I wish I’d
kept them....
CC: Married, single?
Kae: I am married. I have
one daughter. She had a baby last January! I thought she’d planned on not
having children. He’s a cutie.
CC: Lucky you. Who are your favorite authors and
favorite genres?
Kathy: I love historical
romance. But I also love contemporary, but historical is my absolute favorite.
But I’m also a person who follows an author faithfully. Jayne Ann Krentz is my
favorite. Which works out well, because she also writes historical under Amanda
Quick and paranormal under Jayne Castle.
CC: What’s your favorite way to relax and recharge?
Kae: I am a huge NFL and NBA fan.
I hold season tickets to the Oklahoma City Thunder (and Russell Westbrook is my
favorite player). I play in two NFL fantasy football leagues. I also love
musical theater and hold season tickets to the Broadway touring company in Oklahoma
City. I love to travel, read, write, oh....and karaoke.
CC: Do you have a favorite quote that sums up how you
feel about life?
Kae: Well, I did write a
book called Quotable. The heroine uses obscure quotes to keep people from
getting too close. And there is on in particular that cracks me up. “The more I
learn about men, the more I love my dog.” She says this to her friend, who
responds with, “You don’t even have a dog.”
CC: What cute lines. How long have you been writing?
Kae: I started writing in
late 2006. I joined RWA/OKRWA in March of 2007. It turns out, I’m a fairly fast
writer. I have over ten books out....
CC: Where do you prefer to write?
Kae: I was a computer
programmer in day life up until this past March. My husband is an attorney and
sole proprietor. When I was laid off, I moved into his office and started
answering his phones and writing full time. So I use a laptop. On occasion when
I’m stuck, I will go to a restaurant and sit at the bar and write in a
notebook. I can tune almost anything out except music. I have a vocal minor
music degree and listening to music distracts me because I start analyzing the
person singing. Did she take a breath there? How did she sound out that st / s
on the word “lasts”... You see what I mean....
CC: Yes, I listen to classical for that reason. I don’t
have a musical background but I love music. If there are lyrics, I can’t tune
them out. Are you a plotter or a panzer?
Kathy: I sit down with an
idea and run with it to a certain point. Then I start making notes at the end
of my document of things to include or go back and add. I’m not a strong
plotter.
CC: Do you use real events or persons in your stories
or as an inspiration for stories?
Kae: Again, using Quotable
as an example, I was telling my husband one day that I had a situation
(Venus/Mars type of thing). Anyway, he said, “So, basically, you have a
bilateral miscommunication.” I’m thinking OMG. That’s hilarious. So my
character quotes him. It’s pretty
funny. It’s toward the end of the book, in case you were wondering.
CC: Do you set daily writing goals?
Kae: I don’t set writing
goals. When I was president of my chapter, I set a daily word count of 300
words so I wouldn’t get off track. It paid off. I finished 3 books that year.
And now that I’m sitting at my own desk with a great view of Penn Square Mall
in Oklahoma City, I do write every day.
CC: What do you hope your writing brings to readers?
Kae: I just hope they love
reading my stuff as well as I love writing it.
CC: Me, too. What long-term plans do you have for your
career?
Kae: I want to make my own
way with my writing. I’ve always been a day late and a dime short. In writing,
you don’t have to be the prettiest, the smartest, the best because each
writer’s voice is so subjective. You write from your heart and your readers
will be able to tell.
CC: That’s true. With billions of readers, each of us
has a voice that will attract her share. What advice would you give to
unpublished authors?
Kae: I’ve had this question
many times. The answer is the same every time. Sit your ass in the chair. You
can’t edit a blank page. An unwritten manuscript won’t sell (you’d have to get
back that advance)
CC: Good advice. Share a fun fact readers wouldn’t
know about you.
Kae: Well, I did sing at
the Oklahoma Opry once. I sang Paper Roses...
CC: Is your book a series? If so, how long? Family
saga, other?
Kae: THE PRICE OF SCORN is
book four of my Cinderella Series.
THE WRONGED PRINCESS – book i
THE UNLIKELY HEROINE – book
ii
THE SURPRISING ENCHANTRESS –
book iii
THE PRICE OF SCORN – book iv:
Cinderella’s Evil Stepmother
CC: Can you give readers a blurb about your book?
Kathy: Here is a blurb about
THE PRICE OF SCORN:
Fairy tales don’t always end
happily...
Lady Hildegard Roche has
nothing but resentment and scorn for the stepchild who culminates all that was
stolen from her. Fourteen years after Prince Charming and Cinderella are
crowned as King and Queen of Chalmers, Cinderella and her sisters gather at
their mother’s deathbed. Stunned speechless, the sisters learn how tragedy
shaped their mother into the woman she became. The question is: Can they
forgive her?
CC: How about an excerpt from THE PRICE OF SCORN?
Ke: Certainly:
Hilda squinted in
the afternoon sun over the array of blooms that normally calmed her. “Lord
Roche,” she began. “I cannot—” The words were more difficult to say than she’d
envisioned. Her knees shook beneath her skirts and she forced herself to move,
lest she collapse. At the low terrace wall, she laid her hands atop.
“Please, your
grace. I must apologize for placing you in such a precarious position.”
She glanced at him,
his earnest expression tugging at her.
He began to pace.
“’Tis true. As I said, I am looking for a wife. But, I feel there is something
truly special about you.”
Her short laugh
erupted at the irony. “Me, special? Lord Ro—”
“I have not
explained to anyone why I need a wife.”
Hilda paused.
He stopped before
her, captured her gaze. “Anyone can see how much you love your children. Your
face lights up the dark just saying Lady Pricilla’s name.”
Something inside
melted a little. “Oui, Lord Roche. That is so. She—they—are my world,” she said
softly. Steeling herself against long dead dreams, she straightened and her
tone sharpened. “That changes nothing, sir.”
“Do you fear for
your children?”
“Every day,” she
bit out, feeling as if Gustaf still had his hand gripped about her throat,
squeezing.
“They’ve nothing to
fear from me.”
She looked away from
his gaze back over the garden. She almost believed him. But a woman was always
under a man’s control.
CC: Intriguing. Where can readers find THE PRICE OF
SCORN and your other books?
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1PzMQll
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1EY5ygB
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1JmPuJt
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1UetsLU
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1U7GLTP
 |
| Kae Elle Wheeler, Author |
Kathy L Wheeler (writing as Kae Elle Wheeler) graduated
from the University of Central Oklahoma with a BA in Management Information
Systems that includes a Vocal Minor. She is an avid theater buff (holds season
tickets to Broadway Series in OKC), loves the NFL and NBA (also holds season
tickets to Thunder Basketball in OKC), loves travel, people and karaoke.
She is a member of several RWA chapters, including OKRWA,
DARA, and The Beau Monde. She writes both Contemporary and Historical romance.
Kathy/Kae lives with her musically talented husband in
Edmond, Oklahoma, has one grown daughter who recently had a baby, and one bossy
cat!
For more about Kathy / Kae Elle please visit:
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