SPOTLIGHT & Giveaway: Redemption of a Hollywood Starlet by Kimberly Lang

Kimberly Thank You for visiting HarlequinJunkie Romance Review, I'm glad to have you here as the “Spotlight Author” this week

Tell us about Kimberly Lang....

I’m a suburban wife and mom. I eat too many jelly beans and drink too much Diet Coke. I love roller coasters but am afraid of heights. I wear very pretty, but very impractical, shoes. I am the Mouth of the South and love to talk to people about anything and everything. I own two tiaras and I’m not afraid to wear them.

Sara: Describe yourself in 3 words.

Kimberly: Trouble-making Southern Belle

Sara: What inspired you to be an author? Is it something you always aspired to be?
Kimberly: I actually wanted to be a ballet dancer, but puberty failed to deliver the required swan-like elegance. Then I got a couple of degrees in English and tried to be a teacher, but I really didn’t enjoy that much. I was late discovering that I wanted to write, but I love what I do.

Sara: What would you be doing it today if you weren’t pursuing your writing career?
Kimberly: I really don’t know. I know I wouldn’t be happy, though.

Sara: Have you ever suffered from a “writer’s block”? What did you do to get past the “block”?
Kimberly: Of course. I think every writer has a time when the words just won’t come.  Sometimes it’s something in my personal life that needs my attention, and the words come back once I work though it.  Other times, it’s really the fact that there’s something wrong with the book itself, and I have to find out and fix what that is to make the words come.

Sara: How do you conceive your plot ideas?
Kimberly: I wish I knew where the ideas came from, because then I might know where to go look for them.  I usually just find myself with a character or a scene that I like and build the book around that.  (The Power and the Glory started from the idea of an activist handcuffed to a politician. I wrote Magnate’s Mistress…Accidentally Pregnant! because I came up with what I thought would be a great first line for a book. I had to build a whole story from there.)

Sara: Which of the stories you have written to date has been the biggest challenge?
Kimberly: The Privileged and the Damned. Lily was a bad-girl heroine with a big secret. I wasn’t sure I could make it work, but I’m proud of the way it turned out.

Kimberly I have read all  3 books of the Marshall series and thoroughly enjoyed them…


Sara: Book three of the Marshall series “Redemption of a Hollywood Starlet” was just released what could you tell the readers about this book?
Kimberly: That I have a massive crush on Finn and I think it shows. J Finn was the hardest of the Marshall brothers to write, because he’s the black sheep of the family.

Sara: What sparked the idea for The Marshall series and this book in particular?

Kimberly: I’ve always wanted to write a book with a royal family, but all my books are American-set, and royals just don’t fit very well. I was watching a series on the History Channel about the Kennedys, and I realized that they were possibly one of the closest things we had in America to a royal family of our own.  The idea of the Marshalls grew from there.

Sara: How did you come up with characters for this series? Who is/are your Favorite character(s)

Kimberly: Because I’m not a plotter, the characters aren’t fully formed when I start to write. I have to write them to get to know them.  Because Finn and Brady both appear in Ethan’s book, I got to know all three bothers at the same time. As for a favorite… that’s very hard. I love them all equally but for different reasons: Lily was a challenge. Ethan was so sure of everything, I loved rocking his world. Aspyn made me laugh. Brady reminded me of a friend.  Finn was just impossible not to like and Cait was working so hard. As crazy as it sounds, The Grands just might be my favorite characters.


Sara: What were the challenges you faced in bringing this book to life?
Kimberly: Finding the right story and heroine for Finn was very difficult. He didn’t live in Virginia, and he wasn’t involved in the family business. I couldn’t put him a political situation, because that wouldn’t feel right for his character. I also couldn’t bring myself to set the book on the west coast, because part of the fun – for me, at least – in this series is the interaction of the brothers, and I’d lose that if they were on opposite coasts.  Plus, the family element is so strong, I needed the family around.  I had several false starts before I found Caitlyn, and I knew after I wrote that first scene for them that I’d found the right heroine for Finn.  Once I got the premise and the heroine, the rest of the book went pretty easily.

On a Lighter note... 

If you were stranded on an island…

Kimberly: I’d be dead in a week. I am an indoor girl who does not “rough it” in any way. 

What do you do to unwind and relax?

Kimberly: I read or veg in from of the TV with crime dramas like Criminal Minds (I have a little crush on Shemar Moore.). I also go get pedicures with my daughter for fun relaxation and mother-daughter bonding.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see play the lead role as you?

Kimberly: Reese Witherspoon. At least the accent would be correct.

Your favorite quotes?

Kimberly: My personal mantra comes from Max Ehrmann’s “Desiderata”: “Whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the Universe is unfolding as it should.” I remind myself of that to keep me sane.

What’s the deal with 'I before E'? 

Kimberly: Beats me. If I didn’t have SpellCheck, you’d think I was illiterate.

What books/authors have influenced your writing?

Kimberly: Reading Jenny Crusie helped me find my voice. Reading Julie Cohen helped me find my niche. My friend, the fabulous Rhonda Nelson gave me faith in both.

Red or white wine?

Kimberly: Yes, please.

What is the most romantic gesture or gift you have received?

 Kimberly: My Geek packed his life into one suitcase and moved to the US to be with me.

How do you keep the romance alive in your relationship?

Kimberly: We have very different interests and hobbies, so we always have something to talk about. My Geek is still the most interesting man in the world, and that’s very sexy.

Where can reader’s get in Touch with you?

Through my website at www.BookByKimberly.com, on facebook or on Twitter as @BooksByKimberly

One winner will get autographed copies of all three books in the Marshall series (The Privileged and the Damned, The Power and the Glory, and Redemption of a Hollywood Starlet) plus…
This beautiful three-piece jewelry set (made from glass pearls and crystals).

Post a comment telling us who is your Favourite Hollywood Starlet and why....

and

Email: kimberly@booksbykimberly.com with “HJ Contest” in the subject line before June 1st.  Include your name, email and shipping address.


Contest is open to readers world wide. Contest Ends: 05/31/2012