We are so excited to be here with one
of our favorite authors, Tawdra Kandle. Tawdra writes romance, in
just about all its forms. She loves unlikely pairings, strong women, sexy guys,
hot love scenes and just enough conflict to make it interesting. Her books
include young adult and new adult paranormal romance, new adult and adult
contemporary romance and adult para-mystery romance. She lives in central
Florida with a husband, kids, sweet pup and too many cats. And yeah, she rocks
purple hair.
Scherry: Welcome Tawdra! Thanks for joining us here at The Novel
Lady. Tell us a little about yourself
and your background?
Tawdra: Thanks for having me! I’m an author, clearly . . . I’ve
been published for six years, and I have over 56 books in release currently. I’ve
been married for over thirty years, and I have four children, plus one
son-in-law. I was both an Army brat and an Army wife, so I’ve lived all over
the country.
Scherry: You have a beautiful family! Do you still have the purple streaks
in your hair? I loved hearing about the
reason for the purple hair. Can you tell
our readers your story?
Tawdra: I do have purple in my hair. I’ve had it this way for
over eight years. My amazing hair stylist was adding pink to my daughter’s hair
one day, and she mentioned that many people liked pink for breast cancer
awareness. Since my parents both died of blood cancers within less than a year
of each other, and their signature color is purple, I elected to go that
direction.
Scherry: That’s beautiful, and quite a tribute
to your parents. What do you do when
you’re not writing? Do you have any
hobbies or guilty pleasures?
Tawdra: When am I NOT writing?? Ah, I love to cook, I love to
listen to music, to read and to travel. I enjoy spending time with my family.
Scherry: What were you like at school?
Tawdra: I did not like
school at all . . . but I did quite well. I wasn’t fond of the social aspect of
it, which was partly because I changed schools frequently. I loved to learn and
to read, but I didn’t care for how it was accomplished within the system.
Scherry: When and why did you begin writing?
Tawdra: I began writing
very early. When we moved to South Jersey, which was where my parents were
from, it was hard for me to make friends, so I coped by creating stories and
characters in order to get through. By the time I was in eighth grade, I had
published my first short story in a children’s magazine.
Scherry: Which writers inspire you?
Tawdra: Anne Rice, who
is not only talented and passionate about her work but just lovely and generous
and kind . . . Stephen King, who understands more about today’s fiction than
just about anyone else . . . Diana Gabaldon, who is also open and compassionate
as she is gifted . . . and Jasinda Wilder, who has helped propel the indie
movement beyond anything we could have imagined!
Scherry: How would you describe your latest
novel?
Tawdra: Not
Broken Anymore is the fourth book in the Keeping Score series. The main
characters were introduced in the first book and mentioned here and there
throughout, but here, we find out what happened behind the scenes—and then
afterwards.
Tate is a
football player who met Gia through friends in their freshman year of college.
Unfortunately, they met the same night Gia fell into a destructive and
tumultuous relationship with a man who made her life hell for four years. Even
now, she’s broken and hurting.
But Tate
thinks if she gives him—gives them—a chance, everything could change. He sees
hope where Gia fears despair. He sees love where she expects pain. He sees a
future where she can’t get over the past.
How they
find their way to a second chance is the heart of this story. It’s about
healing and patience and love that doesn’t give up.
Scherry: I’m anxious to read it! What inspired you to write it?
Tawdra: I never intended
to write more than three books in the Keeping Score series. Gia wasn’t even supposed
to be more than a temporary friend for Quinn in high school. But she began to
talk about herself and develop more than I’d expected, and then Tate just came
about, too. I didn’t think they made a good match, but Tate felt differently. I
knew what was going to happen between Gia and Matt—mostly—and I knew Gia was
going to suffer. But that was too big a story to be a side note to the main
books.
Scherry: If you had to write this one all over
again, go through the whole editing and publishing process from the beginning
again, is there anything you would do differently?
Tawdra: I can honestly say no. It was a painful,
messy and ripping process, but I’m very pleased with the final product.
Scherry: Are you a plotter and know what’s
going to happen or are you a pantser that lets your characters lead the way?
Tawdra: HA! No. I never
know until I begin writing, and even then, sometimes they take me by surprise.
Scherry: How much research did you do for your
latest novel?
Tawdra: Lots
of watching football games, eating good food . . . and remembering my own
haunts in Philadelphia.
Scherry: Sounds like my kind of research! What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever
researched for one of your books?
Tawdra: I did a lot of research into the Summer of Love, the
commune movement, and San Francisco in the late 1960’s for Age of Aquarius—not
sure if that’s strange, but it was interesting!
Scherry: How long does it normally take you to
write a book?
Tawdra: Anywhere
from four weeks to two months.
Scherry: Thinking about the characters in your
books… Do you have a favorite? Which one would you most like to go have a
beer or glass of wine with… or wake up next to?
Tawdra: I love them all. No favorites! I’d love to
sit at a bar and have a beer with Rafe from the Save Tomorrow world. And if I
were single, I wouldn’t say no to waking up with Tate or Liam or Sam!
Scherry: Have you ever based your book or
characters on actual events or people from your own life?
Tawdra: Yes. All the time. The most recent example
is my book Fifty Frogs. All of the hilarious things between Vivian and her
‘frogs’ actually happened to my daughters!
Scherry: So, say you got arrested. What’s the most likely reason the cops are
carting you off to jail?
Tawdra: Oh, gosh, I hope that wouldn’t happen! If it did, it would
probably be for standing up for one of my friends or family, regardless of the
legal repercussions!
Scherry: What is next for you? Do you have any scheduled upcoming releases
or works in progress?
Tawdra: Not
Broken Anymore releases November 28th, and then The Anti-Cinderella
will come out in February. I have at least two more books in the Keeping Score
series, then a new six books in the Career Soldier series. Always something in
the works!
How can fans contact you/learn more
about you?
Website: http://tawdrakandle.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTawdraKandle/?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tawdra
Tawdra, thank you so
much for joining us here at The Novel Lady!
I’m looking forward to seeing you at Coastal Magic in February!
If you would like to
meet Tawdra Kandle in person, stop by the Coastal Magic
Convention in Daytona
Beach in February 2018. Tawdra is one of
our favorite Featured Authors. We love
her so much that this is her 6th year at Coastal Magic! For more information about #CMCon2018, check
out the web page at www.coastalmagicconvention.com.
