Author Interview of Carol Ann Kauffman

GIRL WITH PEN GIVES A WARM WELCOME TO AUTHOR CAROL ANN KAUFFMAN. IT IS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU.  THANKS FOR TAKING TIME OUT OF YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE TO ANSWER MY READERS QUESTIONS 




Carol Ann Kauffman is the author of twenty books to date, from short stories to full-length novels. Her novels, classified as romantic action adventures with a sci-fi/ fantasy twist, and mysteries. They’re about life, love, loss, and lunacy. She is a retired teacher from a local school district in Ohio, where she taught for thirty-five years. She has worked as a printer, managed a department store office, worked as an insurance agent, and worked in the hardware and automotive departments of a large store. She was a Red Cross volunteer. Carol loves to travel; her favorite places being Italy and Aruba, which show up in her novels quite a bit. She loves to play Bridge and to garden. She grows African violets and orchids. Carol loves dachshunds and trains. She is the author of the Time After Time series, which follows a pair of lovers through their many lifetimes together, and the Cat Collier Mysteries, as well as holiday short stories with Books To Go Now Publishers. Connect with Carol on Twitter at @Cay47. Visit her website at carolannkauffman.weebly.com or visit her blog, Vision and Verse at visionandverse.blogspot.com.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Q: Can you tell us a little about yourself to start?

I was born and raised in northern Ohio, in a bleak little town no one ever heard of, where I learned to read before I went to school out of sheer boredom. I taught first grade in my local school system for 35 years, traveling as much as possible during the summers. When I retired, I got my passport and discovered Europe. Italy is amazing. Have you been there? Go!

Q: How are you feeling now that your latest book is out & on tour?

I had al booksigning at the historical museum in my hometown to celebrate it’s release. It’s always fun to see old friends and familiar faces, as well as meet new people. It’s always scary, even after twenty books. It’s like, but will they like THIS one?

Q: What inspires you to write?

A touching moment. An electrifying look between secret lovers. An emotional embrace. A true life love story. The imagery I get from a love song.

Q: Describe your book in 3 words?

Romantic. Emotional. Honest.

Q: Out of all of your books do you have a favorite character or couple? 

Richard MacKenzie, the main male character in the Time After Time sereis. He’s tall, dark, and handsome, yet shy. He has no idea how appealing he is. It is difficult for him to open up, but when he does, he is honest and sweet and vulnerable. And he is outstanding at rushing in to rescue the love of his life, whether she needs rescuing or not.

Q: Are you currently working on a new book at this time?

I work on three or four at the time. Right now, I’m working on The Captain and the Ambassador, a sci-fi romantic adventure. The Ambassador is traveling back home to Earth after a lengthy mission as a peace negotiator. She’s exhausted, irritable, and just wants to be left alone. The Captain of the starship she’s aboard is the flirty bad boy of the quadrant, who eyes her as next on his list of passenger conquests. They clash.

Q: Do you have a routine you follow when you write? (i.e. listen to music, sit in a certain chair or at a certain desk).

No. I wrote the first few chapters of Charming Deception, a time travel love story, on my iphone on vacation in Florida. I usually have a notebook or something with me to write.

Q: How do your stories & characters develop?

It starts with one big inspirational scene and then how I want the story to end.. After that, I develop the characters through detailed character studies. Then, I let them play together!

Q: What was the first thing that came to your mind when your first book was published? 

How do you spell “Hallellulea”? It was a terrific feeling. Holding that first paperback in my hands, cluthing it to me actually, was a magical moment. And, you know, it never gets old.
   
Q: Do you have favorite author whose books you love to read?

M.C. Beaton. She writes the Agatha Raisin series and the Hamish MacBeth series. I love, love, love her books and am always sad to get to the last page. Her main characters, her supporting characters, the plot twists, the scenic locales – I love them all, whether it’s the Cotswolds or the Scottish Highlands.

Q: What is your favorite genre to read & write? 

I read everything except horror, bloody violence, and zombie stuff, because I like to sleep peacefully. I try to read a variety of books. I like to write romantic adventure stories with strong, smart women, sometimes with a sci-fi twist.

Q: How do you go about creating the most “Swoonworthy” character?

I write the character as honestly as I can. If he’s got it, it shines through.


Q: If you could have dinner with anyone in the world who would it be & why?

Neil deGrasse Tyson. He is not only a brilliant astrophysicist, he appears to be personable and funny and is very up on current affairs.

Q: As a child what did you want to do when you grew up? 

At first, I wanted to be a fireman. Then as a teenager, I wanted to be an airline stewardess and discovered to my horror, I was too short! I was mad at my little Italian parents for a whole week. I started college as an art major. I am not sure when I switched to education. It just happened. But for 35 years, I loved what I did.

Q: Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be? 

I always wrote. It was a release. I won little essay contests in grade school and high school. I liked to write.

Q: If you could go on a date with one of the male/female characters from a book who would it be (Character name, Book Title & Author's Name) and what would you do on that date?

Police officer Hamish MacBeth from M.C. Beaton’s series of the same name. a tall, slim, shy redhead who avoids a promotion so he can stay in his beloved little Scottish hamlet. We would pack a picnic lunch of wine and cheese, fresh bread, maybe some strawberries, and take a ride up into the heather-covered hills. We’d spend a blanket out in a sunny spot and…converse.

Q: Do you have a favorite playlist that you listen to when you write? 

No, I need silence.

Q: Do you read all the reviews for your book(s)?

Yes.

Q: Which do you prefer paperback, hardback or ebooks & why?

I like them all, I read them all, but I love paperbacks. The feel of the book in my hands, substantial but with some ‘give’ when you squeeze.

Q: What are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it? What format is it in (ebook, hardback or paperback) and who is the author?

I’m reading Hyperspace, a paperback by Michio Kaku. It is not light reading and sometimes I have to go back and reread it to get it. But yes, I am enjoying it. He makes very difficult subject material easy to understand.

Q: Of all of the books you have written do you have a favorite & why?

This is like asking which of your children is your favorite. You HAVE one, but you’re not supposed to say. Generally, I like the one I’m working on at the time because it’s new and fresh and still evolving.

Q: When you aren't writing what do you do to relax and have fun?

I love to garden, to putsy in the dirt when the weather permits. I grow African violets and orchids during the winter. We still travel quite a bit, which is really bad on the orchids and violets. We enjoy old car shows, trains, and quilt shows. We visit art museums in whatever city we’re in. I play Bridge to exercise the other half of my brain.

Okay now some fun ones:
Q: What are your favorite types of heroines? Do you like the damsel in distress who needs saving or the kick-ass variety? Why? Kick-ass women because whiny girls who wait around to be rescued get on my nerves.

Q: Can you tell us about your worst date ever?

In high school, a really nice guy asked me to go to see a movie at the local drive in. We bought some snacks at the concession stand. He bought some caramel swirly candies with a white center, I don’t think they even make them anymore. And I had one or two and the gooey caramel made my braces stick together and I started yelling (with my teeth stuck together) and rushing to the bathroom (he followed, not sure what was wrong with me) and splashing my mouth with warm water. I could not get them unstuck, so we had to come home early. The End.

Q: What is your one “guilty pleasure”?

Horseracing. I love to watch the ponies run. I love to look up the statistics and try to figure out how they’re going to do that day. I go down to the paddock to look at them all before the race. Luckily, I am not a big better. I just like to pick them.

Q: What is or was your most embarrassing moment or the craziest thing you have ever don’t?

Come on you can’t hold out on everyone. LOL
I was working the identification table at an antique glass show in Pennsylvania and I’d seen some gorgeous pieces that were very rare and beautiful. My boyfriend came to pick me up for lunch and I’m walking and jabbering on about these gorgeous pieces and I followed him without paying attention to anything. And he reached down and unzipped his pants. And I thought, wow, I have to stop this, so I grabbed his hand and said quietly, “Honey, do you know what you’re doing?” To which he replied with a wicked smile, “Honey, do you know you’re in the men’s room?”

Q: Do you have a favorite love scene from a book or movie? Which book/movie & scene? 

How about a little of This or That: 
Coffee or Tea? Coffee
Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
Kinky or Sweet?  Sweet
Tall, dark & handsome or blonde, surfer type?  Tall, dark, handsome
Dine in or Dine out? Dine in. I like to cook.
Sunset or Sunrise? Both
Steak or Chicken? Fish
Cats or Dogs?  Both
Dom or Sub? Dom
Summer or Winter?  Summer
Shower or Bath?  Shower
Beer or Wine? Wine
Scary or Comedy? Comedy
Biker or Billionaire? Billionaire
Thong or Comando? Commando
Rock or Country? Rock
Vanilla or Toys? Vanilla
Pink or Black?  Pink

THANK YOU AUTHOR CAROL ANN KAUFFMAN.  I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO READING YOUR BOOKS.