October: Jody Kaye

I'm so excited to have Jody Kaye on the blog this month! She's the author of the Kingsbrier Quintuplets Series with several books out. I can't wait for y'all to get to know her and her novels!

Can you tell me what inspired your latest novel? Where did the idea come from? Cavanaugh was my spring release. It’s a prequel and jaunt back in time to when the Kingsbrier Quintuplets‘ parents met. Over the course of the first three books in the series, their mother’s backstory started playing a part in the way the kids acted. It was actually fun to write, because the world was so different back then (like no cell phones) that I could get away with a lot more that contemporary readers would question. I was also wring while #metoo was trending and it allowed me to push boundaries I wouldn’t have been comfortable with otherwise. What does your workday look like? I have my coffee while emptying the dishwasher and making fruit/veggie trays for my son’s lunches. This is more because the dog likes to eat fruit than I’m a wonderful mother. Clear out and respond to overnight social posts and get ready for the day. I’m one of those people that has to be dressed in real clothes or I lose my mojo. I’ll dictate anything handwritten. Eat second breakfast while I pop onto FB to see what my tribe’s up to. Sprint until noonish. Eat lunch. If there’s business or graphics stuff that has to get done ASAP I’ll take care of it then, but most of that gets pushed off to the weekends. Once my boys are home it’s driving lessons, homework, and cooking. I’m fairly protective of that time with my family. My husband takes me for a several mile walk many days. Then I’ll snag paper and write freehand. What advice would you give to aspiring authors? Don’t forget why you started writing. Chances are it had nothing to do with money.  

What’s a genre you haven’t written but would like to try? MC or Paranormal.  

What are your hobbies outside of writing? I’m a crafty, frugal, a compulsive organizer, and bake gluten-free (with varying results). We moved to NC in 2017 and I love exploring the historic sites and traveling.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? I was a complete pantser until I wrote the second book in the Quints series. It’s large-cast so most of my characters have recurring roles/chapters of their own that help the story move along. I have to keep comparing the plot back to what’s written (or what I know is going to happen) to make sure I don’t forget the minutiae. What’s next? (book-wise) I’ve been working on Adam (The Kingsbrier Quintuplets no.2). This is THAT book that challenges me. I completely psyched myself out with the plot. Trashed the draft 3x over the summer and finally {Yay!} have a working manuscript that’s only a few chapters from being completed. Meanwhile, I’ve managed to start a short story in the same series -about a character that fans requested get their own book- and am about 1/4 of the way in.  

Would you rather… never use social media sites / apps again or never watch another movie or TV show? I ignore the TV unless it’s Jack and Ozzie’s World Tour and then it’s to ask my husband if we can get a little RV and travel everywhere. So TV would be an easy answer. But I’d love a social media detox!

Where do you write and can we see a picture? My office & backyard 

This was after a particularly busy weekend— I had to clean before I could write!

Which of your characters is your favorite and why? It’s always whoever is coming next. For instance, in Eric I loved writing Brier. But in Brier’s book when Daveigh struggled she was my favorite. The only exception to this rule is the next book in the series. I’d been itching to write the romantic interest, but didn’t like Adam until I had a viable plot. He's been the toughest character to write so far.

What are you dressing up as for Halloween? I have a glittery skull shirt and socks that I wear every year. Does that count? 

(Yes! lol)

What was your favorite costume growing up? I can’t decide. I had one of those vinyl costumes that I wore until the seams ripped it was Apricot (with Hospalot!) from Strawberry Shortcake. In middle school I decided to be a bottle of Hershey’s Syrup and made the pop top from a coffee can and a pie tin and held it on my head with a red ribbon.

What's your favorite Halloween Candy? I’m a candy corn and pumpkin addict trying my hardest not to fall off the sugar-free diet wagon. I bought my sons bags and they gobbled those down in my face to watch my reaction.

Thank you so much Jody for chatting with us! Here is her latest release:

Cavanaugh Synopsis:

The only child of an oil mogul, Rose Kingsbrier should've had it all. That changed the day her momma died, leaving her to live a solitary life in a mansion that was more like a mausoleum. Rose tried for years to get her father's attention, eventually finding it easier to become his source of grief than to live in grief's shadow. Convinced that she's irresponsible, now Rose's father intends to marry her off. But she's not letting him barter her away that easily.

Ross Cavanaugh's construction business is renovating the Kingsbrier mansion and, before the job's even started, he gets swept up in Rose's schemes. She's a hot ticket and easy-going Ross enjoys their budding friendship, until Rose proposes a marriage of convenience to solve her problem and provide Cavanaugh Construction financial backing. Rose may not mind dragging her own reputation through the mud, but Ross has worked too hard to be accused of fortune hunting. When Rose gets herself in over her head, agreeing to her offer may be the only way to save her.

Buy Links:

iBooks — http://bit.ly/KBQuintsNoveliBooks Kobo — http://bit.ly/KBQuintsNovelKobo

Nook — http://bit.ly/KBQuintsNovelnook

Google Play — http://bit.ly/KBQuintsNovelGP

Amazon (US) — http://bit.ly/KBQuintsNovel

Amazon (Canada) — http://bit.ly/KBQuintsNovel-CA

Amazon (UK) — http://bit.ly/KBQuintsNovel-UK

Amazon (AU) — http://bit.ly/KBQuintsNovel-AU

Goodreads — https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38984218-cavanaugh

BookBub — https://www.bookbub.com/books/cavanaugh-by-jody-kaye

The Kingsbrier Quintuplets Series Information: