Hey Hunny thanks for taking the time to do a interview for book pimpers.
Thank you so much for asking me! This is my first interview and I am super excited!
Can you tell us your name and a bit about yourself:
My name is Kathryn Andrews. My close friends call me Kathy, my boys call me Mama, and my husband always calls me Wife. “Hey Wife, where would you like to go to dinner tonight?” or “Wife! I love you.” Bless him, he makes my heart squeeze.
A little bit about myself: I drink almost a whole pot of coffee every morning, I have a huge sweet tooth, I love to run (gotta do something to burn off the sweets), pizza is hands down my favorite food (insert the running again here LOL), I hate spiders (insert running again here too!), I’ve been married to the most wonderful man for over 11 years, I always wanted two boys and I got them (they are perfect), we take old-fashioned road trips every summer, I love a late afternoon thunderstorm, sangria is my adult beverage of choice, and I could never decide between the mountains or the beach I love them both.
Tell us the name of your upcoming debut novel and the release date.
My upcoming debut novel is called Drops of Rain. The release date is…drumroll….August 11th!!! Yay! And the fans go wild.
When and why did you begin writing?
I think that I have always been writing. When I was in either 1st or 2nd grade, I used to walk from the elementary school to the junior high across the street and I would wait in my next door neighbor’s classroom until she was ready to leave. I remember sitting at a little desk, which looking back I think was in a closet, and writing a story about two rabbits. Stories and ideas constantly flood my mind. My best friend Brandie once asked me how and where I came up with these ideas and really I don’t know… they are just there.
What inspired you to write your first book?
So that would be my husband. He has watched me for years write down bits and pieces of stories and several years ago he came across http://www.nanowrimo.org. In November, they have a 50k, 30 day writing challenge and he challenged me to do it, which I did. Now you may be wondering what happened to that story? It is sitting on my desktop waiting for this series to be finished. It is the next project to be tackled.
This past New Years, I finally said I was going to do it. I made writing and completing my first novel my resolution. Another thing to know about me is that if I say I’m going to do something I always follow through .
How did you come up with the title of your book or series?
I don’t know. Or well, at least I don’t remember. Most great brilliant thoughts seem to come to me in the middle of the night when I am trying to sleep. But I can tell you this, I wanted the title to have a double meaning. Drops of Rain. Allyson Rain is the female lead. She has a couple of moments in the story where being in the rain is significant and for my male lead Drew, the drops of rain are her. Whether it is interpreted as how she has dropped into his life, how her tear drops affect him, whatever… it’s how the reader views it.
Who is your intended audience and why should they read your book?
My intended audience is anyone who loves a good emotional read and/or a romance story. It’s funny because when a few of my friends started reading the rough draft, they all commented on it being a YA book. I never really considered it YA or NA, just a contemporary romance. I can see why people think that, it’s their age, but I just wanted to write a love story about two characters who find each other when they most need someone. What do you think Book Pimpers, what genre does it fall into for you?
Who is your favorite character from your book and why?
I CAN’T pick a favorite character! LOL I don’t really have one. I know who the reader’s favorite character is… Beau. I do love Beau so much. He was only meant to be a secondary character. Drops of Rain was intended to be a standalone, which it is in a way, but all of the beta’s who read the story wanted more Beau. I am currently working on his story, it should be done and out late fall or early winter.
How about your least favorite character? What makes them less appealing to you?
My least favorite character is hands down the guy’s dad. Parents are meant to love their children unconditionally. Without giving away too much, it just needs to be said that he is a BAD dad .
What was the hardest part of writing your books?
The hardest part for me is connecting the scenes. A lot of writers start at page one and work their way through their story, not me. I think in scenes. One day it could be a scene in chapter 2 and then the next day it is a scene that takes place three quarters in. Most of them just lay out so vividly and clearly in my mind I have to write them down. Once the scenes are down, I have to make them flow. That to me is the hard part.
If you could change ONE thing about your novel, what would it be? Why?
I don’t think that I would change anything. I love it just the way it turned out…
Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about your book or series.
OMGosh! (Smiling from ear to ear) If you have read my book or plan on reading any of these three books in the Hale Brothers Series, you should know that Beau is the King of fun facts. He and Ali banter back and forth, each trying to one up the other. An example: Did you know that the almond is not a nut? It is part of the peach family.
Another nice to know is that Anna Maria Island is one of my favorite places in the world. It is very quaint and we vacation there every summer. You will see the island pop up in other books of mine as well.
Also, in all of my stories, one person somehow, one way connects to another one of my stories. An example would be: I have another project started on my desktop about the girl who owns the condo that Drew and Ali rent in NYC, and the guy who owns the home in the Hamptons. So, be on the lookout between each book, the connections are there.
Whilst writing your book did you have much support from family and friends?
My husband and my kids have been amazing. There isn’t a word strong enough to describe the support that they gave me. Their excitement and encouragement, it just meant the world to me. My oldest son even wrote a poem about rain, you’ll find it after the dedication. As for my friends, yes they were there for me too. I didn’t tell too many, but those that I did, their daily support helped push me along. In a way, you have to feel a little bad for them… months and months of talk about teenagers and dragonflies, I’m sure at some point it just got old. LOL I am blessed for them all.
Do you have any unique talents or hobbies?
Racking my brain..??? Well, I don’t know about talents, but I do have several hobbies. I love to run, travel, read, write, cook, and make quilts. Yes, I am in my thirties and I love quilting. But that story is for another day…
What can we expect from you in the future?
Just more. I plan on being around for a while…
What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?
Leave a review on Amazon and tell your friends who love to read romances. Word of mouth is probably best, especially for indie authors. I want to take a second here to say thank you in advance… Thank you for loving my story. People define success in different ways. Having people
love my story and the reviews that have already come in, no matter what happens when it goes live on the 11th, I already feel successful.
Do you have any tips for readers or advice for other writers trying to get published?
If you are trying to get published, I am the wrong person to ask. I know nothing about trying to get noticed by a publishing house. If you are looking to publish your book yourself, reach out to me personally… don’t be shy. I will help in any way that I can. It’s all about pay-it-forward.
Did you learn anything from writing your book?
Yes… that I can do it. And maybe, just maybe I did it well. I am proud of myself. I accomplished something that has been on my list for years and that’s a good feeling. Yay me!!!
Is there anything else you would like to say?
Just thank you. Thank you for asking me to do this interview; and thank you to the readers who are interested in reading Drops of Rain. I hope that you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
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