|
|
|
|
|
Though Marty Kindall and I have never met face to face—we’ve been in the same building at the same time, definitely proving that the world can be very small at times. Both of us are Aerosmith fans and—yep, you guessed it—we ended up at the same concert, in the same city, at the same arena, on the same night. Makes you go all goose-pimply, doesn’t it?
Marty Kindall is one of those rare and gifted writers who can draw you into her fictional world and make you wish you could remain there. Her novels are filled with nostalgia, vintage romance, and a splash of suspense to liven up an already terrific story. Her heroes are always strong, yet gentle—bad boys, yet honorable. Her heroines are strong-willed, yet open to suggestions—self-sufficient, yet loving.
When she writes her vintage stories, she listens to the Big Band station on her Internet radio. She’s now working on a romance set in ancient Rome, so she listens to soundtracks from 300, Gladiator, and Kingdom of Heaven.
Ms. Kindall grew up in Columbus, Ohio, where, as a child, she sought adventure outside—digging a big hole in the back yard in search of China, making up stories and acting them out, and reenacting television shows with her older brother. Sounds a lot like my childhood. As she grew older, she learned to sing and play the piano—something she only does in private now.
Some of her favorite things include polar bears, salt bagels, sushi, cookies and cream ice cream, and chai tea latte from Starbucks. She loves her friends, her family, the beach, tooling around Charleston, South Carolina, the color pink, road trips with friends, exploring new cities, and spending the day at a bookstore.
On Writing, in Marty Kindall’s Own Words
What or who inspires you to write?
Something like a song, poem, or even a simple phrase might spark an idea. I have a file full of those little snippets—not stories yet, but pieces of something that need to ferment before assuming a shape.
For the vintage stories, listening to friends talk about their families and experiences in the early 20th century can often lend weight to an idea. For the paranormal series I’m working on, something in the Bible actually sparked a line of “what if?” questions for me that I ended up trying to answer in these books.
Why did you begin writing?
As a child, I was an avid reader. Every Saturday morning, I’d wake up early, grab a book, and read it through before anyone else got up. Around age ten, it occurred to me that I could write my own stories to entertain myself because I couldn’t always get to the library or afford a new book. That’s still my basic motivation for writing—my own amusement. If someone else enjoys it, too, all the better.
Which author inspires you?
One of the first authors to inspire me was Judy Blume. For my generation, she was “it.” Then came Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. So tragic, yet beautiful. More recently, Ann Rice—it’s amazing how every time I reread one of her novels, I get something different from it. This past year, I read The Secrets of Jin-Shei and Embers of Heaven by Alma Alexander. She does a wonderful job of mixing traditional Chinese history with new fantasy elements. Authors like these inspire me to think bigger, outside the box of my own mind.
What do you find most rewarding about writing?
I enjoy all types of writing, from academic papers to fiction, and the reward has always been in doing a good job and knowing you’ve created something you can be proud of, something you and (hopefully) others can enjoy and use. I also found, after the release of my first novel in 2006, that people wanted to talk about the book. Many of my friends, family, and coworkers bought the book, and I had to get used to answering questions about something that used to be a very private thing. That kind of interest is something I never expected but truly appreciate.
When is your next book due out, and what’s it about?
My last release was Bootlegger’s Bride, a Vintage Rose novella from The Wild Rose Press, which came out May 25, 2007. This is the fourth story in a series called The Legacy of the Celtic Brooch, in which readers can follow this heirloom through time and space through each of The Wild Rose Press lines. I’ve recently completed edits for a Vintage Rose novel titled All in Good Time, which is the romance between a transplanted Yankee schoolteacher and a scandalous divorcee in the mid-1940s. It’s set in the same North Carolina mountain town as all my other stories, so you’ll see some familiar faces. All in Good Time is now available at The Wild Rose Press.
Look for a review of All in Good Time coming soon. In the meantime, you can read my reviews of her other novels: The Knot and Bootlegger’s Bride.
To learn all the latest news about Marty Kindall, visit her online at MartyKindall.com. Find out what you’ve been missing by reading one of her wonderful vintage romance novels. You might just discover that the years been 1900 and 1940 are a fascinating time period after all.
|
|
|
|
