Welcome Kelley St. John

Pink Fuzzy Slipper Writers, please help me welcome the lovely and charming Kelley St John. Kelly graciously agreed to visit with us.

Kelley, what was your first published book and with whom?

My first book was GOOD GIRLS DON’T, published by Warner (now Grand Central Publishing)

How many books did you write before selling one?

Twenty-one, so never give up!

How many books have you published?

Flirting with Temptation is my current release, and it is my tenth novel.

What themes go through your books?

I tend to lean toward the themes of old flames rekindled and friends who become lovers. Flirting with Temptation deals with old flames, not only with the primary characters, but also with secondary characters as well. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed writing the secondary romance just as much as the primary, perhaps because it dealt with one of my favorite all-time characters, Granny Gert, who first appeared in Real Women Don’t Wear Size 2.

How would you best describe your books?

Well, the primary adjectives used by reviewers have been sexy and sassy, so I’ll go with that ☺

How did you write with kids and deadlines?

My kids are grown, so that helps. When they were in school, I wrote for the six hours that they were at school and took the rest of the day off to spend with them (playing mom, the taxi).

Which other jobs have you had?

I was a Senior Technical Writer for a NASA sub-contractor. And if you want to go waaaaay back, I’ve been a waitress and worked in a deli at a grocery store – but we’re talking over 20 years ago there.)

What do you love most about writing and do you not like?

I love the entire creative process, feeling my characters come to life and then developing them throughout the pace of the book (or books, for my series). But nothing beats getting an email or letter from a fan that really connected with the story and felt everything that I did when I put the words to the page. That’s the best!

What are you writing now?

A quirky Southern women’s fiction novel that I absolutely love!

What would you write if you could do write anything you wanted to write?

I tend to write whatever my heart leads me to write, so I’d write the book I’m working on now ☺

How do you write?

I typically let an idea churn, then I go for a nice, long drive. Seriously. My best plotting occurs in the car. Then I return home to the computer, put the ideas in a file and let the plot progress. Finally, I begin with chapter one. I know some writers who write their chapters sporadically (some write the ending first). I can’t do that. I’m a chronological thinker and writer. I start at the beginning and work my way to the end. My goal is a chapter per day. Sometimes I meet the goal; sometimes I don’t. Either way, at the beginning of the day, I go back and read the previous chapter to make certain that the story flows. I’ll let myself edit that chapter, but no more (else, I’d spend all of my time editing and none actually writing). Then I dive into the next chapter and let the characters take over

Do you write what you know?

Naturally, my past experiences play into some of my stories, but I also enjoy researching and learning something new. That research can also play a big factor in my books. For example, I didn’t know a thing about alibi agencies until I read about them in an issue of TIME magazine. (Alibi agencies are agencies that will essentially create an alibi for a person to cheat.) I was fascinated by the concept and wondered, “What would happen if someone who was trying to be ‘good’ ended up working for one of those places? What if she had a good reason for taking the job? And what if she then ended up lying to a friend?” That was pretty much the basis for the beginning of GOOD GIRLS DON’T, and my editor said she loved the high concept of the alibi agency.

What’s next for you, Kelley?

The women’s fiction novel I’m currently at work on – very excited about it! And don’t think there isn’t some romance in there; I couldn’t write a book without romance!

Thanks for spending time with us, Kelley!

Ask Kelley questions and make comments. She's even giving an autographed copy of Flirting with Temptation to a lucky commenter.