Whoever coined the phrase my life is an open book must have been from a small town. Let's face it. How many secrets can you have when you live in a place with only one stoplight? Everyone else's business is routine fodder for daily discussion at the local coffee shop or in the aisle of the grocery store. Still, perhaps I can share a secret or two about myself that might lift the eyebrow of even my closest friend.

 

My name is Kathleen and I am an addict.

I am an addict, and I have no control when it comes to office supplies. I'm addicted to the smell of freshly sharpened pencils. To the crisp sound that comes from cracking open the spine of a new notebook. To the clickety-clack of the computer keyboard. Willpower won't cure my problem. Once an addict, always an addict. At times when I find myself desperate for a fix, I blindly hunt out the nearest office supply store. I stalk the shelves, searching out the best deal on gel-tip pens, checking prices on the newest laser printer, reveling in the sight of 20 lb. copy paper, ream upon ream lining the aisles. Bliss! Who could ask for more? Certainly not me. I've no plans for joining Office Supplies Anonymous any time soon.

 

I'm involved in a love affair.

Okay, it's not exactly illicit, seeing as how marriage vows were exchanged. My husband Steve and I have been living out our own version of happily-ever-after for 30 years+. Talk about fairy-tale romance. We actually met at a church wedding, where he was the best man and I was the maid of honor. Do you believe in karma? The ying-yang makes our relationship work. I'm a writer, Steve's a voracious reader. I freak at the mere sight of a burning building, while he bravely heads inside to douse the flames. Steve's a certified hero through our local fire department, and he's my hero, too (read more about him in THE WRITING LIFE). We're a perfect match, in more ways than one. It's hard to find a dancing partner when you're 5'11" like me, but Steve (who towers above me at nearly 6'4") and I fit together just right. I am blessed to be one of those fortunate women who knows what it is like to feel adored and absolutely loved. Know what's so wonderful about love like that? It gives you the courage to challenge yourself, to explore the limitless possibilities hidden within, to soar to places you never dreamed possible. Steve has always been my champion. With his love behind me, I believe I can accomplish anything. Our Abby, an only child, is our best gift to the world - she is a teacher. Abby is living out her own version of happily-ever-after with her husband Patrick (If you love wedding pictures, be sure and check out the "Photo" page).

 

I don't always tell the truth.

Umm, let me qualify that. I'm actually a big proponent of being truthful. I wouldn't have made it through sixteen years in administration for the Catholic Church, or eight years working for one of Michigan's top law firms if I didn't believe in truth, honor and the American way. But anyone who knows me even a teensy bit is aware that I've been known to tweak the facts if it makes for a better story. Because when you're a writer, that's what it's all about, isn't it? Telling the story.

Write what you know, or so the saying goes. FATTY PATTY was born out of my remembrances of the grade school playground and the teasing I endured. My nickname back then was Baby Huey. Any of you old enough to remember the cartoon character of the fat duck with the distinctive waddle and the baby bonnet might understand how much that nickname hurt. Before I graduated from high school, I weighed 300 lbs. Those extra pounds have long since disappeared, but the emotional scars will be with me forever. SMOKESCREEN is a tribute to my hero-husband-fireman Steve and the brave men and women who put their lives on the line every time they're toned out by 9-1-1 to respond to a fire call. Real people. Real lives. Real heroes. All of them.

 

When it comes to other women, I'm definitely the odd one out.

Though I've the utmost respect for women who manage to have it all, I'm not one of them. I flunked out as a Brownie Troop leader and PTA mom while Abby was young. Now she's an adult, the pressure's off a bit. Still, working a day job (at a Castle! How romantic!), keeping track of my husband, house, and one uppity Persian cat, all while jealousy guarding my writing time is plenty enough for me. Baking, cooking, hosting big family dinners? Isn't that why God invented restaurants? And while I love the girls from SEX IN THE CITY, we have very little in common. Manicures? Waxings? Skin peels? I wouldn't know where to begin. Women who know how to put it all together have always scared me. I'm the first to admit I have no interest in the latest fashion trends, the season's hottest colors, or the latest style in shoes (I'm more into laser printers and gel pens, remember?) You can't go wrong with the classics, or so the good nuns taught me. Clean straight lines, with not much clutter is now I prefer my closet to look. That goes for my book shelves, too, which contain the works of my favorite authors. Some vintage, some modern, but all classics in their own right: Victoria Holt, Elizabeth Berg, Jennifer Weiner, Jodi Picoult, LaVyrle Spencer, Jane Porter, Roxanne St. Claire - and our beloved Jane Austen.

 

I take total credit for any success that may come my way.

Not likely. If and when publication comes, there will be a whole slew of people out there to whom I'll owe a big debt of thanks. Romance Writers of America ("RWA") for providing its members with such a well organized, informative, knowledgeable group of professional writers. My mentors (wonderful women, you know who you are) - both of them multi-pubbed authors so gracious in sharing their time and advice as they watch me journey down a somewhat bumpy road to publication. The Writing Buddies group, a tremendous source of camaraderie, friendship and support during the past five years. My three critique partners, who share so freely of their time, talent and red ink. And let's not forget the Industry Professionals. To editors and agents who've offered encouragement or editorial advice, a thousand many thanks; and to the IPs who've sent out those form rejection letters, many thanks as well. Each one that arrives in the mail only helps to further toughen me up. As one of my mentors once told me, "Perseverance and persistence, along with discipline, determination and confidence, are EVERY bit as important as talent ... Your belief in yourself ... is THE ONLY THING that separates you from the hundreds that will fall by the wayside, without their dreams and goals realized."

 

I'm thinking about running away from home.

Northern Michigan provides a beautiful backdrop as the setting for my stories, but the winters can be brutal. And I hate snow. I hate cold weather. I hate any day that begins with the outside temperature hovering below sixty degrees. As far as I'm concerned, the saddest day of the year occurs sometime mid-autumn when I haul my rocking chair off the front porch and store it in the garage to forlornly wait out the winter. So what am I doing still living in the Midwest? Good question, and one I often ask myself - especially in mid-January when the skies are best described as gloomy; when Lake Michigan has iced over and seems nothing more than a vast expanse of frozen tundra; when cabin fever hits and there's nothing left to do but kick back, chill out, and try and figure out what to do with the time. That's when I recall the true gift a Northern Michigan winter offers. Time. Lots of time. Time with family and friends. Time to work on my stories. Time to lose myself in the pages of a good book.

Which leads me to my last confession ...

 

I'm a sucker for romance.

I live for happily-ever-after endings. Life can be grim and tough enough without being reminded of it through the fiction we read. My goal is to provide some respite to those in need of a break from the weariness of the world. Hopefully my stories speak of courage and faith, of family and friendship. Of hearts that are often broken but always mended by the one thing that never fails us if we allow ourselves to truly embrace it.

LOVE.

Wedding and Fire Photos courtesy of Julie Christiansen