A CHAT WITH AUTHOR KATY LEE!

It's so wonderful to host Katy Lee today and all through the weekend. Katy, thanks for dropping in! For those of you who aren't familiar with Katy and her work, here is her bio:

Katy Lee writes higher purpose stories in high speed worlds. As an inspirational author, speaker, home-schooling mom, and children’s ministry director, she has dedicated her life to sharing tales of love, from the greatest love story ever told to those sweet romantic stories of falling in love. Her fresh and unique voice brings a fast-paced and modern feel to her romances that are sure to resonate with readers long after the last page. Her debut novel Real Virtue is a finalist in many writing contests, and took second place in the 2011 Georgia Maggie Award of Excellence

What's Katy's book, Real Virtue about? So glad you asked!!

In a virtual reality game where she can fly, someone’s aiming to take her down.

Mel Mesini is a New York City restaurateur and an avid, virtual reality world traveler. But her successful life—both online and in reality—takes a swerve the night her father is seriously injured in a hit-and-run. To make matters worse, Officer Jeremy Stiles, the man who had once cut her deep with his harsh, rejecting words, is heading the investigation.

When Jeremy realizes Mel is the actual target, he plans to protect her—whether she wants him to or not. What he wants is answers, especially about this online game she plays. Is it a harmless pastime as she says? Or is she using it to cover something up? As a faceless predator destroys the things that matter to her, Jeremy knows he’s running out of time before she loses the one thing that matters most—her real life.

Real Virtue will release on April 4^th in ebook format, paperback in September. It will be available on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.

Katy is giving away a free e-copy of Real Virtue this week to one commenter! (So leave a comment and you'll be entered into the drawing!)


And if you are planning to attend the RT Convention in Chicago, make sure you stop by Katy EXPO table.

And now for my chat with Katy...

        1    In which genre do you write?

Hello Andrea, thank you for having me. I am excited to be here today to share about myself, but also about my debut novel, Real Virtue. I write Inspirational-romantic-suspense. I’ve tried to write contemporary romance, but no matter what I do, a villain ends up rearing his, or her, ugly head.

      For the most part, my stories are contemporary, but I am presently plotting a historical. Not sure if it will ever see the light of day, but I am having loads of fun with it! This past weekend I attended a showing of 19^th century fashion at my local university. The dresses were beautiful, and I loved hearing about why certain patterns and fabrics became the rage for the ladies in these times. A writer’s delight, for sure!

2)     What motivates you? 

      Believe it or not, deadlines. Give me a deadline and it will be done. Even if the deadline is tomorrow. Just last evening, my publisher gave me the final edits and told me I had until five o’clock today to proof them. I got them back to her at 4:55. Whew! The saying goes, you want something done, give it to someone who is busy. An object in motion stays in motion. Well, I am that person in constant motion…just make sure you give me the deadline.

3)   How does your faith affect your daily life?

      I don’t make a move without God’s direction. When I have feelings of worry, I remind myself that worry is fear, and God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. I handle the task at hand, and trust He will provide what I need for it when I need it.

4)    How much spirituality do you weave into your story?

      

      My stories are not sermons, however, I allow my Christian characters free rein when it comes to The Great Commission. As the story progresses their faith shines through as another thread, but more importantly, they demonstrate what the Christian life looks like.

5)    What is your general purpose as an author?

        My general purpose as an author is my general purpose in everything I do­­—to glorify Christ. But the message I hope to convey to my readers through my stories, is that God is in the business of rehabilitating lives, and there is no one not worth His time.

6)   What is your greatest challenge in your writing?

       My greatest challenge is time. I home-school my children, and I am also the Children’s Ministry Director for my church. Both take up huge chunks of time, but they are commitments I have made, and I need to be obedient and responsible in carrying those duties out. If it means I start my day at 4AM to get my word count in, then that is what I do. People ask me all the time how I am able to write. I tell them the question isn’t how I am I able. The question is how much do I want it?

Thank you, Andrea for having me on your blog! Readers, I love comments and would love to hear from you.

And please keep in touch with me at my website: www.KatyLeeBooks.com

You will see links for Twitter and Facebook. Let’s connect and get to know each other!

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Thank you, Katy. It's been great getting to know you. I'll look for your book on store shelves in a couple of weeks!