Julie Kenner

Julie received The Call in June of 1999 - a day she remembers well! By the following January, Julie had sold a total of six books. Julie's first book, NOBODY DOES IT BETTER, sold to Harlequin Temptation in June of 1999, and was published in February of 2000.

That sale was soon followed by a two-book deal with Dorchester/Love Spell. The first book, THE CAT'S FANCY, sold on a partial and was released in August of 2000. The second book of the contract was sold blind (which is ironic when you think about it, since the heroine of the book has x-ray vision. hmmmm...), and will be released in the spring of 2001. (As yet another aside, Julie's pretty keen on the cover art, and you can see it at www.bkshop.com/kiss.jpg)

In addition, she has a second Temptation scheduled for October of 2000 (with equally great cover art. Julie believes in paying homage to the cover gods <g>) and another Temptation--part of the Fantasies, Inc.--series, scheduled for July of 2001 (for which Julie has her fingers crossed for really great cover art). She's also contracted for a Blaze and a Duets, which will have incredibly cool titles if she ever manages to think of any, and has several more books in the pipe!

In addition to writing, Julie is a full-time attorney. Right now, she practices general business litigation, but she has some amusing stories about her days in entertainment law that she's willing to share, especially when plied with margaritas. An animal lover, Julie and her husband Don share their home with the cats who own them.

As for contests, I do a monthly contest, to which subscribers to my e-newsletter are automatically entered. Just send me an email at subscribe@juliekenner.com - I give away books, t-shirts, cover flats.

An Interview with Julie Kenner

Barb S: The Cat's Fancy is your first paranormal romance?

Julie K: Yes, it is. In fact, it's my second novel and first single title.

Barb S: This is not a typical shape shifter romance is it? The heroine's natural form is feline rather than human right? Where did this idea spring from?

Julie K: No, I don't even really consider her a shape shifter. Rather, Maggie (the heroine) is charmed. Originally (and, during the course of the book, during the daytime) she's a black cat.

I actually do remember the barest seeds of the idea. We have several cats, one of which is totally a daddy's girl. My husband and I were talking about her one day, and about how much she adores him, and Don (my husband) started to talk about a horror short story he could write, where a woman's cat is jealous of her boyfriend and switches places -- so that the boyfriend ends up trapped in the cat's body.

Well ... being a romance writer instead of a horror writer, the seeds of that idea stuck with me, and I sat down and wrote the prologue. At the same time, I wrote the little "preamble" ("There are people in this world who believe in magic ...") which, as you may notice, has references to Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. That's the "tone" I tend to go for in my light paranormals -- extraordinary people, but they're in our ordinary world. (And, yes, I did spend countless hours in my youth checking old bottles in flea markets for genies!!!)

Barb S: What is the device for the transformation?

Julie K: Maggie knows she's in love with Nick, and she begs Old Tom, a one-eyed tomcat, to help her out. Through an enchantment, she becomes a woman by night, but remains a cat by day. And she has only a short amount of time to convince Nick that he loves her -- and say the words aloud.

Barb S: Her debut as a human was rather humorous I believe. Was the heroine able to communicate immediately? Was she a convincing human or were there problems?

Julie K: I hope it was humorous! It was meant to be . No, Nick and Maggie couldn't communicate right away. She was given the basics of speech and an understanding, but it took a while for her to get it all down. So in their first meeting, she's naked and mute! It's rather a startling meeting -- at least from Nick's point of view!

Barb S: How did Maggie learn the nuances of being human?

Julie K: Well, that's actually a lot of her story arc -- her change from being in a feline state of mind to being a woman. But if the question is how did she first learn how to act ... well, she relied on the old standbys: television reruns and Jerry Springer.

Barb S: This was a sort of Cinderella meets the Little Mermaid tale. There were conditions on the spell weren't there?

Julie K: Yes, there certainly were. I like stories with a "ticking bomb." In this case, Maggie had only one week to meet the conditions. She is only human at night -- during the day she remains a cat. And somehow, she has to get Nick to tell her -- out loud -- that he loves her. But she can't disclose her secret!

Barb S: Okay so if the heroine, Maggie, was only human by night how did the hero, Nick, ever manage to spend time with her?

Julie K: Ah! Well, he's a lawyer He works all day, but he's also a night owl! Plus, the book is set in October, when night comes early, especially in Los Angeles!

Barb S: The hero was a great guy but his life was a mess. How is it that everyone else was aware of that but him? Is he a workaholic? Overly responsible? Blind? How did he get hooked up with his horrible fiancé?

Julie K: Nick's definitely a workaholic, but more than that, he's got an overwhelming sense of responsibility -- especially to his sister. Their parents died when they were young, and he's always worked hard and made his decisions around what was best for her. A lot of that feeds into his decision to get involved with Angela. He sees it as a business partnership, not a marriage. Through his love for Maggie, he realizes he owes himself better.

Barb S: How does Maggie deal with the competition for Nick's affections.

Julie K: Well, she's absolutely convinced that Nick loves her -- and that he doesn't love Angela. She's never liked Angela, and she makes no bones about it. As a woman, she's perfectly polite. But as a cat -- well, she does manage to shed all over Angela's pristine, designer wardrobe!

Barb S: I wondered where the expression "being catty" came from . There are two wonderful secondary characters in Nick's fanciful sister and laid back best friend. Do you see a story for them?

Julie K: I love Deena and Hoop and would love to do a story for them, but so far I don't have one! They do appear again as secondary characters in APHRODITE'S KISS, my April 2001 Love Spell. They're living together, but not yet engaged...so the possibility is still there!

Barb S: Is Maggie able to confide the truth to anyone. Does the Nick ever find out about Maggie's origins? Does he believe it?

Julie K: I can't really say too much without giving away some key plot points in the book. She does have one ally - Deena (Nick's sister). And Deena's just laid back enough to have absolutely no problems with Maggie's rather unusual origins! And nobody knows at first. Deena puts together quite a few clues --Maggie's look, her demeanor, and the fact that she sometimes forgets and snacks on kitty treats. Nick, on the other hand, isn't quite so observant...

Barb S: There is a challenge in this story related to Nicks job which tests his scruples, how does this turn his life around?

Julie K: Certainly it makes him see what's important to him. He's always been torn about what he does, but in this case, in order to win the day, he'd have to compromise Maggie -- and her trust. In the end, he realizes what it is he values the most. You can probably guess, but I won't give it away <g>.

Barb S: Can the reader expect a easily obtained happily ever after? Or are there complications?

Julie K: Let me just say that there *is* a happily ever after (it's a romance, after all ) but there are some definite twists and turns and white-knuckle moments in getting there!

Barb S: What can we expect next from Julie Kenner?

Julie K: I have an October Temptation - RECKLESS, and then my next paranormal will be released by Love Spell in April of 2001. It's called APHRODITE'S KISS, and the heroine is a superhero-to-be. The hero is a sexy ex-cop who doesn't like playing sidekick to anyone. I've also got a July 2001 Temptation, INTIMATE FANTASY, which is book 3 of the Fantasies, Inc. series with Janelle Denison and Carly Phillips. And I have others in the works, including a Blaze, a Duets, and more Temptations, that aren't yet scheduled.