Archives for July 6, 2016

INTERVIEW with Harlequin Heartwarming author KATE JAMES

It’s my pleasure to host Kate James today on her Blog Tour for her brand new book WHEN I FOUND YOU, available both in print and digital in the links provided above!  Thanks for being here Kate!  I have loved this entire K-9 series and am thrilled there is another one in the works!

I previously read and reviewed all three in the series, so I left a “MY REVIEW HERE” link underneath all 3 book descriptions above in case any of you missed my recommendations.

And now a little bit of getting to know Kate!  …

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Thank you for hosting me on your blog, Lynn, and for all your wonderful support of Harlequin Heartwarming. I’m thrilled to be here!

1. We all know you are a dog lover … tell us about your babies!

Oh, my gosh! How much time do you (and the readers of your blog) have?!?!

My husband and I met because of our love of dogs and . . . well . . . because of the dogs we loved. Our blended family consisted of our Alaskan Malamute, Casper, German Shepherd, Kylie, and yellow Labrador Retriever, Buster.

It was heart wrenching when we had to say goodbye to them one-by-one. We didn’t think we were ready to add to our family again, but two young black Labs proved us wrong.

They came into our lives unplanned. They were fourteen and sixteen months respectively when we first met them, intelligent and with great temperaments. They’d been held back by the breeder for show and breeding, but she’d decided to sell them. Looking into their adoring chocolate-brown eyes, we knew instantly that their forever-home would be with us.

It was my editor, Paula Eykelhof, who first commented on how wonderful it was that we had brought these rescue dogs into our lives. I protested that they weren’t rescue dogs. After all, they’d been cared for and never abused. But, as with most things, Paula was right. Having lived their entire lives in kennels, their behaviors told their own story, as we gradually introduced them to the big wide world.

I have never crated a dog before, but Harley and Logan needed the comfort and security. Over two years later, they still love to spend time in their kennels, but they prefer to curl up, or stretch out, together in one kennel.

They have their own cushy beds in our bedroom, but still tend to share one. And, yes, they like to sleep on their backs . . . or on top of each other.

And during the day, they seek out the warmth of the sunshine and snuggle.

Logan can’t bear to be without us and would love to be able to curl up in our laps.

Harley sees a butterfly (or anything resembling one) and a little switch trips in his head and all else ceases to exist in his world. We’ve had to install a fence at the back of our property, where there is a steep incline, to keep him from running over it!

Logan’s need to be close has resulted in a damaged laptop screen. (I’ll spare you the details!)

Yes, that’s a tooth mark on the left middle.

Harley’s predilection for chasing butterflies has caused more than a few trampled perennials.

 BEFORE

AFTER

Here is a video clip of Harley at our cottage. You’ll hear my husband’s voice after Harley catches a Frisbee but abandons the game to pursue a butterfly: http://youtu.be/MwRVhfIdMSQ. Clearly, Harley does not yet consistently heed his master’s voice . . . it’s that little switch thing! 😉

Harley and Logan have come so far in the years they have been with us, and continue to delight us each and every day. A computer screen is easily replaced and perennials grow back, but the unconditional love and affection they bring into our lives is limitless and unparalleled.

2. Is there a particular author that you remember being the first that drew you into being a fan of the Romance genre?

I have to say that (although not strictly romance) I love Nora Roberts’s books. I just finished The Obsession, and (please refer to the above question about my love of dogs) my favorite character in the book is Tag, the dog. He even has a pivotal role in the conclusion of the book! 🙂

3. If you could visit one place in the world that you have never been, where would it be?

I love to travel, and I have been fortunate to have visited and lived in some wonderful places. I have not been to the South Pacific yet, and I would love to visit Bora Bora. It might be where my husband and I celebrate our tenth anniversary next year!

4. And speaking of travel … any exciting plans for the summer?

When the weather is nice in Ontario, we like to stay relatively close to home. This is a picture of my view right now, as I type my responses to your questions.

We tend to do most of our leisure travel when the weather is inclement in Ontario. The next trip we have booked right now is to St. Lucia with friends from Texas to celebrate our ninth anniversary. Of course, I will be in San Diego in July for RWA 2016!

5. What projects do we have to look forward to with you?

Mid-June, I submitted the manuscript for my next release, which will likely be the first book in a mini-series set in a small town in the Adirondack Mountains region, the heroine’s home being loosely based on our cottage in Ontario (please see picture below).

For readers who enjoyed my K-9 trilogy, here’s a nice little surprise! When I submitted my most recent proposal to Harlequin, they added an extra book to my contract. It will be the fourth book in the K-9 trilogy! I suppose we’ll have to start calling it the “K-9 series!” It’s the story of rookie K-9 officer, Shannon Clemens, and her rookie police service dog, Darwin, both of whom readers will have a chance to get to know a little in When I Found You!

6. What is the most recent movie that you went to the theater to see?

I have to be honest that I prefer to read over watching movies, but my husband and I went with close friends to see X-Men: Apocalypse.

Thank you, again, Lynn, for inviting me to your blog!

Best wishes and happy reading!

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Thanks for being here Kate!  Can’t wait to see Shannon’s story come to life in that added on K-9 book and I’m sure you’ll get us all wrapped up in your Adirondack Mountains one(s) soon! 🙂  Best of luck to you on great success with this new book, and on enjoying a beautiful summer there in your slice of heaven.