Interview With Kimberley Dehn!

For a chance to win a PDF download of Kimberley’s book, all you have to do is leave her a comment on this post! I’ll be heading out of town in the morning and I still haven’t packed. ACK! So I’ll let this run until Friday and I’ll announce a winner Saturday morning!

Welcome to my blog Kimberley!

I’d like to congratulate you on your debut novel, Southern Exposure! Can you tell us a little about this book?

The story is a romantic comedy about a runaway heiress bride who meets her destiny in an obscure Georgia town comprised of an outlaw pig, the best fried chicken in the South, and a mouthwatering mayor who thinks she’s trouble. If the Cohen Brothers pitched the movie version in Hollywood they would say its Northern Exposure (TV series) meets Overboard (movie starring Goldie Hawn).

Do you plot out your stories first or do you let the characters lead you?

Primarily I come up with a germ of an idea, and if it’s worthy of fleshing out, I will carry it around inside my head for days, auditioning characters and situations. Not every idea is novel worthy. I can tell if I can’t get more than two steps beyond the germ and the story flounders. An idea is only good if there are strong characters to carry it. I am a character writer. I’ve warned my friends and family that anything they say around me is fodder for a character in my next novel. I have a neighbor who didn’t take me seriously, and as a result…she’s in Southern Exposure—full name, deep dark secrets and all. Sorry Shelly.

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on a tale about well-known folklore people but giving them modern-day problems. It’s a family situation comedy. After that, I have a paranormal comedy planned involving my cats…or should I call them my…mews (groan).

What genre(s) can we look forward to from you?

Paranormal. I do my best writing when I am free to create characters without perimeters or factual guidelines.

Describe a day in the life of Kimberley Dehn.

I am owned by 9 ex-stray cats; mostly seniors, one kitten, plus I have one new stray tabby auditioning for a future opening, so I am out of bed by 6 a.m. to feed them and do litter box doody duty. There are pills to give, insulin shots for my diabetic tabby, things like that. My husband travels for his business so if he’s on the road, I’m responsible for getting everything done by myself and often can’t go to my home office until 9-ish. If he’s home, possibly I’m at my desk by 8:30. I try to resist answering emails first thing because they eat up a lot of my time. Answering them at the end of the day or on my lap top while watching TV that night would be ideal, but unfortunately ideal is a fantasy world for me.

Anyway, if the moon is aligned properly with the earth and stars…I will review what I wrote the day before, and then hit the ground running. I don’t always know what I want out of a scene, which gives me the freedom to try out new ideas, or expand on a throwaway line that snagged my attention earlier in the story. Sometimes my best plotting comes from an innocent line that appeared from out of no-where. I will be interrupted frequently throughout the day, either by my kitten sitting on my shoulder, ready to attack the cursor on the computer screen—I hit the save button a lot—or I will have to play referee over a territorial fight, or feed someone a snack. My cats are unimpressed with my success and feel I was put on this earth to cater to their finicky needs.

I usually wrap up my day around 4 o’clock in time to make the house presentable for my husband when he comes home—I’m married to a neat freak which really makes life interesting since we share our palace with a hoard of cats—or if he’s on the road, I may work later, especially if the story is flowing and I’m feeling exceptionally creative. I need to finish up by 5:30 because I have been adopted by a group of baby raccoons that come out of the woods at that time for their supper. I swear they wear watches. If I’m late, they will climb the door and windows to my sunroom, and wave at me to get my attention. I go through a bag of dog food a week, along with day old bread, animal crackers, and watermelon. I have a kid’s pool set up for them to swim in and drink from. My evenings are spent watching Deadliest Catch or some other reality TV show, and if nothing is on, I read, especially if I’ve been asked to provide another author a book review.

Favorites…

Favorite Season?

Autumn, in Michigan, my home state.

Morning person or night owl?

Morning person. I do my best writing before noon. After lunch, it’s a crap shoot as to what goes on the page.

Favorite movie?

I watch movies two ways: as a woman just wanting a great love story—which includes anything with Sandra Bullock, While You Were Sleeping, Hope Floats. And, despite my husband’s rude comments about her, I loved Meg Ryan before she did something funky with her lips. French Kiss. Sleepless in Seattle. I love movies with family ensembles like Moonstruck and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Then there is the writer in me that loves movies for their characters. Fargo. As Good As It Gets. Office Space. The Wedding Singer.

Favorite song?

I love Smooth Jazz. I play all of Craig Chaquico’s CDs while I write.

Favorite color?

Red. I am drawn to it like a hummingbird.

Fun Questions…

If you had a shrinking device, what’s the one thing in your house you’d miniaturize first?

My waistline so I could eat all the chocolate and pasta I want. Then I’d make all of my cats kittens so I could put them in a playpen and get some writing done.

If a movie was made about your life, who would you like to see play the lead role as you?

Brooke Shields. Not for her looks, but because she has great comic timing.

If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?

This Is My Life…God Help Me!

Instead of leaves or money, what do you wish would grow on trees?

Ink cartridges. I go through them pretty darn fast.

If you had to smell like one thing for the rest of your life, what scent would you pick?

Homemade biscotti, fresh from the oven.

Kimberley, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview with me!

I appreciate you giving me a forum to promote Southern Exposure.

For more information on Kimberley, check out her website!