Title: Catching Kate (Acceptance, #1.5)
Author: D. Kelly
Release Date: July 7, 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Happy Monday Everyone. Today I would like everyone to welcome the amazing Dee Kelly to CJ’s Book Corner. Dee is the Author of Breaking Kate (book #1) and Catching Kate (Novella #1.5) in the Acceptance Series.
CJ ~ Tell us a little about yourself and your background.
DK ~ I grew up in Ca. and married my high school sweetheart. I went to college for a short time but it wasn’t for me. I ended up in the medical field where I’ve worked for 18 years. I’ve also got two amazing sons.
CJ ~ What inspired you to write your first book?
DK ~ My nook. Silly right? Well if you want to get technical it would be the launch of self-publishing. Writing a book was something I always wanted to do. When it became possible to publish it myself, my husband pushed me to finally do it.
CJ ~ What book has had the most influence in your life?
DK ~ I don’t know if I would say they have influence, but there are three books that have always stayed with me. Autumn Street by Lois Lowry, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Insomnia by Stephen King. All three great reads by fantastic authors.
CJ ~ How much truth is in your fiction.
DK ~ Good question 😉 Not much actually maybe 10%…possibly 15%.
CJ ~ If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor and why?
DK ~ Maya Angelou, she has a deep profound wisdom that only few have, and she shared hers with the world.
CJ ~ Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
DK ~ I don’t have one favorite author. I have certain favorites I like to read when the mood strikes me but there are too many to narrow down one favorite.
CJ ~ Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
DK ~ Doing the characters justice. You have to be very careful keeping their tones and personalities in line. Nobody wants to read a book where all the characters sound the same. Personality is very important.
CJ ~ What are you working on now? What is your next project?
DK ~ Right now I’m working on Releasing Kate which is the next book in The Acceptance Series. I actually have a work in progress that is a lead in for a new series I’m writing. So far it doesn’t have a name. One will come to me eventually I’m sure. The next series will revolve around the music industry. I grew up engrossed in the music industry and come from a family of musicians. It seems natural to want to write about it.
CJ ~ Do you have any strange writing habits (like standing on your head or writing in the shower)?
DK ~ Nope none, guess I’m pretty boring.
CJ ~ How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? Do you have any name choosing resources you recommend?
DK ~ I think names are important to an extent. You can always give a character a nickname to help personify them. Most readers don’t want to see the hot alpha male with a geeky or old sounding name. I keep a notebook of names that I see or hear and like. I also utilize the social security names database to see what names were popular in which years.
CJ ~ Are you a plotter or a pantster?
DK ~ Oh I’m a plotter. No doubt about that.
CJ ~ What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?
DK ~ As far as professional and life goals it would be writing Breaking Kate and actually having fans and readers. That’s huge! But personally, it would be raising two amazing kids.
DK ~ Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it?
DK ~ This is a hard question because the answer could change. Writing is inspirational so while today I might say rape, tomorrow it could be abuse or suicide. And yet a week from now I could have an epiphany and really want to tell a story about suicide. So I guess my official answer is that there is nothing I wouldn’t consider writing if it came to me in the right context.
CJ ~ Is there a certain type of scene that’s harder for you to write than others? Love? Action? Racy?
DK ~ Sex scenes are harder for me than anything else. I never realized I could make myself blush until I wrote the ones in Breaking Kate.
CJ ~ What is your least favorite part of the publishing / writing process?
DK ~ Editing and formatting.
CJ ~ What writing advice do you have for other aspiring authors?
DK ~ Stick with your dream and make it happen. Get your book edited, it makes a huge difference.
CJ ~ Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
DK ~ Hopefully retired and still writing.
CJ ~ Okay now on to some fun questions:
CJ ~ Characters often find themselves in situations they aren’t sure they can get themselves out of. When was the last time you found yourself in a situation that was hard to get out of and what did you do?
DK ~ I plead the fifth on the grounds that my answer may incriminate me. 😉
CJ ~ Does your significant other recognize his moves in your writing?
DK ~ I don’t think so but he only just started reading my book so he might soon!
CJ ~ If you had a superpower, what would it be?
DK ~ I would love to be invisible.
CJ ~ If you were a super hero, what would your name be? What costume would you wear?
DK ~ I’m horrible at names! Maybe you can help me come up with one? I do know I wouldn’t need a costume since I’m invisible which is great because I hate uniforms!
CJ ~ Jacqueline Stanish Norris won the “Give Dee a Super Hero” giveaway, and your new Super Hero name is “Kinky Sombrero Slayer”
CJ ~ What literary character is most like you?
DK ~ Hmmm that’s a hard one. I don’t think I’ve found one yet. I’m pretty unique 😉
CJ ~ What secret talents do you have?
DK ~ I’ve got a sixth sense. Most of the time when something really good or really bad is going to happen I can feel it before it does. I can’t tell you what it’s going to be just that it’s going to happen.
CJ ~ Where is one place you want to visit that you haven’t been before?
DK ~ There’s many but Greece is at the top of the list.
CJ ~ If you were an animal in a zoo, what would you be?
DK ~ A monkey, they have all the fun.
My Review
Will first love be forever love…?
Kate & Jess’ happily ever after is rocked by the sudden appearance of Mike at Jake and April’s engagement party. Your heart literally stops when Mike and Kate make eye contact for the first time in four years. As a reader I could feel that split second when their past, and bad decision making on Mike’s part, comes crashing down around them. At the same time your heart is breaking for Daniel. The novella is from Mikes POV and takes you back to where Mike, Kate, and Jess meet for the first time and the life events, good and bad, that lead up to where this heart stopping moment takes place. You learn how three people who where so close could be torn apart by a family tragedy and when tragedy strikes miscommunication and blame takes shape instead of rational thinking. Mike and Kate’s lifes were permenantly altered from paths they thought they were destined for. Michael makes his case and his bid for Kate’s heart.
While I beleive we’ve all made our minds up about who Kate belongs with (haven’t we??), I know I had to give Mike some sympathy after reading his story. But I am still #teamdaniel. I can’t help it.
Synopsis
After almost four years, Michael Matthews has come face to face with the love of his life. To say it didn’t go quite as he envisioned is an understatement. Never in a million years would he have imagined that his best friend, Daniel, is the new man in Kate’s life.
Once their explosive evening concludes and everyone goes their separate ways, Mike takes the time to calm down and plan his next move. If there’s one thing that calms him it’s Kate, even if it’s just memories of her. Mike has four hours before he sees her again and gets to plead his case. Instead of sleeping, he spends his evening remembering every detail of their relationship from the beginning.
Experience Mike and Kate’s love story from the start, all from Mike’s point of view. Find out why he left Kate in pieces and learn just how far he’ll go to make her fall in love with him all over again.
Excerpt
“Jessica, I…I’m sorry. There’s so much I want to say to you but it all seems insignificant somehow right now.”
She sniffs and wipes her nose with the tissue, finally looking me in the eye for the first time. Instead of the anger that was there a few hours ago, her eyes are filled with utter sadness.
“Michael, I honestly don’t know what to say to you. I’ve missed you and I’m pissed at you and I’m so fucking relieved to see you. I’ve been so worried about you, wondering if you were ever going to come back to us. Did you ever think about us? About Kate? About me?”
“Every single day, Jess, and every single night. I just wasn’t ready to face her, or you. How do you single handedly shatter your very own existence and then come back and try to piece it back together? When I destroyed my life I broke her trust, I broke your trust, and I don’t know if I can ever get it back. But it’s the one thing I want more than anything in this world.”
“He loves her, Mike, with his whole heart.”
Her voice catches when she says that, almost like it tears her up to have to tell me. I understand the feeling completely because my voice probably sounds the same when I answer her.
“I know he does. Does she love him?” I ask the question that I never want to know the answer to.
Breaking Kate (Acceptance, #1)
Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N Paperback | Goodreads
About the Author
I’m a wife, a mom and a dog lover. I’m also a taxi, problem fixer, extreme multi-tasker and my kids’ biggest fan in anything that they do. I love to write, so when my career suddenly derailed I turned back to my love of writing. I married my high school sweetheart… how cool is that? Margaritas and sarcasm make me happy. Chocolate makes that happiness grow exponentially. People who make me laugh are my favorite kind of people. I believe Karma is a bitch who slaps back hard and that mean people suck. I’m California born and raised, I love the beach but hate the sand. The Acceptance Series is my first series of books with more to come soon.
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