Hi Karin. Welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews. Thank you for taking the time to sit and talk with us. Karin Huxman is the author of five novels. The latest being The Talisman released in November and The Commitment, now available in e-book format at New Concepts Publishing.

Can you tell us a little about your new book The Commitment?
(Awesome cover by the way, very hot!)

That cover has received a lot of attention! It pretty much portrays the first scene in the book where my heroine wakes up in a hotel room married to her worst nightmare, her boss and ex-brother-in-law. She wants a divorce immediately. He convinces her that they have to stay married long enough to see if he got her pregnant. There's a little industrial espionage going on and some stock manipulation, as well as a sexy little love story.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? The easiest?

I don't know if many romance writers will admit to it, but I find writing, then editing, love scenes very difficult. On one hand, I want to give my characters some dignity and privacy, on the other hand, I know what they are doing and I guess the readers want to know, too. LOL. The easiest part is getting started on a new project. The ideas are just gelling and the characters are coming to life for me on the page. It's very energizing. I never want to stop that initial pouring out of story.

Do you have a mentor that helped you when you first started writing?

I'm such a loner that it's hard for me to ask for help. But after I finished the first draft of the very first novel I wrote (still sitting in a box gathering dust somewhere) I realized I needed help. That's when I found Pikes Peak Romance Writers and their very generous published and unpublished members. I found a critique group with them and found my voice. Since then I've earned an MFA in writing. It was a wonderful process and I had many mentors in that program.

Having been at the writing game for a few years now, do you have any advice for aspiring writers that you wish you had known when you started?

I wish I had realized that being a finalist for RWA's Golden Heart (R) contest wasn't a quick pass to selling a first book. That I didn't sell that book immediately was a huge disappointment. Apparently, I had more to learn about writing. There are so many paths to take to that first sale. Writing is a process and you get better by writing and learning more about yourself as a writer.

Do you find that traits or habits of your husband or former boyfriends, good, bad, or quirky,find their way into your characters?

My husband's better character traits always find their way into my heroes. He is a kind, gentle, brilliant man. Most of the quirks I come up with that might be construed as "bad boy" are simply role playing a little with my characters. Reid, my hero from Entangled came very much from the TV show, The Highlander. McLeod's gallantry and honor transferred. Sometimes I think about the men I don't know but read about or hear about on the news. Their bad boy traits and quirks can be fun to play with.

All writers start out as readers, can you tell me who your favorite authors are and if or how they inspired you to begin writing?

Elizabeth Peters is wonderful. I'd love to be able to write quirky, loveable characters like she does. Elizabeth Ogilvie wrote some wonderful stories set in Maine. I grew up in Massachusetts and spent a lot of time in Maine in the summers. She sets the scenes so well that when I was stationed in Nebraska I used to get her books out of the library and read them over and over in order to remember how the ocean smelled and how the sky looked before a storm. Made me homesick and satisfied at the same time. Her books still do. Robert Crais writes fantastic mysteries. He is a craftsman and a storyteller through and through. Susan Elizabeth Phillips can take a conflict between two characters and wrap it up in a story that takes your breath away, keeping the pages turning. If I could take anything from any of these writers is would be the ability to put my reader in the scene so they are a part of it, and be a part of the character as well.

You have five novels out now, do you find it difficult to write with deadlines looming, or do you work better under pressure?

I don't mind a deadline, it tends to focus the mind. Often, if I don't have a deadline from my editor, I set my own.

Do you ever suffer from writer's block, if so how do you get passed it?

I had a terrible case of writer's block while writing The Commitment. I just couldn't get past chapter five. Finally I decided that I knew, sort of, what was going to happen and skipped ahead to the end of the book. It was the first time I wrote the ending of a book before I'd finished the middle. That darn middle can sure slow you down. I asked one of my writing friends to read the finished draft that had a hole in it where chapter 5 should be. She suggested I think of which character had the most to lose in the scene and work from that angle. It was the perfect suggestion, crystallized the whole scene for me.

We all have one, so tell us yours. What is your favorite comfort food?

When I was growing up I would have said mashed potatoes and baked chicken. Now I love fresh from the oven chocolate chip cookies.

Do you have a character that is especially close to your heart?

Reid, my ghostly hero from Entangled. He was so tortured and flawed, yet he helped redeemed not only himself but the villain in the end.

I read that you have traveled and lived in most of the states, do you have a favorite?

When we moved to Colorado it felt so much like where I belonged that I can't imagine living anywhere else now. I wake up to splendid sunrises glinting off of Pikes Peak, the clear air and vivid blue skies are wonderful. I admit to missing my native New England. Sometimes I just want a weekend of walking on the beach or feeling the spray hit the cliffs off the coast of Maine. But, that's what vacations are for.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years as a writer?

I would like to be a better writer. And I'd love to grow my readership. Would it be egotistical to say I'd love to be a New York Times bestselling author?? Some things are out of my control, so I'll just concentrate on writing the best books I can, and promoting them to the best of my ability. It's been my hope to write and sell two books a year, then I realize that while a goal is important I may not be as prolific as that and be able to write the multi-layered books that I want to work on. I have an urge to write for children, too. And writing poetry has always been a very satisfying activity for me.

If you could go back in time, where would you go and when? What is one thing you would want to take with you?

The culture of Ancient Greece has always been intriquing to me. It's the basis for our Western way of life in many ways. What would I want to take with me? Probably some personal care products, like deodorant and shampoo. I don't suppose my blow-dryer would work there. :)

What are you currently working on?

I recently sent a time travel romance to my editor. The heroine is a relative of Jake Mason from Virtual Heart. A little psychic stuff going on in addition to the time travel magic. I'll let you know if and when "Melodi's Tune" gets the editorial nod. Next will be the story that started the Mason family in my mind. It's rather gothic in tone but a contemporary story. I've got a "pirate" story kind of percolating in the back of my brain stem. There's always something waiting in the wings to be told.

Anything you would like to add before we go?

I want to say thank you to those readers who have taken the time to tell me how much they enjoy my stories. It means the world to me. And thank you to FAR for offering me this opportunity. Best wishes to all.

Karin, thank you so much for talking with us. We wish you the best with your future projects. If you would like to read an excerpt from The Commitment or any of Karin's books visit her website.

Interviewed by:
Kathi