Interview with romance novelist Kat Henry Doran

Please give a nice welcome to today's interviewee, romance novelist Kat Henry Doran.

Below you'll find details about the fabulous giveaways Kat has for one lucky commentor at the end of her virtual book tour.

Lisa, thanks so much for allowing me to visit your blog today. I hope we can have some fun!

It's fun already. :) Please tell us a bit about yourself, Kat.
Over the years, I've had the honor to work at a number of occupations: operating room nurse, malpractice insurance investigator, forensic nurse examiner, victim advocate, wife, and mother. Five years ago, I became Nana for the first time and, believe me, it’s the best job ever!

Even if I sometimes wish they'd remain in the closet, the years I spent in the OR and labor floor, and later advocating for victims of sexual violence, contribute significantly to the voice of my writing. You don’t spend thirty years playing loyal serving maid and mind reader to egotistical surgeons, then twelve years haunting police stations, Emergency Rooms, and criminal courts without developing an internal alarm system for covert misogyny, rampant apathy, and overwhelming bigotry.

I retired my stethoscope and speculum a few years ago, but continue to advocate quietly for marginalized populations through Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders.

I like hearing from readers. You can contact me through my website or blog.

Please tell us about your current release.
In general, Mad Dog and the Archangel is part of the Class of '85 series for the Last Rose of Summer line out of The Wild Rose Press. It's a reunion story, set in Summerville, a fictional town on the shores of Lake Ontario in Western New York state and features graduates of the class of '85 who return to Summerville for their 25th high school reunion.

More specifically, Rafael Archangeli, known as the Scourge of Summerville, returns to the town that scorned him to collect an inheritance before returning to New York City to resume conning wealthy women out of their money. In the process he meets Grace, Mad Dog, Dunavan, a community activist and former religious sister.

What inspired you to write it?
I was honored to be involved in the initial planning of this series which actually started out as an anthology for Wild Rose Press. It featured four friends from high school who returned to their home town to collect an inheritance and found their lives changed forever. Unfortunately, the anthology never came to fruition—but we were able to morph it into the reunion themed Class of '85. Mad Dog was a lot of fun to write it along with my other two contributions to the series—Embraceable You and The List.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I hope to begin a series, The Wild Things, about a group of attorneys and their staff who do pro bono work for people who cannot afford a Dream Team defense, but make too much money to qualify for Legal Assistance or the Public Defender's Office.

Do you write full time?
I wish. Retirement is a bitch. I'm busier now than I ever was when I worked two jobs to put food on the table and keep my kids in Catholic school.

What do you do other than write and how do you find time?
Those Catholic school survivors [!] have gifted me with four grandchildren and an assortment of grand-dogs cats. I provide child care three days a week and when I'm making sure they're not killing each other, I design and make tote bags for Kat's Karry Alls.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I don't know if it could be considered a quirk, but I often begin a story with a picture of a man, then build the story based on his face and body type which for me automatically predicts his occupation. I then complete a multi-page character outline for him which includes his family and friends. By the time I've finished him, I've got a pretty good idea of who the heroine is—her physical features, occupation [former, perhaps current], what she likes to eat, read, watch on TV, clothes, and car choices. I find it relaxing and stimulating and it helps me build the plot.

I've found pictures of the heroes in the sports section of the newspaper, magazine ads, and men from my former professional life. Yes, I base some characters on men and women I once worked with. Not all are the good guys.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Though I didn't recognize it at the time, I know now I wanted to be someone who made a difference in the lives of others. I hope I've succeeded in that.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
My main goal in writing is to inform and educate, in addition to entertaining a reader. Making someone laugh out loud is an added perk.

Thanks for your time today, Kat. It's been fun. ;)

Readers, Kat is giving away a Funky Bag and a Toiletries Bag from Kats Kustom KarryAlls, filled with author swag to one random commenter on the tour. US and Canada only, please.

So comment below and you can also follow the tour and comment. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning.