JULIE KENNER
Affaire de Coeur's January and February, 2010 Author of the Month
AdC: You actually write across several genres of books. Tell me about that.
JK: Honestly, it's just my wacky imagination. I read across genres, so writing across them made sense. But you're right--I've done a lot, from chick lit suspense to category romance to funny paranormal romance (with superheroes!) to urban fantasy, both dark and light. And YA, too!
AdC: Tell me how you got into writing.
JK: I've wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember! I wrote short stories and poetry as a kid, then did the school paper and worked on my college paper, but my love was really novels. Problem was I didn't have a road map to a job as "novelist." Plus, I like eating and paying my rent, so a steady paycheck was appealing. I majored in journalism, but then switched to film and considered writing screenplays (clearly not paying attention to that "steady paycheck" voice). I graduated very young, though, and was too chicken to move to LA, so I bummed around doing some media related jobs, then took the LSAT because, hey, it seemed like the thing to do (for someone as Type A as I can be, looking back I detect a serious lack of focus!). I had a knack for the law, loved the research and writing component, and ended up clerking on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. That was a two-year gig, and I interviewed with LA firms and ended up moving to California, figuring I'd practice entertainment law, which I did to a certain extent.
But, I also got bit by the creative bug all over again. I met a guy also interested in writing, and he and I wrote two screenplays, one that sucked, and the other, which got some interest in Hollywood, but was never optioned. After I got married and moved to Orange County, it was too hard to continue writing together in those early Internet days, so I started thinking about writing novels again. I discovered category romances and thought that with my insane lawyer schedule, I should focus on that, as the books have a shorter page count. I wrote one, got decent feedback, and discovered RWA. I was fortunate to sell my second manuscript to Harlequin Temptation, along with my third, a full length paranormal called The Cat's Fancy, both as the result of RWA contests.
AdC: You put out a lot of books, as well as have a family and pets. How do you manage all of it?
JK: Lots and lots of post-its and lists! Seriously, I make a list the night before of the school schedule for the next day, and I have an on-going spreadsheet of how many pages I want to get through in order to stay on track with various deadlines. When life is especially crazy, I tend to stay up very late and work on weekends. Fortunately, I'm a night owl anyway!
As for page count tips, I put post-its on my wall representing X number of words (usually 500 or 1000) and when I hit that number, I get to rip off a post-it. So if my daily goal is 2000 words, then I'd have four post-its. It's surprisingly effective!
AdC: Who are your favorite authors? Who inspires you?
JK: This is such a hard question because there are just too many!!! My absolute favorite is J.D. Robb. I love the In Death books. Beyond that, I read pretty much anything and everything, though not nearly as much as I wish I had time for. My favorite book is A Wrinkle in Time, and my favorite adult book is hard to say, but probably The Pillars of The Earth. So many urban fantasy and paranormal romance authors inspire me. The width and breadth of imagination in these genres (heck, across all fiction) is astounding.
AdC: Where do you live? Tell us about it.
JK: I live in Georgetown, Texas, which is just north of Austin. It's great! Still has small town charm, but with urban amenities, which I like (What can I say? I genuinely loved it when I lived in LA. I'm a city girl at heart). One of our favorite things is to go to the town square on the various market days. It's great because we usually bump into at least one or two people we know.
AdC: What would you love to say to your avid readers?
JK: Thank you so much, and please don't hesitate to contact me (email, Twitter, Facebook ... there are lots of ways!). It sometimes takes me a while to respond, what with deadlines and life, but I love hearing from readers!
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