Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Kelle Z Riley. Thanks for being here today Kelle, welcome to FAR!

To start, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

First, I'm delighted to be here. There's nothing I like more than chatting with readers and hanging out around good books.

As you may know, I wear many hats.

During the day, I'm a mild mannered research scientist. You know the type: a geek with a Ph.D. in chemistry who wears a white coat and goggles while working in a pristine lab. OK, the truth is that I am a scientist and I do wear goggles, but I'm as likely to be hanging out in a jump suit on the grimy floor of a manufacturing facility as I am to be in a pristine lab, because my area of specialization is water treatment and knowing any process in which water plays a part. And I don't really think I'm a geek. But that's just my opinion.

But at night I strip off the jump suit and turn to my computer where I create "sparkling, sensuous, emotional" romance fiction. Since I write contemporary romance, I start by researching the careers for my characters. Once the basics of career are in place, I enter that magical state of mind where I create and explore the world in which my characters live. I usually end the night with a smile on my face because writing energizes me.

Then there are the times when I try to use my talents and skills to help the community in which I live. I have an advanced black belt in karate, and I'm a certified self defense instructor. Unfortunately, I had to cut way back on my training schedule when I started writing. Life always makes you choose, in this case, it was a choice between two good things. But I still try to teach at least a couple of classes a year. And I give seminars and talks on awareness and the basics of keeping yourself safe.

I'm also married. My husband is my inspiration for all of the good traits in my hero’s and none of the bad ones. (He might read this interview, so of course I'll let him think the bad traits came from my old boyfriends.) All of our "children" are of the four footed variety, presently two cats and a dog, all of whom are in their "geriatric" years but still lively. They are delighted that I let them be characters in my books, but of course, I had to give them pen names, too. To protect the innocent. Or something. Anyway, that's probably more than you wanted to know. Next question!

You have a documentary coming out this year as part of the Bravo! Network’s documentary on Romance Novels and the Romance Industry. Could you tell us more about it and we can expect to see it?

In 2005, the Bravo! Network attended the Romance Writer's of America (RWA) national conference which brings together nearly 2000 published and aspiring writers as well as editors, agents and other industry professionals. During the conference they interviewed me and filmed sections of my workshop on creating "Kick-Butt" characters. In reality the workshop also imparted tips for everyday safety and self defense as well as methods for using these tactics to create believable action characters. It was fun to work with the production team, but I confess it was a challenge to my "focus" to give my talk in front of cameras and microphones. Every time audience member asked a question, a huge microphone (it seemed as big as a basketball to me at the time) would swing over to catch the question then swing back to me for my response.

I'm looking forward to the Bravo! production, which was scheduled to air sometime in the Spring of '07 according to the most recent information I have. It should be interesting if I'm included because not only was I giving the martial arts based talk that year, but it was also the year I was nominated for the Golden Heart Award. So the team saw me in traditional karate gear and a new evening gown. Quite a contrast. And, to top off the week, my husband and I celebrated our 10th anniversary. Since the conference was in Reno, we decided to renew our wedding vows the day after the awards ceremony. The Bravo! folks were kind enough to interview us about the vow renewal as part of their coverage. Of course, with television you never know what will be aired and what will end up on the cutting room floor.

It turns out that Bravo! was not the only group taping my workshop. I later learned that the segment was also being taped for "CBS Sunday Morning" and was aired around Valentine's day of 2006. Seeing myself on National TV for the first time was exciting. It was especially fun when friends I hadn't seen in years saw the clip and contacted me.

I learned from your website that along with being a writer and a scientist, you’re also a certified women's self defense instructor. What would you say is one of the most important things for women to learn?

I can't stop at one, but I'll whittle it down to three. Three of the most important things a woman can learn are to be aware of her surroundings, to listen to her gut instincts, and to use her voice effectively.

First, awareness will help prevent 90% of the dangerous situations that can arise. For example, a popular urban legend tells women to check underneath their cars for hidden assailants. The legend is right. You should check under your car-- but you're not looking for strangers lurking beneath the chassis. You're looking for leaking fluids (such as brake fluids) that can disable a car once you get a few miles down the road. The reality is that the "helpful stranger" who shows up in the nick of time may have been the one to disable your car in the first place.

This leads me to the second point. We need to learn to listen to those "gut instincts" that warn us of danger. Too often we talk ourselves out of listening, thinking that we're prejudiced, overly sensitive or being illogical to rely on intuition. But the brain is a highly sophisticated sensor and faster than any computer at analyzing complex situations. When in danger, the high speed processing sections of the brain give a warning signal--usually fear and the instinctive reactions it generates--but it doesn't have time to explain to the logical areas of the brain how it arrived at the conclusion. Listen to that instinct. After you are in a safe place, you can replay the scenario and reconstruct the unconscious clues that led your brain to issue the warning signal. Two great books, The Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker, and Blink by Malcolm Gladwell give dozens of examples of how the brain works to produce that "gut" instinct.

Third, women need to learn to use their voices to give them power and control over a situation. "Help" is a weak word that comes out as a whimper and may actually encourage an attacker. A much more powerful word is "No." After all, that is the first word a child learns. And we all have an instinctive reaction to it. Imagine the tone and volume of voice you would use if you discovered your toddler trying to cross a busy street and you had to stop him was your shout alone. This kind of a focused vocalization is what the martial artists call a kiai or a "spirit shout." It focuses your energy, gives you power, and startles your opponent. (And it helped me win a racquetball game against my husband....but that's another story.)

You have won many awards for your work, is there one that means more to you than the others?

My favorite award by far was the nomination for the 2005 RWA Golden Heart Award. The Golden Heart (for unpublished writers) and the Rita (for published authors) have been called the "academy awards" of romance writing. They are given out at a black tie awards ceremony during the national conference. Competition is fierce. The year I was nominated, one thousand entries were received from across the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia ,New Zealand and other countries. From that one thousand entries only 77 were given finalist status. What makes the award special is that it is judged by a panel of 5 writing peers who don't know you, or your work, so they can be completely honest and anonymous in giving their scores. I contribute the nomination with helping to make my first sale and to acquire my agent. Of course, many wonderful works don't make the final cut because it comes down to a matter of taste and having five judges who enjoy your voice. Submitting a great manuscript is the minimum requirement for finaling in the contest and the only one under the writer's control.

What is your favorite part of a book to write?

Wow, that's a tough one. I'd have to say that my favorite part is any part where the characters take over and I just jot down what they say and do. Sometimes I have very definite plans for where I want a story to go and the characters refuse to follow my directions. They'll often do things that push the envelop a bit, being more sexy or more brash than I'd planned for them to be, but it always works out better when I let them take the lead. When I'm able to slip inside their skin and really feel their emotions, the pages just fly by.

You have 3 wishes, what are they?

This is another difficult question. Those who grant wishes usually twist your words to give you less than what you'd hoped for. But since Fallen Angels Reviews doesn't promise to grant the wishes, I suppose there is no harm in dreaming. Still, I'll try to be careful.

1. I wish I had a magic wand that would endow real people with the ability to face their problems with the courage, integrity, honesty and love that the characters in our books use to overcome the obstacles and tragedies in their lives. If more people came together in that spirit we would see a lot more "happily ever after" moments in real life.

2. I wish that the most frightful and virulent disease left for us to cure was the common cold. Wouldn't it be wonderful if cancer, diabetes, heart disease, AIDS and all of the other diseases were a thing of the past?

3. OK Now I'll go ahead and be selfish. I wish my passion for writing would earn me enough to pay the bills, have decent health insurance and otherwise become so self supporting that I could "retire" from my day job. Not that I would stop working entirely. I think I would enjoy taking on part time non-writing or volunteer jobs to give me inspiration for new careers and vocations of my future characters. Plus, I'd love to be able to pop back into an office or lab from time to time to have that element of human contact with the non-writing world. Otherwise, I'd be too insular and my life and writing would soon be flat.

Could you tell us readers a little bit about current release Dangerous Affairs?

My current release, Dangerous Affairs, is the story of a woman who, for all practical purposes, doesn't exist. She's on the run from an abusive ex-husband and spends her time staying at least one step ahead of him, hiding under aliases and keeping everyone at a distance. The story opens when she meets the hero--a martial artist and self defense instructor--who immediately puts all of her self preservation instincts on full alert. He has secrets of his own and sees helping her as a way to atone for his past mistakes. As they draw close to one another he challenges her to let go of her disguises and face her fears--and her ex if need be--head on. She, in turn, challenges him to let go of the guilt and perfectionism that have driven him throughout his life. All of this is wrapped up in a sensual, emotional story with suspenseful overtones that sneaks a little bit of education in with the entertainment.

One of my favorite things about the story is that the hero doesn't "rescue" the heroine from her situation. Instead he gives her the tools to let her rescue herself, and in doing so, he helps her build the confidence she needs to use them. While she is learning to confront and conquer her fears, he learns that he can't save the world and that loving her means letting her stand on her own.

I've taught self defense at women's shelters and seen first hand the courage it takes to stand up for yourself against overwhelming odds. I tried to bring some of this realism into the story, but at the same time remaining true to the romance genre in which two people fight for their happy ending. All women, especially those leaving unhealthy relationships, need to have the hope that they, too, can have a happy ending.

Prior to Dangerous Affairs, I published several short stories, all of which are available as downloads from Fictionwise or my publisher's web site www.echelonpress.com. The short stories are light, romantic tales which are quick reads. I think of them as "bedtime stories for busy women."

What is the wackiest job you can think of that you would like to do?

Actually I think I'd like to research resorts so I can recommend them to travel agencies. Sort of like a travel writer, but without having to do a lengthy review of the resort. Maybe I could just give it a 1-10 ranking the way I do with some of the writing contests I judge. Hopping from one resort to another and partaking of the rich food, special drinks and spa services is a brutal job, but someone has to do it. Don't they? My second and third choices are tight rope walker or a zoo keeper working with the big cats. Yeah, those all sound like great jobs--provided they come with major medical insurance to take care of injuries from those falls or bites!

How did you celebrate selling your first book?

Actually, I forgot to celebrate it!

I was very calm when the publisher called to tell me she wanted to buy my book. On some level, I always believed that day would come, so, in a sense, it just felt like another step on the path I'd chosen rather than the milestone it really was. Typically when I achieve a long sought-after goal, I simply set another goal for myself. I need to learn to take breaks to celebrate those successes.

For years, I had been telling my husband that when I sold a book we'd go to a fancy dinner at an outdoor cafe I'd been wanting to visit. For my birthday the year of the sale, he bought me a poster of a cafe very like the one we planned for our celebration dinner. I hung it in my living room, but we never actually made it to the dinner. I did go out with a couple of writing friends over the course of several weeks and I had a few glasses of champagne with them, but otherwise I didn't celebrate. But next summer, I swear, bleated though it is, I'm going to the Outdoor French Cafe to celebrate that sale!

What’s one thing you would like your readers to know about you?

Despite all of the many hats I wear, I am really just an average person, living her dreams. And if I can do it, so can you. All of the goals I've reached have come because I refused to give up when someone told me I couldn't do it. It is a matter of deciding what you want and taking baby steps until you get it.

There is a story that an opera lover had the chance to meet her favorite singer. She praised the singer's talent then said "I would give anything to be able to sing as well as you do." The star replied "Would you give up 8 hours a day, every day for ten years? Because that's what I gave up to do it."

Dreams take sacrifice and perseverance, but the pursuit can be wonderful. And if your dream only gets you to the local theater instead of the Metropolitan Opera? Take another baby step. And Enjoy The Ride.

Could you tell us what you’re currently working on?

My agent is working on selling my next work--one featuring a dyslexic hero and a literacy teacher. Unlike Dangerous Affairs the new work has a humorous edge to it. I am much more comfortable writing humor than angst. I had a great time writing the latest work. One of the methods used to teach literacy is to have clients bring in things that interest them and that they would like to be able to read. For the book I created fictional stories from popular Women's and Men's magazines, all of which had very sexy undertones. Needless to say, the stories distracted my characters from the task at hand and focused them on one another instead. I am working on two sequels to that book which each feature minor characters from the original work. One takes readers to a beautiful tropical island kingdom for a classic Cinderella story with a twist. The other features a hero trying to fit back into the small town where he grew up and finding that things have changed. Especially the girl he left behind. Maybe next year, I'll be able to stop by and chat about them some more.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us today?

I want to thank you again for the wonderful experience of being here with you. It was a pleasure to "chat" with you today. And if your readers pick up my book and enjoy it, please, tell two friends...and ask them to tell two friends...

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions for us today Kelle! Readers can learn more about Kelle and her books on her website at www.kellezriley.com

Interviewed by: Tammy