Kay, describe yourself for our visitors.
I’m a writer and editor who is getting to live my dream of working from home and getting to focus almost full-time on my writing. The books that I devoured as a teen and young adult were romances, so it was only natural that’s what I would write. I enjoy being an active part of American Christian Fiction Writers, which I’ve been a member of since 2001 and for which I have previously served as Vice President. I also currently serve as the administrator of Middle Tennessee Christian Writers, which I co-founded in 2003 with three other writers. Each month, I teach a writing-related workshop for MTCW, but my greatest joy comes from mentoring new writers, through my blog (http://kayedacus.com) and through one-on-one interaction.
I was born in Louisiana and attended college there for almost four years, but have also lived in Alaska, New Mexico, and Northern Virginia. Since 1996, though, my home has been Nashville, Tennessee. In 2004, I graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University with a B.A. in English; and in 2006, I received a Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. Stand-In Groom was my thesis novel!
I worked in the newspaper industry for thirteen years and the book publishing industry for two years before becoming self-employed. I love watching movies and am addicted to cooking shows on TV, especially Top Chef and Iron Chef America. I’m a Jane Austen fanatic and enjoy watching and discussing British movies and TV programs with friends. When time permits, I’ll usually be found in Arkansas or Louisiana visiting family.
How do you find time to connect with God?
Most people would think that because I work at home and live alone, it wouldn’t be hard to find time to connect with God. However, I’m the kind of person who likes to be constantly busy or engaged in something, so I have to make sure I put time in my daily schedule to just "be still" and clear my mind of all of my busyness so that I can focus on Him and let Him refresh and replenish my soul. One of the times I feel most closely connected with God is when I am writing. I realized a long time ago that the only reason I can write is because He gave me the ability to do it, and I’ve committed to write stories that glorify Him, He’s always present when I sit down to write.
Do you have a favorite bible verse and or quote you wish to share?
My favorite passage is Hebrews 12:1-3: Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (nasb)
To me, this is my Christian journey in a nutshell—I wouldn’t be anywhere if it weren’t for those who’ve gone before me, who now surround me, and who will come after me; I must persevere in the tasks God has set before me—and I can do so only by living on faith in Jesus, who endured so much more than I will ever be asked to go through.
Who are your favorite authors? Favorite books?
Jane Austen is my favorite author, and Persuasion my favorite book. But I have books from all different eras and representing many genres—from literary masterpieces to inspirational romance to blockbuster action/adventure. While I gravitate toward romance, I do try to choose several books each year outside of that genre to read, just to make sure I’m keeping up with trends and learning techniques I might not have otherwise seen.
Tell us about your journey to publication.
I’ve been writing since I was thirteen or fourteen years old. I did not seriously begin to pursue writing for publication, however, until 2001, when I attended my first writers’ conference and joined ACRW. But I’ve always known that writing stories was my future, especially after taking my first Creative Writing class as a senior in high school. Though my first time in college, when I majored in Creative Writing, didn’t go well, I eventually finished my undergraduate degree and went on to earn a Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction in 2006.
I started writing Stand-In Groom (originally entitled Happy Endings Inc.) in 2003. After several restarts (rewriting the first ten chapters three times!), I finally finished the manuscript in May 2005. Because it was my master’s thesis for graduate school, over the next year, it went through four revisions before it was complete in June 2006. In September 2006, it placed 2nd in the contemporary romance category of the Genesis contest. I submitted it to a couple of agents, and signed with Chip MacGregor a few months later. Then, at the 2007 ACFW conference, my only appointment was with Rebecca Germany. Chip and I couldn’t remember if Barbour had gotten back to us on the proposal we’d submitted earlier in the year, so I talked to her about it in that appointment. A few weeks later, she asked for the full manuscript; so after one more revision, we submitted it in mid-October. After that, it wasn’t very long before we had the contract!
Tell us about your current book.
Wedding planner Anne Hawthorne’s professionalism is tested when she thinks she’s falling in love with a client. Englishman George Laurence came to Louisiana to plan his employer’s wedding . . . posing as the groom. If Anne learns the groom’s true identity, George could lose her forever. If George is true to himself and his Christian ethics and tells Anne the truth, he risks losing his job and his green card. For Anne, the prospect of falling in love with George means revisiting the past, forgiving those who’ve hurt her, and facing her greatest fear. Both must put themselves in God’s hands if they’re to truly have a happy ending.
How did you come up with ideas for this book?
As many people have probably guessed, the inspiration for Stand-In Groom came to me after watching the movie The Wedding Planner. I wasn’t happy with the way that the romance in that story revolved around the breakup of an engagement. As a writer, most of my ideas come from asking “what if” questions. What if a wedding planner thought she was falling in love with the groom of the biggest wedding she’s ever planned . . . but then he turned out not to be the groom? And the story grew from there.
Did you have a favorite character(s)? Who and why?
Anne is my favorite character in this book—I learned a lot about myself while writing it, mostly through Anne and the way that she was able to grow beyond bad things that happened to her early in life: losing her parents as a child, having a fiancé walk out on her in her early twenties. She never lost her determination to make a good life for herself by finding out what it was that God had given her the talent and drive to do—which is to make every bride’s Happy Ending dream come true, even though she thought she’d never have it for herself.
What’s next for yo
u?
The second book in the Brides of Bonneterre series, Menu for Romance, comes out in July; and I’m currently working on the third book in this series, A Case for Love. I’ve also recently signed a contract with Harvest House for a historical series, The Ransome Trilogy, set in England and Jamaica in 1814. The first book, Ransome’s Honor, releases in July.
Where can visitors find you online?
I blog daily at http://kayedacus.com. Readers can also get semi-regular updates on my books and appearances on my writer’s page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kaye-Dacus/30626117435
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