Kendra Leigh Castle

Thanks for agreeing to chat with Enchanting Reviews about your books Kendra. We are so excited about getting to know you better.

1. What made you want to be a writer?
My becoming a writer was, I think, just a natural extension of my love of a good story. Books were some of my best friends from a very young age (I was reading at a fourth grade level at age four), which was a good thing, because I was a pretty sick kid and laid up a lot of the time. Northern New York is not the place to be if you’ve got severe asthma and allergies up the wazoo! So I escaped into books, and the more magic involved in the plot, the better. I started writing my own stories and poems in grade school (pretty bad poetry, but still), emulating whatever writer I was loving at the time, trying to paint as clear a picture as my favorite authors did using language, wanting to transcribe the worlds in my own imagination onto paper. It was so much fun, I didn’t realize it was also good practice! Then I discovered romance, and it was all I wanted to do. There is nothing better a career where you get to tell stories about falling in love, over and over again. And hearing that readers have lost themselves in a world you’ve created is just the best thing.

2. What drew you to paranormal romance?
I actually credit the Brothers Grimm! I cut my teeth on fairy tales, and I’ve never really gotten over them. I could watch Beauty and the Beast done a hundred different ways and still go searching for another version of it. Hmm, this may actually explain my werewolf fixation… Anyway, from Harry Potter to Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (yeah, I admit it, I love that movie), my favorite stories have a healthy dose of fantasy. There was no question my own were going to wind up the same way! Though I haven’t done my own time-traveling phone booth. Yet.

3. What's your writing routine like?
Scattered. I wish I could tell you I am a highly-organized person with a daily routine, but all I can really say is that I have three young kids, a Navy husband who is often absent, and animals that want to go outside every time I sit down anywhere. So my routine is that I scrounge whatever time I can to write, whether early or (most often) late. But I do it every day if at all possible, which is really the key.

4. What sparked the idea for CALL OF THE HIGHLAND MOON?
I really wanted to write something that blended my love of the sort of “classic” creatures of the night with the magical flights of fancy I’m also drawn to. It seemed like a great way to let my overactive imagination run free! And shapeshifters have always fascinated me. In my mind’s eye, I saw a big, sexy, shaggy Scotsman with a slashing scar across one eye who carried himself with animal grace. That, of course, was Gideon MacInnes, the hero of CALL OF THE HIGHLAND MOON. In the course of researching his last name, I discovered that the Clan MacInnes had once looked after the famed Stone of Destiny, the mysterious history of which was too fun not to play with. Throw in a homicidal cousin, otherworldly enemies, and a pretty blonde romance lover with a penchant for animal rescue, and…voila!

5. Describe the story in three words.
Witty. Sexy. Supernatural.

6. What is your favorite quality about Gideon?
I love that despite the fact that he’s this big, tough alpha werewolf, he’s also a sweet guy with absolutely no clue how to talk to women. He stumbles over his words around Carly, is pretty adept at putting his foot in his mouth even though he means well, and generally looks at females as alien life forms. It was one of the things that made his banter with Carly so much fun to write! And also why I love him.

7. What is something you have in common with Carly?
Carly and I both have very tightly-knit families, full of fun and arguments and everyone being in everyone else’s business at all times, and most of all, lots of love. I enjoyed creating her family and bringing them into the story, and though they’re a little quirky (whose family isn’t?), her attachment to them is one of the things that draws Gideon to her. I enjoyed relating to her that way…my own husband was assimilated into my crazy family a long time ago. Yes, “assimilated.” Like the Borg. Totally accurate.

8. What was the hardest part of writing CALL OF THE HIGHLAND MOON?
The late nights spent writing when I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to sell the book, or whether I even knew what I was doing, were the hardest. It’s a huge time investment with an uncertain return when you’re pre-agent and pre-contract. You have to really love writing, and even then, deciding “I’m going to be a writer” is a big leap of faith. So learning to have some of that faith in myself and pushing all the way to “The End” were probably the most difficult things, but I’m so glad I managed them!

9. What would readers be surprised to know about you?
I’m actually a pretty good singer, and have been in everything from the squadron band to a barbershop quartet. I used to dream of Broadway, but eventually I had to come to terms with the fact that I am possibly the world’s crappiest actress, and that’s just not something that’s going to improve.

10. What's next for you?
More werewolves! Well, and other interesting things that go bump in the night. Gideon’s brother Gabriel gets his own story in October when DARK HIGHLAND FIRE comes out, and I’m hard at work on the third book in the series as we speak. I hope my readers will enjoy watching Gabriel get steamrolled by love. The famous MacInnes playboy has more than met his match! And she’s fiery, to say the least.

Kendra, thank you so much for answering our questions. We can't wait to review DARK HIGHLAND FIRE! Thanks again for choosing Enchanting Reviews.

Thanks so much for having me here, and have a wonderful day!

Interviewed by Lisa
June 2008