Cate Lord {Author #Interview}

Today we’re excite to have author of Lucky Girl, Cate Lord. One of our reviewers, Kay, enjoyed her book (review here) and got the chance to ask a couple questions with us.

On to the interview…

Welcome Cate to The Book Faery Reviews!

CL: Thank you so much!  I’m excited to be today’s guest.

I read that you wrote your first novella at 12 and full manuscript at 16, both of which you still have in the back of your filing cabinet. Have you ever thought about editing/revising them for publishing?

CL: Absolutely.  :-)  I read through part of the full manuscript, a young adult fantasy romance, a couple of years ago, and decided there was a workable story there.  However, the style of novel writing has changed a lot since I was a teenager; books are much faster paced today.  I also approach my writing differently now that I’ve published seven novels, and would need to do extensive revisions on the manuscript.  It’s a project I plan to tackle one day.  Not in the immediate future, though.

In one sentence, how would you summarize your latest romance novel, Lucky Girl?

CL: When American beauty editor Jess Devlin goes to England for a wedding, she meets again sexy marketing exec Nick Mondinello and tries her best not to fall in love with him.

You have several Historical Romance books under the name Catherine Kean, what inspired you to write Lucky  Girl, a contemporary romance, and under the name Cate Lord? Was the book written from the heart or from a life experience?

CL: Lucky Girl was written as a challenge.  My muse snuck the glimmer of an idea into my mind, and I just couldn’t let it go.  Part of me was curious to know whether, after writing dark, angsty, adventurous historicals, I could pen a light-hearted, funny, contemporary romantic comedy.  I think it’s good to stretch creative boundaries sometimes, and writing Lucky Girl was a positive challenge for me.

You asked if the book was written from the heart.  Yes.  All of my novels are, but this was one was especially close to me because it’s loosely based on a year I spent in England.  I lived with my uncle and aunt in Hertfordshire and on weekdays, traveled by train to London to attend classes.  On weekends, I partied with a wonderful bunch of friends I’d met through my English cousins.  I met my charming British husband at one of these parties. J  Jess, the heroine of Lucky Girl, isn’t me, but some of her experiences are based on situations I encountered.

Reading Lucky Girl was certainly refreshing without having to pick thru all of the super model musts and realizing Jess is just like a best friend next door.  What took you in that direction as opposed to the usual beauty queen most women read about in romance novels?

CL: First off, thank you!  I wanted Jess to be like a best friend, and I’m so glad she came across that way.  That’s one of the reasons I wrote the book in first person, and from her viewpoint.  Jess embodies all of the issues that affect most modern women, with her concerns about her weight, physical appearance, finances, dating, workplace politics, job performance, fashion disasters, relationship with her mom, and more.  Jess is definitely a neurotic, quirky gal, but I intended that, because if we can laugh at a character, sometimes that humor encourages us to take a closer look at ourselves. J

I also wanted to show how much Jess changes through the book.  While Lucky Girl is a light read, at heart it’s the story of how she heals emotionally.  In the early pages of the book, she’s got very low self-esteem, thanks to her unfaithful fiancé, and that lack of confidence is reflected in the way she thinks about herself and the world around her.  By the end of the novel, she’s “whole” again.  She’s happy in her own skin, and that’s due in part to the love of the right man: Nick.

In Lucky Girl, where did Plucky Penguin and his sidekick, Chicky Dee, come from?

CL: How I loved these fun characters! J  Plucky Penguin is a James Bondish spy hero extraordinaire (and yes, he’s a penguin), and Chicky Dee is his sassy female sidekick.  Both are products of my wild imagination, as is the cancelled British TV show called The Adventures of Plucky Penguin that’s mentioned in the book.  Jess constantly imagines Nick as Plucky Penguin, and herself as his Chicky Dee.  It was a lot of fun being able to add extra humor into the story through these clever penguins.

And lastly, any sneak peaks into a future novel contemporary or historical?

CL: I’m actually working on two projects right now, both paranormals.  One is contemporary and one is historical.  I’m also mulling over a follow-on book to Lucky Girl.  So, my muse and I have plenty to be working on.  More details, when I can make them available, will be posted on my websites: www.catelord.com and www.catherinekean.com.

Thanks so much Cate for stopping by and answering our questions. We do hope you come back again for your next novel!

CL: Thanks!  I’d love to come back for another interview.  I really enjoyed this one.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Cate Lord has always loved to write. She penned her first novella at age twelve and her first full-length manuscript at sixteen.

After completing a B.A., double major (first class), in English and History from the University of Victoria, B.C., Canada, she was accepted into the post-graduate Works of Art Course run by Sotheby’s auctioneers in London, England, where she studied centuries of history, antiques, and fine art.  She worked in Canada for several years as an antique and fine art appraiser.

Busy working on her next novel, Catherine lives in Central Florida with her husband, daughter, and a very spoiled rescue cat.

Jessica Devlin isn’t looking for love. Heartbroken after being dumped by her unfaithful ex-fiancé, she’s determined to have a fabulous time during her vacation in England where she’ll be maid-of-honor at her cousin’s wedding. After working overtime as beauty editor of Orlando’s O Tart magazine, avoiding dating, and putting on ten pounds, Jess is ready to toss her past like an empty lipstick tube and party like a single gal.

But when she steps into the church on her cousin’s wedding day, she sees the one man who could sabotage her plan—James-Bond-gorgeous Nick Mondinello. She’s never forgotten the London marketing exec who held her in his arms after her beloved grandfather’s funeral two years ago. Ambitious, and lusted after by women everywhere, Nick is completely wrong for guarded, Plain Jane Jess.

Could Spy Man Nick ever fall for her? Nope. Not unless Jess is one lucky girl.

• Genre: Contemporary Romance
• Length: 268 pages
• Launch Date: September 2011
• ePub ISBN: 978-1-937044-20-6
• Print ISBN: 978-1-937044-21-3