Julie Kimbrell, a new up-and-coming author, agreed to do an interview with me.  She’s published both YA and Adult Romance with two e-publishers and is currently seeking an agent.

When did you first become interested in writing? 

I’ve always had an interest but no time or initiative. About a year ago, I had an idea and mentioned it to my mother who told me to write it down. I wrote it down and began to add to it and a couple weeks later, I had my first YA book.

What made you decide to become a published author?  What process did you go through when selecting your publisher(s)? 

I felt so proud that I actually wrote a whole novel.  I mean, 50,000 words is a lot. I thought I’d never be able to do it, and I did. That motivated me to write query letters and mail them to different agencies in an attempt to find an agent to represent me. I haven’t found one yet, but I’m not giving up.  After I finished my next two books, I decided to try e-publishing. It seemed to be the latest technology in writing. When I submitted my first Adult Romance, A Knight in Shining Tow Truck, Hearts On Fire Press picked It up so I went with them. They took all the books I had written up to then, which were all YA Romance.

If you could give advice to someone interested in writing, what would it be?

Don’t give up. Sometimes it feels like you’re stuck. Put it aside and come back to it later. You’re mind and ideas change all the time. Stick with it until you find what you’re looking for.  Every book will be better than the last.

Could you tell us a little about your latest work?

My latest book which is an Adult Romance due out Spring 2010. Mr. Irresistible is published by Wild Horse Press.

Mr. Irresistible Blurb: This story is about Kate Simon, a sensible, independent young woman, who’s thrown for a loop when Gage Morgan steps into her life.  She’s not ready for the feelings that result every time they’re together, which is often since she’s helping him run his friend’s new bar.  For some reason, he’s irresistible. Gage is so motivated to make the business successful for his friend, he struggles with his feelings for Kate as well. Does he have time for a relationship? Could it be love?  And what will happen when Gage’s selfish friend, Charlie decides he wants Kate for himself. Can Gage keep his so-called friend from ruining everything?

What inspired you to write Mr. Irresistible? 

Nothing in particular. I had several ideas about how I wanted to begin the book and one morning while I was at Wal-Mart getting groceries, I heard someone’s name being called over the intercom and it hit me.

Are you currently working on something?  If so, can you tell us a little bit about it?

Yes, I am currently finishing up on another Adult Romance that I’ve named “Hiding Hope”. It’s about a woman named Kinley who just lost her grandmother who was all the family she had left. Her friend Mia convinces her to move back to the town she grew up in where she meets Grayson. He’s alone, just like Kinley and they begin to hit it off. Kinley finds a stray dog and she and Gray hide it until they get caught and she gets evicted from the apartment she just moved into. They begin to spend time together and realize they have feelings for each other, but Kinley isn’t ready to deal with them. She wants to focus on herself and starting a new business. Gray loves her and becomes a very good support system for her. Can Gray break down the barriers around her heart? Will Kinley find that she feels the same way about Gray? 

If you could go back and change anything in your writing/publishing career, would you? And if so, what would it be and why?

I wouldn’t change anything. It’s been a fun and exciting process for me. I will continue to try and find an agent although it is becoming apparent that might not happen. I will not give up on the idea of having a mass market paperback, but until then, I want to share my work with anyone who will be willing to read it and the web is the best way to do that. 

Is there anything else you’d like to share with us today? 

I’d like to say that I have a couple books due out in print in the next couple months.  Look for them at Heartsonfirebooks.com and amazon.com  I would love for anyone that has read my works to email me with their comments. juliekimbrellbooks@yahoo.com and I have a website www.juliekimbrell.com 

Thanks for having me, Jessica!