Friday Feature: Interview with Cat Grant & Contest

Kathy: Ms. Grant, Welcome to Book Reviews & More by Kathy and thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule to answer a few nosy probing questions for us!

I always have to begin by asking what motivated you to become a writer? How long have you been writing, and was it a long process to become a published author?

Ms. Grant: I’ve been writing off and on ever since I could hold a pencil. I filled up entire notebooks with stories growing up. I wrote slash fan fiction for well over 20 years before I decided to try my hand at pro-fic, and it took me five or six years to get published after that. So when people ask, “How long did it take you to write that book?” (no matter which one), I usually say, “My whole life!”

Kathy: Is there a genre you won’t write? Why? Is there a genre you haven’t written but would like to give a try?

Ms. Grant: Paranormal’s hot right now, but as much as I enjoy reading it, I have no feel for writing it. Same thing with historicals. I gobble ‘em up like jelly beans, but all the research would kill me.

Kathy: You co-wrote two books for Riptide Publishing with Rachel Haimowitz. Did you write specific characters or scenes? Can you describe the co-writing process for us? Will you co-author novels in the future?

Ms. Grant: Rachel and I worked together mostly in chat, with our manuscript open in Google Docs. It’s really trippy, watching the cursor move across the page while the other person’s typing! We spent a good three months brainstorming the books before we started writing, which was a big help. We started out thinking it would be one (very long!) book, but halfway through drafting the first book, we realized it would have to be two. As for co-authoring in the future…we’ve kicked around an idea for another Power Play book, but it all depends on how Rachel’s and my schedules shake out. We’re both pretty busy right now.

Kathy: I have to confess that I am a huge fan of series and I am delighted that you have so many different ones to read. Do you always plan for the novels to become a series? What influences your decision to continue the series?

Ms. Grant: Most of my series have mushroomed on their own. All those pesky secondary characters wanting their own stories! But when they start nudging me, I have to obey, or they won’t leave me alone.

Kathy: Plotter, pantster or a combination of both?

Ms. Grant: I used to be a dyed in the wool pantser, but I’ve had to learn some plotting skills. Can’t keep up a steady output of words every day without it. I fall kind of in the middle of pantsing and plotting – I’d call myself a planner.

Kathy: Where do you find inspiration for your novels and characters? Real life events? Imagination? Or a combination?

Ms. Grant: Oh, there are ideas everywhere. I can get a dozen ideas just watching the news. The problem is finding the time to write them all.

Kathy: What is a typical day like as author Cat Grant? Do you write every day? How long does it typically take for you to complete a book?

Ms. Grant: I spend a lot of time thinking about the story and the characters before I start writing. I tend to write in a three-act structure, so once I have the first act mapped out in my head, I’m good to go. When I’m drafting, I write every day until I’m done. Then the editing starts.

Kathy: Can you tell us a little about By Chance?

Ms. Grant: By Chance is the first book in my Courtland Chronicles series, originally published from 2008-09. I didn’t intend for it to become a series—in fact, I’d intended The Arrangement (first book published, fourth in the series’ internal chronology) as a stand alone. I was completely unprepared for the prequel plot bunnies that swarmed over me, which is the reason why the original books were released out of order. When I got the rights back to the entire series last year, I jumped at the opportunity to fix all the things I got wrong – or that just plain bugged me – about the original books.

So now everyone can experience (or re-experience) how Eric and Nick met and back in college, and a twenty-year love affair began.

Kathy: Can you tell us a little about your latest release with Riptide, Fearless?

Ms. Grant: I’m really excited about Fearless. It’s my first Christmas story, which was a big challenge, since I was writing it in the middle of summer! I had to listen to the Glee Christmas album every day to get in the right mood.

It was a lot of fun revisiting my heroes Connor and Wes from Priceless and giving them the HEA they’d fought so hard for. Christmas. Wedding. In New York. What more do I need to say?

Kathy: What projects are you currently working on? What can readers look forward to from you in the upcoming year?

Ms. Grant: I just finished drafting Flawless, where Connor’s best friend Steve finally gets his happy ending. The next two Courtland books, Strictly Business and Complications, will be out on January 1st and February 1st, respectively. I’m in the middle of revising the next two Courtland books, The Arrangement and Triad, for release next summer. And of course, I’ve got a few other projects simmering on the back burner. Stay tuned!

Kathy: I have thoroughly enjoyed chatting with you today. Is there anything else you would like to share with us before you go?

Ms. Grant: Thanks so much for having me! And to my readers – thanks for your love and support. I couldn’t do it without you.:)

Kathy: Ms. Grant, congratulations on your new releases and thank you so much for visiting with us today. Feel free to drop by anytime you happen to be in the neighborhood.

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Title: By Chance by Cat Grant
Courtland Chronicles Book One
Publisher: Cat Grant Books, 2nd Edition
Genre: Contemporary, M/M, Erotic, Romance
Length: 38,000 words

Summary:

A life of wealth and privilege doesn’t equal happiness—just ask Eric Courtland. Growing up with a cold, unfeeling father and unstable mother has taught him exactly what he doesn’t want out of life or love. The troubled young man prefers a solitary life and is content to keep it that way until a campus emergency saddles him with an unwanted roommate.

Popular, wholesome, straight Nick Thompson is far more temptation than Eric’s prepared for, but Nick’s warm, easygoing manner gradually cracks through Eric’s prickly protective shell.

After Eric suffers a traumatic attack, their friendship gives way to an intense passion. Eric’s no stranger to casual sex, but what he feels for Nick is something deeper, and more fragile.

Independent Eric doesn’t know the first thing about being in a relationship, much less with a lover who can’t even admit he’s gay. But conservative Nick can’t seem to find his way out of his own personal closet.

Rock, meet hard place.

Note: This title has been previously published. This edition has been revised and re-edited.

Read my review HERE.

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Title: Fearless by Cat Grant
Irresistible Attraction Series Book Three
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, M/M, Erotic, Romance
Length: 70 pages/Word Count: 16,400

Summary:

How can you plan for the future when escaping the past seems impossible?

After over a year together, Connor Morrison and Wes Martin decide to tie the knot. But an ethics complaint regarding their deeply non-traditional relationship threatens Connor’s job and Wes’s Ph.D. The fact that Connor tried to keep it from Wes—even with the best of intentions—makes the situation even worse and casts a pall over their plans for a Christmas wedding in New York.

It doesn’t help that Connor still treats Wes like glass, though Wes insists he’s recovered from the brutal assault he suffered a year and a half earlier. Wes may be okay, but Connor isn’t. Memories of taking a battered, terrified Wes to the emergency room that night still haunt him, and he can’t let go of the need to protect Wes from any and everything life might throw at him.

But Wes has had enough. Between the specter of the ethics complaint and Connor’s overprotectiveness, he’s already beginning to question their plans. Add in a family ashamed of and angered by his choices, and Wes might just leave Connor standing at the altar.

Publisher’s Note: This title is a sequel to Priceless. For maximum enjoyment, we highly recommend reading Priceless first.

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Thanks for joining me on my double-duty blog tour! I’ve got two books coming out this month – By Chance, the first book in my rewritten, re-edited, self-published Courtland Chronicles series, and Fearless, Book Three in my Irresistible Attraction series from Riptide Publishing. Leave a comment for a chance to win your choice of ebooks from my backlist! I’ll also be giving away a brand new Kindle Fire HD to one lucky commenter drawn from all the tour stops, so follow along and party with me at each–you can earn an entry at every stop! Winners will be announced on December 31st.

Here are Cat’s various hideouts on the Internet: Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads * Amazon Author Page * Email

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It’s that easy! Ms. Grant will contact winners on December 31st!