Author Interview: KATHLEEN MIX

Happy Friday, booklovers! Today we welcome to the party Kathleen Mix, author of tropical delights. She's here to give us some insight into her latest release Beyond Paradise. (Now available from Samhain!) Welcome, Kathleen! (Applause!)

What inspired you to write your current release?

For several years, my husband and I lived aboard a sailboat and cruised in the Bahamas and Caribbean. My husband is a SCUBA diving instructor, and I’m deep water certified, so we did a lot of diving in places like the Virgin Islands, Grenada, Venezuela, Trinidad, and Bonaire. The underwater worlds we visited were so enchanting that I wanted to share some of the wonder. A romance where my heroine taught diving seemed like the perfect format.

If you could pick the actors to play the hero and heroine in the movie of your current release, who would you cast?

From the minute I started writing Beyond Paradise, I always envisioned my heroine as Penélope Cruz. Her dark, luminous eyes are the essence of Latina beauty, and I can picture any red-blooded man on earth getting lost in their depths.

My hero was a figment of my imagination, but if I had to choose an actor who I believe embodies his character, I’d cast George Clooney. Although their exterior descriptions are dissimilar, my hero and George Clooney both have boyish, endearing grins and teasing eyes. Plus I’d love to see George in a swimsuit.

I can easily envision the chemistry between Penélope and George bubbling over into a steamy relationship. And that’s what I want for my characters.

What was your path to publication?

I began my career writing non-fiction. My how-to articles and tales of living aboard a sailboat and traveling the islands of the Bahamas and Caribbean appeared in numerous regional and national sailing and travel magazines. One is included in The Best of SAIL: Commonsense Cruising published by Sheridan House.

I often imagined stories set in the places where I traveled. Soon I started dreaming up characters to live the adventures. During one extended stay in the Virgin Islands, I wrote my first short contemporary romance, A Trade Wind Season. Four years later, after several revisions, I sold that story about a female chef on a charter yacht and the ship’s salty captain to Avalon Books.

For my next two books, I migrated to romantic suspense. Secret Stranger and Dangerous Paradise were inspired by sailing trips to the Bahamas. They are published by The Wild Rose Press and available in both print and ebook.

My newest book, Beyond Paradise (available from Samhain Publishing, April 20, 2010), is set in West Palm Beach, Florida. It’s another story inspired by my personal adventures and anchored firmly in tropical waters.

Who was the last author whose writing wowed you?

Most recently, I absolutely loved One Scream Away by Kate Brady (2009 Grand Central Publishing). It’s a page-turner with truly surprising twists. I read voraciously and, too often, I can guess what’s coming next. Kate Brady’s story was never predictable and her characters were as fresh as her plot.

What is the best advice you ever got as a writer? The worst? If you could go back in time and give your beginner-writer-self some advice, what would you say?

When I first started writing, I was living on a sailboat and had little contact with other writers. So I believed everything everyone told me, regardless of their experience or whether they had ever written a word in their life.

But the best and most inspiring advice came from a sailor whose name I can’t remember: It’s better to look back and regret doing things you have done than regret not doing things you could have done. His words have stuck in my mind because they apply to both putting yourself out there and writing as well as grabbing everything you can out of life.

The worst advice came from another aspiring writer who told me not to write romance. (He took his own advice and gave up trying to be published years ago.)

If I could give my beginner-self some advice, I’d say: submit, submit, submit. I’ve always allowed my self-doubts to cause procrastination. I spend too much time rewriting endlessly, aiming for perfection rather than accepting a manuscript is finished and moving on. I wish I’d told myself to make a plan, set a schedule with deadlines, and keep myself constantly submitting. Publishing is a game of numbers and persistence. Writers need to constantly create new stories and send them out. Sooner or later, an editor will fall in love with something you’ve written. But if they never get to see it, how can they buy?

What’s next for you? What are you working on now?

I have several projects in varying stages of completion. I’m writing a sequel to Beyond Paradise titled Beyond Yesterday. It’s the story of secondary characters Greg and Trish who are teenagers in Beyond Paradise and adults when the meet again seven years later.

I’m also polishing a completed single-title, romantic suspense manuscript.

My next big project is a series of suspense novels set in the Virgin Islands. The first is fully plotted, and I’m eager to get started!

Oh, and in my non-existent spare time, I’m working on a non-fiction book about love in literature.

Thank you, Kathleen, for taking time away from your many projects to join us today!

Thanks for inviting me to stop by at your Blog, Vivi.

Want more sail-boat lovin'? You can read excerpts of Kathleen's books at her website: http://www.kathleenmix.com/. Today, one commenter will win a download of Kathleen's Secret Stranger. Good luck! (Am I the only one desperate for a beach vacation after reading this?)