Interview with author, Kim Smith

Kim Smith, author of LOVE WALTZES IN

Available in E-book format
Red Rose™ Publishing
Copyright © 2009 Kim Smith
Release date November 12, 2009
ISBN: ISBN: 978-1-60435-469-0
$1.00
Purchase directly from Red Rose Publishing


I've known Kim Smith for several years. She is one of the most prolific writers I know so I was thrilled that she agreed to share her writing journey here on Novel Works.

Q: Kim, let's start with letting you tell us a little about yourself.

A: I am a photographer/videographer and have owned my own company since 1992. I love to take nature photographs best of all, but seem to miss out on the time to do any of it. People used to say that writers should be movie-makers because they are so visually attuned. I say they should all be photographers so they can capture all those images forever.

Q:  Why this book? What prompted you to write it and what do you hope your readers will get out of it?

A: I was involved originally in a plan for an anthology about finding love after forty. It seemed like an easy thing to do since I believe that true love will find you no matter what your age. I set out to tell a fun uplifting tale and I think I succeeded. It is more on the sweet side of romances, rather than the sensual and I think I like writing those. I hope the readers will too.

Q: Tell us a bit about your protagonist, Magella Crane, and how she came about.

A: Magella, call her Maggie, was at first a sketch of myself after I dyed my hair a very happy red. My daughter was my first critiquer of the event and she was at a loss at first on what to say. After re-living that experience with Maggie, the rest just followed.

Q: Please share with our readers a little about the plot, the characters, the setting, of your novel.

A: Love Waltzes In takes place in a small southern town that has just gotten its first dance business. Maggie is always in the little shop a few doors down, owned by her friend, and began wondering about the dance place. She decides she wants to do something a little different for a widower, so she takes up dancing. She doesn’t figure the able-bodied instructor into her plan however, and once she is in Tyler’s arm as his student, she is determined to be his partner forever.

Q: Please describe the greatest challenge you faced in writing this book, why it was difficult, and how you resolved it.

A: Originally it was supposed to be a short story of about 5,000 words. Then the anthology became a series of stories and in order for it to be eligible to go to print, it had to be longer. This meant I had to add another five thousand words to the story to get it to an acceptable length. This was after I had already finished the first draft. Usually I don’t feel challenged about lengthening a story, but this one gave me a few moments of pause.

Q:  How much and/or what kind of research went into writing this book?

A: I didn’t really do a lot of research for this one. I love dancing and romance and it just all came together in the end.

Q: What do you find the most difficult part of writing in general and what do you do to overcome it?

A: I find description and setting to be my main difficulty in writing and that is for any genre. For some reason, I can see it, hear it, taste it, smell it, and touch it, but cannot get that sensation on the page.

Q: Like many authors, you work full time, have a family--a life. How do you balance your time to make time for writing?

A:  I just do the best I can. Some days I just cannot get into the writing chair, for whatever reason, and if that happens I allow myself to just go on and miss the day. I try not to do that two days in a row however. I count writing as anything I do that furthers my career, including writing pieces like this.

Q:  What impact would you say completing Love Waltzes In has had on you personally and on your writing?

A:  It was a pretty satisfying experience to be able to take a short story and lengthen it to a size doubled from what I originally had planned. It proved to me that if I set my mind to the task at hand, I can accomplish it.

Q:  Who has been the greatest influence on you with respect to encouraging you to write and become a published author?

A:  My mother was always my greatest encourager, but since she has passed on, my husband and kids do a great job of keeping me going.

Q: With respect to your writing, please give us some insight into your writing process. In other words, did you outline the chapters? Did you think about the plot for a while before writing it? What steps did you take before you wrote the first sentence?

A: I just began with a scene that happened with my own daughter and embellished it into a scene, then I took it out a bit more and a bit more until things began happening. It became a lot of fun. I usually do not outline.

Q: What are you working on now? What's next?

A: Right now I am finishing up the third Shannon Wallace book (my mystery series) and working on a couple of fantasy romances and YA stuff. I have also begun the process for a new book that will be neither mystery nor romance, but maybe something more along the lines of suspense/thriller. We will see.

Q:  Any words of wisdom and advice to aspiring writers?

A: Yes. Do not let anyone steal your dreams or take your joy away. There is a story inside of us all, but if we let the naysayers have their way, it will never live and breathe on the page.

About the author:

Kim Smith is the author of the zany Shannon Wallace Mystery Series, and several contemporary romances, all available from Red Rose Publishing. Kim is also the hostess of the wildly popular Introducing WRITERS! radio show on Blog Talk Radio.

Other books by Kim Smith:

Avenging Angel ASIN: B002HEIH7M available on Kindle $4.79
A Will To Love ASIN: B002HJV4XY available on Kindle $2.39