Over the past few weeks I’ve been interviewing fellow graduates from the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme. This year there are a record seventeen of us graduates – that is, writers who passed through the RNA’s mentoring scheme and subsequently had their manuscripts published. As RNA chairman Pia Fenton says, the number shows “the incredible diversity of RNA authors and I am absolutely delighted that there is such a bumper crop of graduates from our New Writers’ Scheme this year. It shows that romantic fiction continues to go from strength to strength and that our mentoring really works.”
How true that is! And my guest today is fellow graduate, the lovely Kathryn Freeman.
Where do you live, Kathryn? I live in a village by the Thames near Windsor. In February it hit the media spotlight, thanks to the worst flooding the area has ever seen. It was a terrible time for those affected and I have never been so grateful to live on a slight incline – one I hadn’t even realised existed until the flood waters descended.
It really was a terrible time. We spent Christmas in Dorset, and so saw a little of the flooding, but nothing like as bad as in the worst areas affected.
Where is your favourite place in the world? Now that’s a tough question. I love to travel and have seen some incredible places. My favourite holiday destination so far has been Hawaii – beaches, volcanoes, rainforests – what variety! However your question was my favourite place and that would have to be London. The combination of beauty with history still sends tingles up my spine whenever I visit.
I’ve been to London many times, and there are still places and sights there that surprise and fascinate, from Richmond to Camden.
Being a writer is a great job. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? I’ve been lucky not to have had any really bad jobs (though cleaning out the guinea-pigs when I was ten was pretty tough). I trained as a pharmacist and worked in Boots for a couple of years and though I have nothing but fond memories of the people I worked with, that job definitely wasn’t for me. I left it to join the pharmaceutical industry, where I spent twenty much happier years.
How well I remember the drudgery of cleaning out guinea-pigs!
What book do you wish you’d written? War and Peace. I have to confess I’ve never actually read it, but to be able to write a book that holds a reader’s attention over that many pages. Wow.
War and Peace is one of my favourite books ever! All apart from the last two hundred pages, which are a bit dull. My editor would have made me cut them.
What’s your favourite song? It depends on my mood, but right now I’d say Queen – Don’t Stop Me Now. It’s so upbeat and always makes me smile.
Who couldn’t love Freddie Mercury!
If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and what would you say to them? George Clooney please – and I’d give him my phone number. A girl can dream.
Breaking news: since this interview, George Clooney has got engaged. Amal Alamuddin said yes to George and his seven-carat emerald-cut diamond.
What’s your happiest childhood memory? Going to bed on Christmas Eve. I believed in Father Christmas for an embarrassingly long time, but all those years gave me so many wonderful memories.
If you had to marry a fictional character, from film, television, or books, who would it be? I’m torn between two: Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc and Ross Poldark from the Winston Graham series. Should I go for the sexy, brooding hero in tight breeches, or the one eyed green monster who’d make me laugh? Can I have both, please?
Can’t wait for the Poldark remake!
What’s the most important lesson life has taught you? Never give up is the lesson that has put me in the wonderful position of having a book contract. However treat people as you’d like to be treated yourself is my favourite life lesson. It’s so easy to be kind, to smile, to help out. Easy yet very rewarding.
And finally, please tell us about your latest book, where we can find it, and where we can find your blog/website
My current book is Too Charming – it features a sexy defence lawyer, Scott Armstrong and a police detective, Megan Taylor. She’s very wary of becoming involved with a man she considers too smooth (and Too Charming). But when he gets caught up in a case she’s working on, she’s forced to re-evaluate everything she thought she knew about him.
In July I have a new book out: Do Opposites Attract? This features Brianna Worthington who has beauty, privilege and a very healthy trust fund. Invited to see how her mother’s charity, Medic SOS, is dealing with the aftermath of a tornado in South America, she meets and falls for the doctor in charge, Mitch McBride. He’s from the wrong side of the tracks and has led life on the edge, but he’s not about to risk losing his job for a pretty face. Poles apart, they are dynamite together, but can they ever bridge the gap separating them?
You can find my books here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kathryn-Freeman/e/B00EZQIZ70
And me, here:
Website: http://kathrynfreeman.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathrynfreeman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathrynFreeman1
Thank you so much for having me, Helena – I’ve really enjoyed answering your thought provoking questions.
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Thanks so much for coming today, Kathryn. I hope the flood waters are down now around Windsor, and you’re enjoying the sunny May weather we’ve been having up north. Good luck with your releases!
If you have any questions or comments for Kathryn, please let us know. We’d love to hear from you!
Helena Fairfax 
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