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Welcome to our New Faces column, where you can meet brand-new romance authors. This time we're visiting with Kelley St. John, whose debut release was Good Girls Don't, from Warner Books. Kelley, welcome to TRR! Tell us about yourself. I'm from the South, as you can tell when you hear me speak and realize there are no one syllable words down here ;) My degrees are in Computer Science, English and Business Administration, though I'm currently auditing courses in Criminal Justice, specifically Homicide Investigations and Forensics to aid in my suspense writing. (Nothing like having interesting little tidbits about murder to spark conversation at family reunions.) Are you coming to romance writing from another job? I was a Senior Technical Writer at NASA. That position provided me with plenty of information to use in my books (what isn't classified, of course). What led you to write romance? I've always enjoyed reading romance and have wanted to write it for as long as I can remember. In fact, I still remember my very first romance from my middle school years. It was Young and Fair by Rosamond du Jardin, copyright 1963. First the cover hooked me, then Ms. Du Jardin's writing hooked me. Tell us about your road to publication. My road to publication took 3 years exactly. From my first submission until the offer from Warner, it was exactly 36 months. In that three-year period, I was a regular on the contest circuit and was named a finalist in over 50 contests. Authors who helped me along the way were: Raven Hart, who introduced me to Romance Writers of America, Gayle Wilson, who welcomed me to my very first RWA meeting, and Linda Howard, the woman from my small neck of the woods who made it big-very big-by doing what she loves, writing romance. She showed me dreams do come true. There are many more authors who have been there along the way, but these three really helped me in pursuing my dream and achieving my goal, and I'm blessed to call them all dear friends. What kind of research was involved for your first book? The premise for GOOD GIRLS DON'T was sparked by an article in the October 29, 2001 issue of TIME entitled ALIBIS FOR SALE. The article depicted a new, and undeniably unique, resource for cheating spouses. From the article: "For a membership fee that is usually less than $100, plus $30 to $50 per lie, services like the Alibi Agency, based in Lytham St. Annes, England, will extend fictitious invitations to business conferences. It will receive your calls and patch them through from 'the hotel front desk.' The agency will even return, say, a necktie 'forgotten at the conference.' The alibi companies--originally established in Britain but now franchised in the U.S. and Canada--say they're legally bound to keep the secrets from everyone except the authorities, but there is obviously some risk involved. Britain's Ace Alibi Agency curbed memberships at 1,200. A California branch was so successful it has now gone national." Reading about the uncommon method for today's cheaters, I knew I'd found the concept for a unique and inventive story. Tell us about your debut book. GOOD GIRLS DON'T takes the alibi concept beyond the realm of prepaid excuses and into the ethical dilemma of the professional prevaricator heroine, Lettie Campbell. It's about the journey of a bad girl who desperately wants to be good, a good guy who wants to be bad and a city full of liars looking for alibis. Who are your influences as a writer? Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, Gayle Wilson, Raven Hart, Iris Johansen, Catherine Coulter, and too many more to list. What does your family think of having a published romance author in their midst? They're very excited and extremely supportive. If you want a hint of how excited, you can check out the story of when I got "The Call" on my site. And if you love reading stories about "The Call" as much as I do, you can read over 150 of them from some of your favorite authors in "The Call" section of http://www.kelleystjohn.com/. Tell us about plans for future books. My second Warner book, Real Women Don't Wear Size 2, hits the shelves in September 2006. It's about Clarise Robinson, a curvy woman who has hit the big three-oh and wants to finally come out of her shell and get what she's always wanted, particularly her best friend and boss, Ethan Eubanks. In addition to the two books I've mentioned, I've sold two more to Warner and one to Harlequin Blaze. How can readers get in touch with you? I love to hear from readers! Please contact me at Kelley@kelleysbooks.com. And please enter the contest at my site for a chance to win a fabulous beach vacation. Kelley, thank you for joining us, and best of luck!
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