What are the best and worst things about being a writer?

Interesting question! It all depends on where I am in my life :-) Currently (and not by choice) I have the luxury of not having a 9 to 5 job, so I'm free to make my own schedule. I like being able to wear my most comfortable grungies and not having to worry about workplace dress codes. When I have to commute to and from an office and put in the 7-or so hours a day, five days a week, I find my energy level and my creativity suffer. So, I suppose I'm in an ideal situation for the moment.

The worst part is getting rejections.

How does your family deal with having a writer in their midst? Do you find that your muse feeds your husband's? (Kathy is married to Tim, a teacher/director/playwright.)

I suppose I'm lucky in this respect. I've been writing for so long that it's just "one of those things" in our house. My kids are 20 and 16, and for their entire lives, this is what Mom has always done. In fact, my daughter has been writing for years herself, and my son is an English major, which requires him to do a great deal of writing. Both are extremely creative and talented. My husband's teaching and directing take up a lot of his time during the school year. The only opportunity he has to work on his plays is in the summer. For the past few years, when I was working full time outside the home, our schedules never really allowed our muses to interact. But we do read and discuss each other's work and we brainstorm often. In the past, we've even discussed combining our efforts in a collaboration, but that will have to wait until we're both in the same time zone.

When did you first know you were a writer?

As I said, I've been writing most of my life. I don't think there was ever a magic moment when bells started ringing and a light went on in my head. The defining moment came when I began to take myself seriously and seek feedback from other writers. I started to submit my work for publication, entered contests, joined critique groups. It was tough. It's one thing to have friends and family tell you your stuff is good, quite another to develop thick skin and objectivity about your work, and accept both positive and negative criticism.

Do you feel your background in acting helps you climb into your characters' skins when you write?

Definitely! It was strange when I first got online on the old Prodigy back in the early '90s and was able to interact with other writers for the first time and exchange advice and read about techniques and such. I had been intuitively applying my acting training to my writing, and just hadn't made the connection that all writers work the same way to some extent.

The same sorts of questions I would ask myself as a character in a play are the same questions a writer asks of her creations. You may call them by different terms, but it all boils down to the same issues: conflict, motivation, objectives, super-objectives, overcoming conflict to get from point A to point B and achieving the objectives. If I was working on a scene with the villain, I was able to get into his head as I would had I been playing him, seeing the conflict from his point of view.

Writing is harder than acting, though. In a play, you have only your own lines to learn and your objectives etc., to worry about. The director blocks the action, the designers create the sets and the lighting, the crew changes the scenery. As a writer, you act all the roles, write the dialogue, design the set and provide the set pieces and props, and direct the whole shebang, complete with camera angles and focus.

What settings and subgenre do you prefer?

As a reader, I will read pretty much anything--contemporaries, medieval historicals, time travels. Anything but horror (they give me nightmares). As a writer, I enjoy eastern American settings. I was born and raised in the Northeast; that's what I know best. My longtime love of early American history has greatly influenced my preference for the Colonial and American Revolution eras. But I do like other periods in history and hope to use them one of these days.

Tell us a little bit about how Winter Fire came to be.

I've always had a fascination with the Indian "captive narratives" of the seventeenth and eighteenth century. I suppose the germ of an idea started to sprout while I was reading the biography of Mary Jemison, a white woman raised by the Seneca. I became intrigued by the idea of this woman, who had become completely assimilated into their culture, and began to wonder "what if...?" What if she'd been "rescued" and forced to return to a life she could barely remember and would have difficulty coping with? Couple that with what often happened in actual situations--misunderstandings and mistrust on the part of the whites, feelings of alienation and a genuine desire on the part of the returned captive to run back to the Indians--and the stage was set for the inciting incident of the novel. Further research helped me to set the story in a time and place, to find the perfect hero and his backstory, which, unfortunately, is based on a true incident.

I'm particularly intrigued that Zara, the heroine of Winter Fire is on the run for a murder she may have committed, rather than one it's specifically stated she didn't, as one might expect. What else would you say makes a Kathy Fischer-Brown book stand out from the rest?

Everyone has his or her or own uniqueness. I like to think mine is a penchant for gritty realism, being able (I hope) to capture the essence of the period I'm writing about and the people as representative of the place and time and gear it to modern readers. I try to depict the good, as well as the bad, in the characters that people my books and give a measure of both to heroes and villains alike. For instance, Ethan, the hero in Winter Fire, has to overcome certain prejudices against Zara before he can completely trust her. Given his past, it's a hard thing for him to do, even to admit to himself that he harbors these feelings. Sparks, the "villain" is actually a good and honest man driven by his obligations to the community. There's nothing really evil about him, but he's a definite threat to Zara.

How did you come to choose e-publishing? Your particular publisher?

Like most writers who've pursued this option, I did so out of years of frustration from going the traditional route to publication. There are so many wonderful books--award-winning books--out there that, for one reason or another, have been passed over by print publishers. I mean, they are terrific books, but because they fell through the cracks, or didn't fit within a particular house's guidelines, they would never have seen the light of day. I simply took the chance that my book was one of them :-)

Novel Books, Inc. is a fairly new small press (they opened their doors in the fall of 2001) with an aggressive marketing strategy and a creative, talented CEO. At the time I was contemplating e-publishing, many of the e-publishers and small presses weren't accepting submissions. NBI was. It was as simple as that. And from the moment I received "the call," I have been absolutely thrilled and honored to be a part of what is truly a publishing family.

What are the pros and cons of e-publishing?

First of all, there is an attitude among many that e-publishing isn't even legitimate, that it's nothing more than glorified vanity publishing and all you need to get started is a website and a CD burner. Hopefully this has begun to change, as more and more e-books compete with the traditionally published for awards and industry-wide recognition. It's happening. Off the top of my head, at NBI alone I can think of a Romantic Times Reviewer nominee, P.E.A.R.L and Dorothy Parker Award winners, Frankfort Award nominees... Just to name a few. Organizations like EPIC are making headway in removing what is perceived as a stigma by setting guidelines for publishers, offering advice on anything from marketing and promotion to contracts. And they sponsor the EPPIES, a contest that awards excellence in electronic publishing. It's exciting to be a part of something that is still in its formative stage but is destined to become a mainstay.

Distribution is a major problem, but again, this is changing as well. Many houses are now offering their books through amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million. We're being listed with Ingrams and Baker & Taylor. But the hand-held reading devices need to become more affordable and formats in which the books are offered need to be standardized. When this happens, I believe e-books will be able to compete on a whole different level with print books. Can you imagine going on vacation with a hand-held reader that can fit in your purse, loaded with ten novels? Think of the space you'd save in your suitcase! Not to mention the fact that these devices are perfect for people sight impairments, since they offer functions for changing the type size and lighting.

And then there is print on demand...the trade paperback versions of the e-books. Of course, they're a bit more expensive than mass market and many of the chains won't stock them unless they're special ordered. But I think the fact that you can hold it and flip through the pages lends a level of acceptance to those in the reading public still skeptical about e-books, or those who either don't like to read on a computer or don't own the technology.

Do e-published authors get enough exposure? What can be done to increase it?

As with the majority of published authors, being e-published is not much different in terms of exposure. With the one exception that we don't get advances (we do receive higher royalties), we face the same uphill battle to get our books and our names before the public. You still need to aggressively market yourself and your books, make your name known. But there are literally hundreds of online venues that provide these opportunities, some for a fee to take out banner ads, others offering free promotion services, such as interviews and reviews, author spotlights and the like, and webrings. And because our target audience is the people who would normally frequent these sites, the opportunities can pay off. There are also definite advantages in being e-published in this regard. Where most print books have a shelf life of a mere few weeks and then they're gone, our books don't ever have to go out of print. So, we can continue to promote literally for years.

Where do you see the romance genre going in the next five or ten years? Are historicals on their way out, or poised for resurgence?

It's hard to say. The genre continues to grow and change. It's great to see that it is now concerned with cultivating younger readers. Trends come and go and come again. I don't think historicals will ever lose their appeal so long as readers keep demanding them. Settings are like anything else in this ever-changing market. In the wake of movies like Braveheart and Rob Roy and Diana Gabaldon's great Outlander series, Scottish books have continued to hold their popularity. Who knows what film or books on the horizon will set off a new trend? I know I would be overjoyed if it could be a whole sub-genre set in early America.

What authors or others have had significant influence in your writing?

Going back to my younger days, I think the classic authors-the Brontes, Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, Walter Scott, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Mark Twain, Daphne DuMaurier. Then I became fascinated by anything and everything by Virginia Woolf. Of course, I can't forget Shakespeare!

Do you have any writing rituals when you sit down to work; special music, foods, drinks, mascots, etc?

I always have to win at lease one game of solitaire before I even start, otherwise I can't write a thing. Seriously, for every work in progress, I have to have special music that gets me in the mood. I don't necessarily listen while I work, I find it too distracting, especially after it becomes so familiar that I start humming along. When I was writing Winter Fire, I wore out a piece by Marin Marais. I played it everywhere--in the car, at the office, while cooking dinner. I find that when I'm away from my desk, I need to stay connected with the work, even if it's only on a subconscious level. The right music does this for me.

What is your work environment like? Can you take us into your writing space in fifty words or less? Or is it already invaded enough by family and pets?

Well, Casey (my springer spaniel) sometimes likes to lie down on my feet under my desk while I work. Otherwise there's no great invasion. It's a small, cozy little room with book shelves along one wall. My desk is one of those corner affairs with built-in shelves for my reference books: dictionaries, thesaurus, compact OED, name books and assorted favorite tomes. I couldn't live without Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable. And my stereo. There's also a TV and VCR, and a bed for naps :-)

What do you do when creatively blocked or empty?

I've learned to walk away and do something mindless. Nine times out of ten, I become blocked because I invariably write myself into a corner and can't see it until I stop trying to force something unnatural on the characters. Of course, movies are great for stimulating my muse. And books. Sometimes, if I pick up a book and start reading, it helps clear my mind.

What do you read for pleasure, or research? Do the two overlap?

I find enormous pleasure in research. I could read social histories and biographies all the time and never get bored. I can't read fiction while I'm working on a project.

Do you belong to any critique groups or writer's organizations?

Currently I don't belong to a critique group, but when I did it was terrific. The trick is in finding the right chemistry and we had it. I like to credit them for helping make Winter Fire a finalist in the Golden Heart. I belong to RWA, CTRWA, EPIC, EPPRO, and a brand new organization, AEPRA.

What are the benefits of belonging to Romance Writers of America?

The monthly RWR (Romance Writers Report) is well worth the $75 dues. Then there are the regional and national conferences, the networking...

I notice some interesting links on your homepage: Jewish genealogy, Elizabethan history, bad dogs *g*--will we be seeing any of these in future books?

I have a plot in the works for an historical with an Elizabethan setting. Maybe I'll include a bad dog :-)

The genealogy is a personal project that I've been working on for a few years now, but unfortunately I've hit a wall there. It's very frustrating.

Would you care to tell us what we can expect to see from you in the future? Making note of having written seven novels and saying no more does whet our appetites.

I'm sad to say that of my "early works," most will never see the light of day. In fact, they were written BC (before computers) on an electric typewriter (not even an electronic one!), so even if I wanted to rework them, I would have to start from scratch. Besides, in a fit of frustration, I actually threw three of them in the garbage.

I have a half-completed time-travel that I hope to finish soon, if I can keep myself from being distracted. Then there is the sequel to Winter Fire on the back burner, the aforementioned Elizabethan, a western that keeps haunting me... Too many projects. I don't know which one to do next. Right now, I'm working on a short story with paranormal elements to be included as promo piece (free download) on the NBI website. It's nearly finished. After that, I will have to decide on what comes next.

Covers are a hot issue in the romance (novel) industry. If you could design your ideal cover, what would that be? (People, flowers, clinch/no clinch, plain brown wrapper, cover made of Superglue, so nobody could put it down, literally?)

I just finished working with the multi-talented Linnea Sinclair on my cover for Winter Fire. It was an experience that I'm certain will spoil me. In essence, she brought to fruition what I believe is the ideal cover for the book. I'm in awe! I explained to her what I wanted, and she delivered. Another of the benefits of working with a small press.

But getting back to the question, which, in addition to being a hot issue in the industry, is always popping up on the links. As writers, I think, we have different expectations than readers of what a cover should be and it's not always the best in terms of marketability. Personally, I like representational covers, something that gives a sense of the time, place and story. Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon comes to mind as having a perfect cover. But it all depends on the book. And while I'm not a big fan of clinch covers, they do have their place...and readers seem to like them. So, if they like them and are drawn to them...and they buy them....

What would you say to people who don't consider romance novels, or e-books, to be "real books?" Is it permissible to whack them over the head with a hardcover research tome, or are they only misinformed?

Well, I would hold up my book and say, "What do you call this?" There's absolutely no sense in abusing a perfectly good reference book :-)

Any parting comments, shameless plugs, rhetorical questions or silly slogans you care to impart?

Well, how about something shameless? I'm thrilled to report that Winter Fire recently received a five star review from Shelia Jordan at Women On Writing. And a four star review at a site that, unfortunately, closed down soon after the review was posted.

Where can readers contact you?