Interview with K.M. Fawcett

I’m happy to have debut author K.M Fawcett at Smexy today to talk about her new book, Captive.

Who is K.M. Fawcett? Give us the low down.

Hmm…why are the questions about myself always the hardest to answer? I write sci-fi/ paranormal romances. My husband and I own a dojo in New Jersey where we teach Isshinryu karate and Ryukonkai (Okinawan weapons). Sparring is great marital therapy J. I like to ski, run, hike, and camp. I have two children – one with a passion for drumming and one with a passion for ballet. Unfortunately, neither has their mom’s passion for reading or writing.*shrugs*

Captive is your debut book. Tell us a bit about your road to being published. Any surprises?

I started writing about ten years ago while still working as a registered dietitian and nutrition therapist (I specialized in eating disorders). Since my background was in science, it took me a while to learn the craft of writing. I’m still learning, but at least I now know what a dialog tag is and what POV means (Point Of View). My first manuscript took four years to NOT finish. Every time I learned something new, I’d rewrite the whole dang thing. I don’t recommend doing that.

CAPTIVE was my first completed manuscript. It landed me an agent, the fabulous Michelle Grajkowski, who sold it to Grand Central Publishing’s digital imprint ForeverYours.

I heard that Captive was inspired by your day job, which is owning a karate dojo. I often use the term "kick ass" when referring to strong heroines. Dare I say you are one too?

The story idea for CAPTIVE was inspired by an episode of Animal Cops. When watching the rescue of mistreated horses, I thought, “How would people feel if they were penned up and abused like that?” My running and martial arts background inspired the kick-ass hero and heroine that story idea required. While there isn’t much hand-to-hand combat in the book, we do see many weapons – swords, spears, and a Flesheater. The Flesheater is a 14” combat knife designed by karate master and retired marine, AJ Advincula, and custom made by knife maker Jim Hammond. I own this awesome knife (though my husband mistakenly claims it’s his) and train with it. I’m not sure if that makes me kick-ass or not, but rest assured I will defend my family or myself if needed. J

Your hero Max is an alpha gladiator who is forced to breed and play blood sports. Sounds like he is hard core – but what makes him a good romance hero?

Max is a tortured hero (I love tortured heroes). He is a brooding, dangerous, and mysterious alpha male with terrible secrets. After fifteen years of abuse and bloody survival races, he has lost his humanity. His existence is nothing more than killing and breeding…until he’s paired with a spirited woman who refuses to mate. Her fire and passion for freedom reawakens life inside him. He’s drawn to the heroine’s strength, but fears the Hyboreans will break her spirit like they broke his. In true romance-hero fashion, Max uses his wits and body to protect her. He might make mistakes in the execution, but his goal to keep her safe never wavers. Little does he know that while he teaches her how to survive, she teaches him how to live.

Do you have big plans for release day?

I’ll probably be glued to the computer reading and responding to any comments on the blog tour, Facebook, and Twitter. My wonderfully supportive husband is taking the family out for a celebratory dinner.

What is coming up next for you?

I’m waiting on revisions for FEARLESS, book 2 in the Survival Race Series. This story was so much fun to write. Not only are there new adventures and romance, but fun reappearances by some of my favorite characters in CAPTIVE. I hope readers enjoy both of these stories as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Thank you so much for having me here today on SMEXY books!