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Friday, February 14, 2014

INTERVIEW WITH KATHLEEN Y'BARBO


Bestselling author Kathleen Y’Barbo is a Carol Award and RITA nominee of fifty novels with almost two million copies of her books in print in the US and abroad and nominations including a Career Achievement Award, Reader’s Choice Awards, Romantic Times Book of the Year, and several Romantic Times Top Picks. A proud military wife and tenth-generation Texan, she now cheers on her beloved Aggies from north of the Red River. Find out more at www.kathleenybarbo.com.

Interview with Kathleen Y'Barbo 

 
S.S: How long have you been writing?
I typed the first word of my first novel on April 21, 1996. It was a weekday, and I had just dropped my youngest child off at preschool.

S.S: Do you write full time? If the answer is no, what else do you do? If you are a full time author, what other jobs did you have in the past?
I do. I am a certified paralegal and a former member of the Texas Bar Association Paralegal Division. I’ve also worked as a literary publicist.

S.S: Tell us about the moment you finally felt like a “real author”?
It was August of 1996 when I attended my first Romance Writers of America meeting. Standing up and introducing myself then talking about what I wrote was daunting, but when I left that meeting, I felt for the first time like I was actually a writer.

S.S: Do you write in any other genres? If so, what?
I write contemporary and historical romance in both novel and novella length. I have also co-written two nonfiction books on divorce and empty nest with the fabulous Janice Thompson.

S.S: If you couldn’t write, what else would you want to do?
Something that involves reading, preferably in a beach chair with my toes in the sand!

S.S: Tell us about your current release.
SADIE’S SECRET is the third in a series of 1890s Southern romantic suspense novels called The Secret Lives of Will Tucker series. Each book stands alone, and all of them follow the charming career criminal Will Tucker. In SADIE’S SECRET, Tucker finally finds his match with a Louisiana planter’s daughter turned lady Pinkerton who reluctantly teams up with Tucker’s twin brother, a London-born Scotland Yard detective whose family roots dig deep into Alabama soil. Here’s the blurb:

Louisiana, 1890—Sarah Louise “Sadie” Callum is a master of disguise, mostly due to her training as a Pinkerton agent but also from evading overprotective brothers as she grew up. When she takes on a new assignment with international connections, she has no idea her new cover will lead her on the adventure of a lifetime.

Undercover agent William Jefferson Tucker is not looking for marriage—pretend or otherwise—but his past is a secret, his twin brother has stolen his present, and his future is in the hands of the lovely Sadie Callum. Without her connections to the world of upper-crust New Orleans, Jefferson might never find a way to clear his name and solve the art forgery case that has eluded him for years.

S.S: Where did you get your inspiration for this book?
I’ve had a character like Sadie on my mind for awhile. I loved writing about the spunky heroine Eugenia Cooper in my novel THE CONFIDENTIAL LIFE OF EUGENIA COOPER, but I’ve always wanted to turn that type of character into a detective. With Sadie, I had my chance.

S.S: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from your story?
When I set out to write the series, I had no idea the theme of redemption would be repeated throughout. However, looking back on these books, SADIE’S SECRET in particular, I believe that the knowledge that no one is every too far away from God is the overarching message here. Redemption is always possible, but it comes only through the Lord.

S.S: Who is your favorite character in this book and why?
Sadie is my favorite character for so many reasons. She’s a spunky heroine who manages to carry out her Pinkerton duties while eluding the prying eyes of her five overprotective brothers.

S.S: Any writing goals you still hope to achieve?
Of course! I’ve surpassed the 50-book mark, so now I have set my eyes on publishing 100 books. It took almost 15 years to get to 50, but I’m hoping it won’t take as long to reach 100.

S.S: Now let’s get a little personal. Name two things on your “bucket list” that you haven’t done yet.
It’s funny you should ask because I just admitted one of these to someone on social media yesterday. I have always wanted to visit the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Smithsonian in Washington DC. Having all four of my grown children—who are currently spread out between two foreign countries and two different cities in another state—in the same room at the same time is another bucket list item.
 

S.S: What is the hardest thing you have ever done?
The hardest thing I have done is raise my four children, not because it was difficult (I adore them all), but because the responsibility of sending four well-adjusted and independent adults off into the world was so very daunting. I made many mistakes, but oh, how I loved those years parenting my three sons and daughter.

S.S.: Where can readers find you on the internet?
Website: www.kathleenybarbo.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathleenYBarbo
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathleen.ybarbo
To download a first chapter of SADIE’S SECRET: http://harvesthousepublishers.com/book/sadies-secret-2014/


S.S.: Anything else you’d like to share with us?
Yes. Thank you so much! I love this blog and am thrilled to be featured on it! 



Leave a comment, along with your contact information, for a chance to win a copy of Sadie's Secret by Kathleen Y'Barbo!


29 comments:

  1. Wonderful. I just put Sadie's Secret on my t-b-r list at the library!

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  2. What a great interview! Kathleen sounds like a great lady and her books sound wonderful. Thank you for sharing.

    mauback55 at gmail dot com

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  3. As a divorced woman on Valentine's Day, I found this interview so encouraging. Here is a good example of a woman who is using all her talents in a way that I find remarkable. It left me feeling so hopeful. I will be adding her to my list of must-read authors. What a great interview! ---Dodie

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  4. Thank you. I love suspense! Kathleen's book sounds wonderful.
    Tissakay at aol dot com

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  5. Good Morning, Love this outfit that Sadie has own and sure would like to read her story...nice interview today and sure glad to meet ya...Hope all there are having a wonderful Valentine's Day...Love is in the air...
    Paula O(kyflo130@yahoo.com)

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  6. Ohhhh suspense! Ohhhh! sounds great!
    mandn(at)wisper(dash)wireless(dot)com

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  7. I can't wait to read Sadie's Secret! It will be on my TBR list !
    I have read Kathleen's previous books and loved them all.
    Thanks for featuring her.
    mcnuttjem0(at)gmail(dot)com

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  8. I loved "getting to know" Kathleen. Thanks for a chance to win her book.
    Connie
    cps1950@gmail.com

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  9. Thank you for the lovely interview with Kathleen. Looks like her new book is a winner. :)
    campbellamyd at gmail dot com

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  10. I so enjoyed getting to know you better through this wonderful blog post, after enjoying your books. I loved your response to the question about the hardest thing you've ever done. It's what everyone should all aspire to as parents. I look forward to reading Sadie's Secret!

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  11. Thank you for the lovely comments! Dodi, I once was where you are now. Please know God has an amazing plan for you. Just wait and see!

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  12. Hi Kathleen! Enjoyed the interview! I love mysteries! Happy Valentine's Day!

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  13. Great interview. I will add this book to my reading list.
    Dawn C.
    dcofohio@yahoo.com

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  14. This was a very interesting interview. kathleen, I feel for you. And, until I moved back to Houston, Tx. because my hubby had cancer, I had lived away from my four for a very long time. And, I thought that was bad enough just being out of state, but oh my being in other countries would be awful. Are they missionaries or just their jobs? I really like your idea on what you would want to do if you weren't writing. LOL Your book sounds good. Would love to win one, then wish for the others. Maxie mac262(at)me(dot)com

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    1. One of my children is studying abroad and another is there for work. Thank you for asking.

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  15. That's a lot of books you've written

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

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  16. I love your books and it has been awhile since I read one. Would love to win, read and review and share.
    jrs362 at Hotmail dot com

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  17. Great interview. I've been wanting this book since I saw the cover. And, it sounds. Thanks for the giveaway girls.
    Maxie mac262(at)me(dot)com

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  18. Sounds like a great book, Kathleen! Thanks for sharing about it.

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  19. Looks like a great read. Quite an interesting collection of books. Hope to read this one!

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  20. Thank you for sharing Kathleen's delightful interview! I am eager to read SADIE'S SECRET and appreciate the opportunity to win a copy!

    texaggs2000 at gmail dot com

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    1. Britney, do I detect from your email address that you're an Aggie, too?

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  21. For those of you who don't know this, Harvest House Publishers has made available a free prequel to The Secret Lives of Will Tucker series. It's a novella called Miss Merriweather's Marriage, and it available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. For anyone who has read Flora's Wish, the first of the series, you will recognize the narrator of this novella as a very young Millicent Merriweather Brimm, also known as Flora's beloved Grandmama. The story features General Sherman himself, and may offer a clue as to why Grandmama wasn't the least bit concerned with the marauding Yankees when they arrived on her Natchez doorstep a few decades later.

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  22. Sounds like a really good book!! :)

    Pen M
    pmettert@yahoo.com

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  23. What a wonderful interview. I love hearing about an author's writing process. Loved getting to know you better. When you talk about parenting it reminded me that we all have the same fears. Your book sounds wonderful. Look forward to reading it.
    eppersonkatrina(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  24. Great interview. I always enjoy these getting to know the author posts.

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  25. This was a very interesting interview. The idea in your Bucket list of wanting to have all of your children with you for these trips is great. I too would like a trip with my four. Tho our situation is turned around. I have four daughters and one son. And raising children to be good responsibility adults is a hard job but so rewarding. But, it does take some making sure they know right from wrong and obeying rules. At home and away. This is important when they live as an adult. And so many don't have that now days. Maxie mac262(at)me(dot)com

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