Interview with KAT HENRY DORAN, Author of VENGEANCE IS MINE.

What made you decide to be an author? I think the desire was always there, probably as far back as grade school. I didn't really act on the urge till I was in my middle 30's when, after reading enough Harlequin and Silhouette romances to fill a paper grocery bag I knew I could write as well as many and better than a few of the authors. Much better. 

What do you like best about being a writer? Using my imagination and responding to the age-old question, 'what if?'

What do you like the least? Lack of time.

How do you think your life experiences have prepared you for writing? Oh, baby. I've been there and done that, several times over. Except for divorce. Haven't done that one yet. The day is still young. Heh heh.

Have you ever felt as if you were being dictated to while you wrote a book--as if the words came of their own accord? Oh yes, beginning with my first novel, Captain Marvelous. It's has happened with each story. 

I've written around 20 novels, though not all have been published. Many were utter dreck. I am working on my 21st. It's not dreck.

What’s your favorite time management tip? Prayer. Adequate sleep. Having a husband who can cook for himself—and doesn't mind doing it. Having the kids grown and gone and giving me plenty of fodder in the form of grandchildren and animals.

Are you a plotter or a pantser, i.e., do you outline your books ahead of time? I do a basic outline of conflicts, occupations and setting before I start the story—but I'm not afraid to slip in a random thought or two as the writing progresses. That's when my personal experiences come to the surface. I recently had a total hip replacement which went very well. At or around 3 weeks post-op I realized I was 'liking' the narcotic pain killers too much for my own good and tapered them real fast. So... I decided to give my current hero, who has a past history with dry goods, a hard struggle coping with pain management after major surgery to repair injuries incurred during a vicious physical assault. Making people suffer is one of my better talents. I'm a retired nurse. Heh heh.

If you had one take away piece of advice for authors, what would it be? Listen to what the pros tell you. By pros, I mean authors who are published in your genre. Authors of books you have personally read and whose style matches yours. If four out of five 'pros' suggest you make changes in your manuscript, they're not saying it to hear the sound of their own voices. Listen to them.
On the other hand, just because your bingo buddies/coffee pals/mah jong mates swear your story is the most perfect piece of writing they've ever read, RUN VERY FAST IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THESE FRIENDS WILL NOT HELP YOU BECOME A BETTER WRITER. TRUST ME, I KNOW.

Did music help you find your muse with this book? Funny you should ask about music. The WIP is set during the late 80's—early 90's and golden oldies always figure in to my books. I grew up in the 60's so rock and roll will always be here to stay. 
 

If yes, which song did you find yourself going back to over and over again as you wrote? Twist and Shout, the version by the Mamas and the Papas. It is slow and sensuous and absolutely marvelous for the scene I used it in. 

Tell me more about Vengeance Is Mine. It is the story of three people who, through a variety of reasons, find themselves compelled to return to their 25th high school reunion. Reviled by classmates and townspeople throughout their school years, they view the reunion as an opportunity to exact revenge on those who wronged them. But as often happens, events and people are put in their paths so that vengeance is no longer a primary motivating factor.  

Blurb Ever fantasize about going back to study hall to confront the school bully? The mean girls? The brainless jocks who made your life miserable? For Dru Horvath, former gypsy orphan turned Pulitzer Prize winner; Rafe Archangeli, the Scourge of Summerville who is the recently appointed head of a multi-million dollar trust; and Fiona “Fat Aggie” Thorpe who recreated herself with an A-list modeling agency, the opportunity to exact vengeance  is too good to pass up. Will they find vengeance against those who tormented them?
Or something more important?    

Excerpt 

Frustrated with the holdup, Fee glanced around for points of entry, hoping she'd be able to spot Dru the second she entered the ballroom.

A hand on her arm claimed her attention; Rafe Archangeli leaned close. “Here comes someone you should meet.”

Without taking her eyes off the main entry door, she murmured, “Who?”

"Last year's Eastman winner and a helluva of a nice guy.”

“Where?”

“There. Coming toward us.”

One nano-second later all thoughts of revenge left Fee's mind like steam escaping a kettle.

The weathered appearance of his face announced he'd lived ten times over. Thick gold hair flecked with gray grazed the collar of his suit jacket. Broad through the shoulders and chest, narrow at the waist and hips, he had the long legged grace of a broken field runner.

Moving across the parquet floor as if born to a runway, he carried himself with an innate confidence. Without disrupting that fluid stride, he undid his tie before shrugging out of the suit jacket which he slung over one shoulder with the tip of his index finger.

She'd almost given up finding a man so perfect.

This one had The Look.

Buy LinksCreate Space: www.CreateSpace.com/5939143
Amazon: US www.amazon.com/dp/1522757694
Canada  www.amazon.ca/dp/1522757694    

UK   www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1522757694
Germany  www.amazon.de/dp/1522757694  

Spain   www.amazon.es/dp/1522757694
France   www.amazon.fr/dp/1522757694  

Italy  www.amazon.it/dp/1522757694

Over the years Kat Doran has had the honor to work at a number of occupations: nurse, malpractice insurance investigator, forensic examiner, victim advocate, wife and mother.
Even if she sometimes wishes they'd remain in the closet, the years that she spent in the OR and labor floor, and later advocating for victims of sexual violence, contributes significantly to the voice of her writing. You don’t spend thirty years serving as loyal hand-maiden and mind reader for egotistical surgeons, then twelve years haunting police stations, Emergency Rooms, and criminal courts without developing an internal alarm system for overt misogyny, rampant apathy, and overwhelming bigotry.
She retired her stethoscope and speculum a few years ago but continues to advocate, quietly, for marginalized populations through Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders.

Where can readers find more about your stories, books and you on the Internet?
Email:   WildWomenAuthors@yahoo.com
Blogs:    WildWomenAuthorsx2.blogspot.com
               ApronsWithAttitude2.blogspot.com
Goodreads:    Veronica Lynch
                      Kat Doran
Facebook:    www.Facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007251675720