New Kid on the Block - Kim Watters

Kim's interview starts with a call... yup, the call. I feel really honored because after Kim sold, I got a call... from her. Kim and I have been members of the same RWA chapter for more than a decade (Yes, we both started at age 12. Okay, I was 12; she was 10). I could ramble on, but really, reading about a first sale to Harlequin's Love Inspired line is much more interesting.

MEET KIM WATTERS

1. Tell us about 'the call'.
My "call" didn't come in the usual way. It came in the form of an e-mail asking me to call the editor. She'd left a message on my home phone, but figured I'd be easier to reach by e-mail. I'm glad she sent the e-mail because by the time I would have received the message late Friday afternoon, it would have been too late to return it. Then I would have had to wait the entire weekend to know what she wanted. When I first got the e-mail I almost hyperventilated. I mean, they don't usually call you if they're not going to buy the book. So I immediately called one of my critique partners and told her about the e-mail. She asked why I was calling her and not the editor? Why wouldn't I call her? We started the writing journey at about the same time in the early 90's and have been friends since our first critque group, and truth be told, I had to calm down before I returned the call so I wouldn't sound like a blubbering idiot. By the time I called the editor back, I'd managed to catch my breath and sound like the professional I hoped to portray. :)


2. How long have you been writing?
I've wanted to write a romance novel since I started reading them in the late 70's as a teenager. I used to change the endings if I didn't like how the author handled it. I didn't find the time to write though until I moved to Arizona in 1992. I dabbled for years and I shudder to think how much time I wasted on solitaire! But I really got fully commited in 1999, but I had to take some time off with the birth of each of my children.

3. Tell us a little about your writing routine... when do you write, where, how productive are you, critique group or not?
I write at our dining room table early in the morning before the family wakes up. 5:00 am and I are close friends. I'm pretty productive then, especially when I'm under a deadline. :) And yes, I have a critique group. I wouldn't be published without the help of those wonderful ladies.


4. Tell us the 'best' event (other than your first sale to Steeple Hill!) you experienced during the writing journey..
Oh, good question. I'd have to say getting my first reader fan letter from a complete stranger. While I'm new to Steeple Hill, I have two books published with Avalon Books. It really made me feel like I'd arrived when the woman gushed about how much she liked my dog story.

5. What is it about this book, On Wings of Love, that made it the one Steeple Hill purchased? Another good question. I wish I knew the answer. My writing? My characters? My story? I know organ donation is a very emotional topic and I worked very hard to show both ends of the spectrum; the hero didn't agree with organ donation and the heroine was a donation coordinator. But this subject is near to my heart since my sister-in-law is a double recipient and the inspiration for this book.

6. What's next?
I'm working on another book, working title Hannah's House, which is the next book in the series. In the first book we're introduced to Hannah and her need for a kidney transplant. She's such a great character, I felt she needed a story of her own, along with Brad, another one of the characters introduced in On Wings of Love.

7. Anything you'd like to add.
Thanks to all you readers who support us authors by buying our books. Keep up the good work. And for you authors out there, don't give up the dream. It took me 14 years to join the Harlequin family and with God's blessings, anything is possible.