Getting to Know the Authors: Featuring Kathleen Baldwin!

Bio in her words:

   Life is an amazing adventure. Mom died when I was thirteen. But life rolls on. I roamed the Rockies, wandered the desert, enjoyed way too many classes in college, was stalked by a cougar, lost an argument with a rattlesnake, fell in love at least a dozen times, was proposed to eleven times, finally met and married my own personal hero, and together we’ve raised four free-spirited adventurous children.
   I write for the fun of it. An award-winning author and illustrator - Kensington published four of my Regency romantic comedies, including Mistaken Kiss, a Holt Medallion finalist.
   I adore the wit and humor of Oscar Wilde, P.G. Wodehouse, and Jane Austen. But my eclectic reading interests bounce from Frank Herbert to Meg Cabot, and on to the delightfully imaginative tales of Diana Wynne Jones.
   What books do YOU love to read?
Contact me through: www.KathleenBaldwin.com

She has written:

A School for Unusual Girls (Stranje House, #1), Lady Fiasco (Regency Trilogy, #1), Mistaken Kiss (Regency Trilogy, #2), Cut from the Same Cloth (Regency Trilogy, #3), Diary of a Teenage Fairy Godmother: A Contemporary Teen Fantasy Romance, The Highwayman Came Waltzing: A Traditional Regency Romance Novella, Waltz With A Rogue and Basketball Droids Have Taken Over My Neighborhood (Adventure Book for Kids Ages 9-12!).

Now on to the Interview:

1) How old were you when you started writing, in your opinion?
    Weird story - I started writing in grade school. Clear back in first grade, I could already read so Mrs. Whitney put me to work writing poetry. From there on out my teachers were convinced I would be a writer and would give me all kinds of little writing prompts and private assignments while they did other things with the rest the english class. During 7th and 8th grade I got sent to the library to read. Ironically, I intended to be a doctor when I grew up. Everytime my parents moved us to a new school I thought I'd finally get a regular english classes. And even though we moved often, only once in third grade did that happen. It turned out my teachers were right. Although I still love science and biology, I wouldn't have made a very good doctor. I'd probably have a total melt down the first time one of my patients died.

2) What do you want a reader to gain from reading your works?
     I hope readers feel more courageous after reading my books, and more confident about being the person they really are inside. I hope women and girls especially will realize that even the little things we do make a difference in the world.

3) What are your three top suggestions on becoming an author, or being pleasure writer?
1. Write from a place of joy.
2. Journal your deep thoughts and reactions - that's great practice for writing fiction.
3. Observe/study what components you think make a compelling story. (The answer to this is not as universal as one might think - the answers to this question will contribute heavily toward your unique storyteller's voice.)

4) What is your favourite novel, why?
     I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite novel. I've so many favorites. Tell you what, today I'm going to say my favorite novel is DUNE by Frank Herbert. Why -- because the philosophies and thoughts in it had a profound effect on my life.

5) Who is your favourite author, why?
     Here again it will depend upon the day. But today I'm going to say Oscar Wilde. Why because I love how he blended phenomenal insight into human behavior with humor. He makes us laugh and yet appreciate humanity in all its weaknesses for the delight and love that we sometimes demonstrate.

6) What are your favorite pass times besides writing?
     I like to swim. I love art and music. And I love to go adventuring out in nature.

7) Who in your life do you credit your imagination to the most?
     Well, first God, but then I thank my mother. She read to us every night and for much of my growing up she wouldn't allow a TV. She was so into creativity that she wouldn't let us have coloring books because she didn't want us to color in the lines. She'd give us blank paper and crayons.

8) What are the top five things on your bucket list?
     To be frank, there's very little left on my bucket list. Oh, I would like to make a NYT Times or USA Today bestseller list. But other than that I've experienced so many wonderful things. Anything else I get to do is just gravy. At a very young age I made a point of doing most of what was on my bucket list because I knew, with my breathing issues, I might die any day. I love being alive and I'm grateful for every day.

9) What is your funniest childhood memory?
    Um, you'll probably notice in my books I'm obsessed with flying. I dream I can fly almost weekly, and always have. In the third grade I decided to build a human size wind-up airplane. So I took and old inner tube to use as the rubber band and some wood and built a crude plane. Then one of my brothers and I hauled it up into our tree fort. We wound up the propeller, and because he was smaller, he was the test pilot. Um... needless to say it did a major nosedive. Fortunately my little brother didn't break anything. Whew!

10) To the youth of today, if you could tell them one thing, what would it be?
       Life is a gift, every day is a lovely blank page. Write a beautiful story with yours. Every story has sadness, hardships and difficulties. If it didn't it wouldn't be a story. It's what a heroine or hero does with those troubles that makes their life a tragedy or a beautiful story.