Welcome to New Faces, where we introduce debut romance authors to our readers! This week we welcome Kim Headlee, whose historical romance Dawnflight is garnering raves from readers and reviewers alike. Welcome, Kim!

Tell us about yourself.

I was born in Seattle and lived in that region (West Seattle, Mercer Island, Bellevue) off-and-on for the first 21 years of my life. In between those times, my father was transferred to New Orleans, Cocoa Beach, FL (during the days of the Apollo launches--and it was really cool to watch them from the roof of our apartment building!), and Pasadena, CA. After graduating from Sammamish High School of Bellevue, the same high school SF/Fantasy author Vonda McIntyre graduated from sometime earlier--and if I tell you when, she will kill me!--I moved to Colorado Springs, CO to become a member of the second USAF Academy class to admit women.

There, I met the two most important men in my life, Jesus Christ, and my (future) husband, Chris Headlee, who was two years ahead of me at the Academy.

After Chris graduated and I quit the Academy, we conducted a cross-country romance for 18 months. We were married, finally, in June 1982, at Griffiss AFB in upstate New York, where he was stationed at the time and I was working as a computer contractor. Other duty stations included the AF Academy (again! but this time, he was an instructor, and I finally finished my BS degree at nearby Colorado Technical College), Pope AFB in Fayetteville, NC, and the Pentagon.

We have two gorgeous children: son Jonathan, who turned 13 in June 1999, and daughter Jessica, who will be 4 in December 1999.

Besides the "3 Rs" -- reading, writing and research! -- some of my other interests include classical singing, downhill skiing, softball, gardening (especially herbs), and crafts such as quilting and embroidery, and I do a lot of volunteer work in several capacities for my church, Centreville Presbyterian of Centreville, Virginia.

Are you coming to romance writing from another job?

Technically, I am still the owner, operator and chief bottle-washer of my one-woman computer consulting company, formed in 1995 at the request of a client I was working for at the time. That contract ended in early 1998, and I elected not to pursue other work in the field (specifically, database and software development) in order to devote more time to my writing. I haven't looked back since. Okay, I exaggerate--there have been times when the Big-$$$ income would have been extremely useful! But I certainly have not regretted my decision.

What led you to write romance?

My characters did. Originally, I set out to write "straight historical" fiction, but my hero and heroine decided to really deepen their relationship! I'm just their chronicler; who am I to argue?? ;-)

Tell us about your road to publication.

Ten years, 30-plus rejections (including three agencies that didn't work out), and more critiquing and rewriting than I or my computer care to contemplate! Actually, it took slightly less than eight years to get "the call" from Pocket in July 1997, due to the efforts of my literary agent, Andy Zack, who had agreed to represent me in Sept. 1996.

My primary critiquer for the past four years (aside from my dear husband, The Critic's Critic ;-), is prolific fantasy short-story author Patricia Duffy Novak. Without her invaluable help, I'm certain that Dawnflight would still be languishing in slush piles today. Others who have leant support and encouragement throughout the years include Vonda McIntyre, Josepha Sherman, Susan Shwartz, and my high-school English teacher, with whom I still correspond on a regular basis, Jane Vosk.

A timetable of this scale definitely has caused me to hone my patience and perseverance! For any aspiring authors reading this, I have one piece of advice: Do not write what you know; write what you are passionate about. Because that passion will motivate you to perform all the necessary research, inspire you to do your best writing, enable you to step out of your comfort-zone to market and promote your work, and carry you through all the dry spells and nail-biting periods as you await editorial responses and contest results.

What kind of research was involved for Dawnflight?

It's hard to recall which came first, my interest in the Arthurian Legends (and subsequent obsession to research every possible facet about the topic) or my desire to be a writer. Perhaps they developed hand-in-hand. I do know that I was writing my own interpretations of the Legends as early as age nine--although by the time I was in high school, I realized that my writing would be much better if I took the time to learn about life.

So, first and foremost, the type of research that ended up being the most useful for me was studying human nature. For specific details in my books, I researched historical accounts and theories, ancient warfare, Celtic Christianity and paganism, sociology, economics, linguistics, botany, zoology--just about every topic I could think of to make the chaotic world of post-Roman Britain come alive for readers.

Who are your influences as a writer?

I've found the Holy Bible to be an extraordinary reference, in terms of literature styles and interpersonal relationships, as well as, of course, the relationship between Mankind and God. A writer of any theological (or nontheological) bent could do a whole lot worse than to study the Bible from a literary and psychological standpoint.

In the secular realm, Mary Stewart's "Merlin Trilogy" inspired me to employ a historical approach in my Arthurian fiction. Other favorite authors not mentioned elsewhere in this epistle include -- but are not limited to! -- Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Diane Duane, Diana Gabaldon, Parke Godwin, Barbara Hambly, Ernest Hemmingway, Morgan Llywelyn, John Steinbeck, Joan Wolf, and Roger Zelazny.

As soon as I hit the "send" button, several more authors will probably occur to me, but this is a good start.

What does your family think of having a romance author in their midst?

After the laughter died down . . .! (in truth, my sister-in-law was the only one who actually laughed :)

Seriously, I know they are all very proud of me, and brag on me every chance they get!

Tell us about plans for future books.

The proposal for DAWNFLIGHT's sequel, tentatively titled MORNING'S JOURNEY, is sitting on my editor's desk as I write this. My agent expects to hear her decision soon. MJ picks up where its predecessor left off, but will be a much more somber book as it explores various characters' choices in response to the temptation of revenge. Once it sells, I will post a more detailed synopsis, as well as an excerpt, online at http://www.monumental.com/headlee/mornjour.htm. I have also begun work on the third book, ZENITH GLORY, which will probably return to more of a "traditional romance" format, centering on one of the semi-major characters introduced in DAWNFLIGHT. After book 3, plans for subsequent volumes in this series are much more nebulous . . . but after all the research I've put into creating this world and its characters, you can bet I'm going to write as many books as I can get away with!

I do have ideas for other books, including a Christian fantasy-allegory and novels about queens Bodiccea and Cleopatra, but I have been too busy with the current project to devote much time to them yet.

How can readers get in touch with you?

I love to entertain readers' comments via email at headlee@monumental.com. Look for my schedule of personal appearances and online workshops via my home page at http://www.monumental.com/headlee. Thank you for your interest! :)

Thanks, Kim, and best of luck! Readers, we have a review of Dawnflight on the Historical page.

October 13, 1999