When did you first realize that you wanted to become a Writer/author?
I started to write in 2013. My husband kept telling me that I should write because I read so much and I finally decided to listen to him. That’s not something that happens very often! I laughed it off for years but then after the 50 Shades craze when people were self-publishing like nuts, I thought what the hell and I wrote Sliding (The Stone Series Book 1). I finished and published it in July of 2013 but then did a complete revision with major plot changes in 2015.
It was my late mother’s desire of becoming a writer that prompted me to create the contemporary romantic series that I hope pulls the reader in and makes them become invested in the characters that I place in worlds of wealth, power, seduction, dominance, and submission.
I decided to write under the pen name, Kitty Berry in honor of my late mother. My love for reading and discussing literature didn’t come to me until my late twenties and it’s one of my biggest regrets that it took so long because by the time I developed that passion, my mother had passed away from breast cancer. I wish I could talk to her now about the books I read and share with her my ideas for my own stories.
Where do you get your ideas for your book?
I probably shouldn’t put this in writing. Please don’t call the authorities and have me committed! I sort of have a bunch of characters living out their lives in my head and they become the basis of each of my books. I do not sleep well so while I lay awake at night the stories just sort of unfold. I try my best to work with an outline and keep notes to ensure consistency across my books but from time to time I get an idea in my head and just write with no clue where it’s going to lead me.
What kind of things do you enjoy when not writing?
Well, first off I do have that pesky day job as a teacher that takes up my week days so I don’t have a ton of time. Then there are my boys’ sporting events (Cross Country, Basketball, Track) to attend. I try to make as many Zumba classes a week as I can and I love to cook. Cook, not bake, I’m a terrible baker because I don’t have the patience to measure every minuscule ingredient. I also like to add things I like and omit others that I don’t. Substitutions don’t work well when baking. When cooking, they can create wonderful meals but when baking…not so much! Obviously, I also love to read and write.
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
Since completing Sliding in 2013, I have written 9 other novels in that series, among them Stoned, Second Chances, Surrender, Starting Over, and Silence. The final installment, Survivor was released in August 2016.
Its crazy to think that I have spent the last 4 years writing The Stone Series and now it’s over. That seems like a long time but it flew by in the blink of an eye. 10 books and over 1,025,000 words later and the series has come to an end. But don’t worry, I have another series in the works!
I love each book in the series but if I had to name a favorite, I guess I’d pick the 4th book. Second Chances is about a group of friends that are loosely based on my own childhood friends. I dedicated the book to a friend of mine who passed away not long before I wrote the book so it holds a special place in my heart.
Do you have any suggestions to help others who have a passion for writing?
Write for yourself and don’t worry about the reviews, the denials from the agents or publishing houses. Write what you like not what you think is the latest trend. I would suggest that they find some good people on social media to hook up with as mentors and do their best to get their name out there.
What do you think makes a great story?
The feels! ALL THE FEELS!!! I like angst but for me, a HEA is a must. I don’t want to read heavy material that I need to think about or words that are so obscure they need to be looked up in a dictionary. I want to read for enjoyment and I want to smile while I’m doing it. I’m okay crying over a character’s breakup with a lover but in the end, things had better turn out happy!
My write adult contemporary romance series with happily ever afters. I do not include “cheating” in my series but from time to time, when characters take a break, one of them may find themselves in the arms of another. I love angst as much as the next gal but I don’t keep my characters apart or in high drama for long.
Which Writer/Authors inspire you?
Angst-ridden, plot-driven, women's contemporary romances (Shayla Black, E.L. James, Maya Banks) have mesmerized me for years and fast-paced entertaining mysteries (Kate White) as well as witty “chick lit” (Jane Green, Sophie Kinsella, Jennifer Weiner, Marian Keyes) contributed to my desire to be a writer. My first and most beloved author is Anita Shreve. The Pilot’s Wife was the first book I could not put down. I then devoured every one of her other titles. She mentions a house in many of them, the same one in different eras, I want to move there and pretend I live in her stories!
If I had to name an author or book that recently influenced me in any way I would have to 100% say Fifty Shades of Grey. Now I know that’s so played out and everyone’s answer but I’m being honest. I had been a reader and lover of romance for many years before E.L. James hit the scene but 50 just did something to me. From there I developed a love for my favorite author in the “naughty” romance sector, Shayla Black. I love how she brings her characters over from one book to the next and even inter-mingles the different series she writes. And, okay, yes I like her sex scenes too! Check them out; they are H-O-T hot!!!!
What are you working on at the moment?
The Anatomy of Love Series will be a new three book trilogy by me, Kitty Berry, that centers around three physicians and long time friends who practice medicine together at a world renown New York City hospital.
The first book (Anatomy of Love) focuses on the wealthy and handsome Dr. Wilson Anderson, the infamous Damian Stone's (The Stone Series) unlucky in love neurosurgeon.
Will is always in control in the operating room, his patients' lives in his hands, but when it comes to his next to non-existent love life, he's a mess.
It wasn't supposed to be that way. Will is an organizer and had planned his life out, the outcome was not him alone as a single father at thirty-seven but that's been his reality since his college sweetheart walked out of the hospital hours after giving birth to their daughter, Scarlett. Since then, Will has focused on his role as a father and his career, pushing aside his own desires as a man.
Will, never one for a one-night stand, recently found himself throwing caution to the wind and doing the one thing he never thought he would. The single young doctor wasn’t looking for love the night his best friend cancelled their dinner plans and he found himself entrenched in a bachelorette party. He still can’t believe that he let the beautiful stranger talk him into going to a Gentleman’s Club. But waking up in a hotel room with only a note to remind him of the night of passion he’d shared with the mysterious stranger was the biggest surprise of all. Or it was until he met the newest member of his surgical team.
Will didn’t know the stranger he spent that wild night in a hotel room with was none other than the beautiful Sloan Hale. Now, Sloan is about to shake up Dr. Wilson Anderson's world when she walks into his operating room and takes root in his life.
Sloane Hale is new to the field of nursing, right out of school and newly assigned to work under one of the most respected doctors in the country. On her first day, Slone is horrified to discover that she has already spent time working under Dr. Anderson. Unfortunately for Slone, it wasn’t in a professional manner. Far from it. Instead, it was during one night of passion that she and the doctor shared.
Anatomy of Love promises a steamy love story about the adventures of the heart, fiercely passionate and consuming, you won’t want the story to come to an end.
Dissection of Love is the second book in The Anatomy of Love Series and focused on Wilson Anderson's best friend and colleague, Dr. Caine Cabrera.
Caine, also a force to be reckoned with in his field, might share his friend's philosophy on medicine but that's where their similarities end. Caine Cabrera is a manwhore, a different flavor of the week in his bed and never one twice. That is until Katherine Mills crashes into his life and makes him question everything he's ever known about women and love.
The third book in The Anatomy of Love Series (Sutures of Love) features Dr. Jessie Holt, the world’s leading fertility specialist, best friend and colleague to Wilson and Caine. A trained Sexual Dominant, Jessie finds himself flying solo after his wingmen hand in their man cards to snuggle up with their new girls. Now, Jessie must figure out a way to get his groove back.
Without Caine or Wilson to prowl with, Jessie asks Dr. Cindy Baxter to join him for a no strings attached night at Damian Stone's exclusive BDSM club. Cindy has always been shy and quiet, gorgeous but never on Jessie’s radar due to their close working relationship. That is not until he got a glimpse of her in her element. Now Jessie must figure out a way to convince Cindy that he can be all that she needs.
What genre are your books?
I write contemporary romance that are marketed toward women looking for an escape into a world of romance with high emotional stakes and naughty erotic twists. As part of a series, each heroine is attracted to a confident male who is anything but ordinary. The multidimensional alpha-males that seek a submissive woman in their bed but offer them a challenge in their lives, will curl your toes with their passion right before they deliver an emotional punch that makes you want to cry. The characters are placed in dramatic worlds of wealth, power, seduction, dominance and submission.
What drew you to the genre you write?
I recently found myself in the time of my life when the busy balance of career and family made me crave an escape into the world of romance. I took that desire and turned it into my first romantic series that offers the reader multidimensional characters. The goal I have for my books is that they will engage the reader and offer them a fantasy world of characters and places where they can lose themselves for a few hours.
While most books in The Stone Series can stand alone with its own story, the intention was to create carry-over characters to satisfy the need of the reader to know more after each novel ends. The characters from that series will carry over into The Anatomy of Love Series and make guest appearances.
As an avid reader myself, I enjoy the feeling of being there with the characters inside the story and often times find myself wanting to know more about them, missing them when the story is over, and becoming excited all over again when I discover those familiar characters in subsequent novels. I hope that my writing does the same for my readers.
Which Actor/Actress would you like to see portraying the lead character from your most recent book?
I may have put just a little thought into this over the years! Here is my cast from The Stone Series…
Tate Taylor: Zac Efron
Brook Adams Taylor: Mila Kunis
Damian Stone: Ian Somerhalder
Alex Smith: Justin Timberlake
Parker McGee: Avril Lavigne
Sydney Cooper Stone: Nina Dobrev
Mac: Jesse Williams
Drea Stone: Cara Delevinge
Bash: Jared Leto
Skyler: Lindsay Ellingson
Pete Roman: Joe Manganiello
Raina Montgomery: Jennifer Love Hewitt
Rick Roman: Keanu Reeves
Lori Roman: Olivia Wilde
Jonesie: Christopher Meloni
Nix Doyle: Chace Crawford
Bailey Connors: Selena Gomez
Asher McBride: Ryan Guzm
Harper: Melanie Iglesias
Derek Connors: Gabriel Aubry
Bryan Connors: Sam Heughan
Randi Wilkenson: Megan Fox
Hunter King: Ashton Kutcher
Arizona Doyle: Georgia Fowler
Graham King: Chris Hemsworth
Emory Dawson: Amber Scott
Do you write full-time or part-time?
I write whenever I can. I get in about an hour every weekday morning before heading off to work. On the weekends, I write as much as I can.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
It’s not the writing part that is hard for me, it’s the marketing and getting my material seen. I have tried to go the agent route with no success and nabbing a traditional publisher is almost next to impossible without one. I know that I have told great stories but without dumping a ton of cash into marketing, it’s hard to get my books into reader’s hands.
Any tips on how to get through the dreaded Writer’s block?
Music inspires my writing so if I get stuck, I find a new song that gets my creative flow going again.
Do you read much, and if so who are your favorite Authors or genres?
I read all the time…ROMANCE. ALL. THE. TIME!
Some of my favorites are: E.L. James, Maya Banks, J.S. Scott, Christina Lauren, Jamie, McGuire, Raine Miller, J. Kenner, Alice Clayton, Beth Kery, M. Leighton, Lauren Blakely, and Sylvia Day. But my #1 go to all time favorite author in this genre is the incredible Shayla Black!
Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t included?
I am an only child who never wished for a sibling and I openly admit to being a spoiled brat!
Some elements of my characters are based on people I currently know or knew at another time of my life.
Each leading female character has a small part of me in them.
Some things that occur in my books are real but exaggerated and other characters and events are completely the work of my insane mind.
I like warm cozy socks in the winter when I’m lying around but I sleep naked all year long!
The minute I get home I take off my bra and get into PJs.
I have curly hair that I used to hate and did anything in my power to keep straight. I gave up that fight a ton of years ago.
I love dark chocolate.
My middle son is a brain tumor survivor and my oldest is having heart surgery in the summer.
Belle is my favorite Disney Princess
How can Readers discovery more about you and your work?
Author Links:
http://www.kittyberryauthor.com
https://www.facebook.com/TheStoneSeries/
https://www.facebook.com/kitty.berry.334
https://twitter.com/kittyberrybooks
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7166372.Kitty_Berry
http://www.amazon.com/Kitty-Berry/e/B00DT2HUZ4/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1468631072&sr=8-1
http://www.quotesrain.com/page/kittyberryauthor/
http://kittyberryauthor.allauthor.com
Book Links:
http://www.amazon.com/Sliding-Stone-Book-Kitty-Berry-ebook/dp/B00DSV05NK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452460444&sr=8-1&keywords=sliding+by+kitty+berry
http://www.amazon.com/Stoned-Stone-Book-Kitty-Berry-ebook/dp/B00E82ZSBC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1452460444&sr=8-4&keywords=sliding+by+kitty+berry
http://www.amazon.com/Siblings-Stone-Book-Kitty-Berry-ebook/dp/B00EPWDLIC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1452460444&sr=8-5&keywords=sliding+by+kitty+berry
http://www.amazon.com/Second-Chances-Stone-Book-4-ebook/dp/B00IFW4XLW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1452460444&sr=8-2&keywords=sliding+by+kitty+berry
http://www.amazon.com/Screen-Play-Stone-Book-5-ebook/dp/B00T5DHSF8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452462135&sr=8-1&keywords=screen+play+by+kitty+berry
http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Home-Stone-Kitty-Berry/dp/1518776922/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452462215&sr=8-1&keywords=stealing+home+by+kitty+berry
http://www.amazon.com/Surrender-Stone-Book-Kitty-Berry-ebook/dp/B00WON0G78/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1452462274&sr=8-2&keywords=stealing+home+by+kitty+berry
http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Over-Stone-Book-8-ebook/dp/B01AOF8RIW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458347213&sr=8-1&keywords=starting+over+by+kitty+berry
https://www.amazon.com/Silence-Stone-Book-Kitty-Berry-ebook/dp/B01EISSBDW?ie=UTF8&keywords=silence%20by%20kitty%20berry&qid=1462568296&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/Survivor-Stone-Book-Kitty-Berry-ebook/dp/B01KPTJR18/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475581205&sr=1-1&keywords=survivor+by+kitty+berry
No comments:
Post a Comment