Chat With Kelly Hunter

Twelve months ago I joined a group of down-under authors for a writing retreat. We didn't only write, we talked (a lot), we walked, we ate, we drank, we brainstormed, we laughed, and we swapped reading recommendations. Some of those books were by authors in our group, and one of the hottest must-reads of the week was Kelly Hunter's PRICELESS.

That was the title in the UK and Australia, but this month it is in North American shops (finally!) under the title of BEDDED FOR DIAMONDS. With diamonds very much my flavour of the month(s), I invited Kelly to come chat about the priceless witty characters with which she populates her books. I'm not alone in that opinion -- her first book, WIFE FOR A WEEK, was the Cataromance Book of the Year in 2006 and a Waldenbooks
and Bookscan big bestseller.

Hi, Kelly. Welcome to Bronz Blog. No pressure to be priceless and witty despite the introduction.

Kelly: Appreciated.

First question on behalf of the American readers -- why the long wait?

Kelly: Ah, yes. The long wait. The short answer is that my books are published as a subset of Modern (Presents) Romance in the UK, a subset that has its own editorial guidelines with a slightly younger, lighter feel than Presents proper. These books needed to succeed in the UK and other markets before being given the go ahead for America. Fortunately for me, they got the green flag towards the end of last year.

At the moment, books from this editorial are marketed as 'Presents Collections' in America, Sexy Sensation in Australia, and Modern Heat in the UK. Intiem in Holland, Desire in Greece, Harmony Collezione Sensual in Italy, Passions in France... Too much information, right?

Not at all. I'm WAY impressed that you've found your books under all those different labels! Speaking of different labels, which title do you prefer, PRICELESS or BEDDED FOR DIAMONDS?

Kelly: Hell, I called it Bodyguard For A Week but that one didn't fly. :-) (B: Shame; it fits perfectly.)

I liked Priceless. I think the word was taken from a line in the book when the heroine tells the hero that the parrot is in love with him (don't ask). (B: I love the parrot!) Or perhaps it was a tie in with the priceless nature of gemstones? I like to think it was because the relationship they forged was beyond compare but that's probably just me being wishful.

As for Bedded For Diamonds... Right. He does give her diamonds in the end. A fistful of uncut Kimberley diamonds to be precise. She's a jeweller, she'll know what to do with them... I love the word diamond in the title. It conjures up all sorts of rich and luxurious thoughts. I can't wait to see what you Diamonds Down Under ladies have been up to.

So, now you've intrigued us with a talking parrot and the handful of diamonds and a tale of priceless love, what is the story about? Feel free to use the back cover blurb (or jump right in and rework it.)

Kelly: You mean I get to rewrite the back page blurb? Have you any idea how many authors long to do this? And how few of them get the chance? Outta my way, I'm on a mission...

Wanted: brooding bodyguard

Erin Sinclair needs a bodyguard for her gem buying trip through inland Australia, and soul weary Tristan Bennett, with his protective ways and closely guarded heart, is perfect for the job. It makes no difference that he can melt her with a glance. She's immune to his type and with very good reason.

They should have been the perfect travelling companions...

So it's a roadtrip story? Is that something you set out to write, or did it just work out that way?

Kelly: I confess. I did indeed set out to write a roadtrip story. There's something about a journey into the unknown... About just setting out with no fixed destination in mind that's exhilarating, don't you think? Falling in love is like that. People set out on that particular journey with no idea where it'll lead, just a blind hope that maybe they'll get there. You could, at a stretch, use a road trip as a metaphor for falling in love.

We met Tristan in WIFE FOR A WEEK, your wonderfully successful debut which is still selling like the proverbial hotcakes (and why do hotcakes sell so well, do you think? Kelly: Because they're hot and sweet and sometimes you really don't want to eat another plate of meat and veggies?), and he captured a lot of readers' attention. I imagine he was a tough character to mould into a romance hero...

Kelly: It's easy to make a secondary character all dark and wounded and a bad relationship bet when you plan never to write about them again. That's what happened with Tristan. I never thought I'd write his story. And then you do...

He never spoke. It drove me nuts, because somehow I had to crack this man open and he simply wasn't cooperating. I had to give him a pet parrot to talk to and a nightmare or two just so the reader, and the heroine, could see what he was about. He was a beautiful, honourable wounded warrior who'd walked in the darkness just a little too long. I ended up giving him a heroine who just kept chipping away at him until finally he could see the sun.

There, that is what I'm talking about! Sigh. An alpha good-guy, with all the qualities AND wit to burn. So, what of the other Bennett brothers -- shall we see their stories?

Kelly: I tell Pilot Pete Bennett's story in TAKEN BY THE BAD BOY, a March 08 release in the UK. He's a rogue and a playboy, he's flying tourist helicopters around little Greek islands, and he does meet his match. He was another wounded warrior although he wasn't as difficult to write as Tristan. He actually talked. To people.

Talking helps. And the Greek Islands, huh? WIFE FOR A WEEK was set largely in Hong Kong. Your third book, SLEEPING PARTNER, in Penang. This one is in Australia, but not the usual or popular locations...

Kelly: Setting is such a valuable writing tool.

In WIFE FOR A WEEK the plot demanded a fish-out-of-water setting and Hong Kong proved perfect. Glamorous enough to comply with the Presents promise and foreign enough to add to the confusion.

I set SLEEPING PARTNER in Penang during the Chinese Festival of the Hungry Ghosts because both the hero and heroine had unresolved issues with dead people. They had to deal with those issues, and each other, at a time and in a place where everyone around them was honouring their ancestors.

In BEDDED FOR DIAMONDS I take my hero and heroine on a road trip through some of Australia's more eccentric outback towns. Lightning Ridge where they mine opals, Glenn Innes where they mine sapphires. There is such a strong sense of place and character about these towns (and if you've ever set foot in Lightning Ridge you'll know what I mean), such a sense of identity. The towns were a good foil for a hero who had lost touch with who he was and what he wanted to be.

The right setting can add such depth to a story. It's part of my job as an author to find one that fits.

Setting is just one of the things Kelly Hunter does very, very well. Check out her distinctive style by reading an excerpt of BEDDED WITH DIAMONDS, a February release in Nth America. Readers in the UK and Australia will need to wait a little longer for their next Kelly fix, with TAKEN BY THE BAD BOY due in March (UK) and May (Aust.)

For a chance to win Kelly's wonderful SLEEPING PARTNER (UK edition), tell us what you think about exotic settings. Does the idea of a romance set in Hong Kong or Penang or the Greek Islands grab your attention? Do you have a favourite book on your keeper shelf that is set somewhere very different; somewhere you don't see in many romance novels? (Winner drawn Feb 6.)

Labels: giveaway, Guest blogger, Kelly Hunter