Interview with Therese Kincaide

Therese Kinkaide is an author of women’s fiction. Her newest work Fairytale is available from Wings E Press.

What is the name of your latest book? And how did you come up with the title?

My latest book is called Fairytale. It’s a story that moves from present to past and certain chapters fall under certain fairytales, depending on what is going on in the story. There are Rapunzel chapters, Cinderella chapters, Beauty and the Beast chapters and the final chapter belongs to the heroine of the book, Caroline. She doesn’t have a fairytale love, and she has to summon the inner courage and strength to save herself.

What is Fairytale about?

Fairytale is a suspense/thriller for women. It is the story of a woman who has awakened from a coma, with a body that has sustained severe injuries and no memory of how those injuries happened. Caroline Wolfe has to use gut instinct to decide who she trusts as she becomes familiar with a house that is supposedly hers and fights for the memories she feels have been taken from her. Her very life may depend on regaining those memories.

What books have most influenced your life most?

The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard had a big influence on my life, both in regard to my writing and my daughter. She was only three at the time I read it, and I was so scared after reading about the abduction in that book that I would get up all through the night and check on her while she slept. It was also the book that helped me scrap an old manuscript and rewrite it. It’s self-published now, but it did lead me to my current writing style. There are other books that were so powerful they’ve stayed with me for years after I’ve read them, but I can’t say they influenced my life, other than my writing. Patricia Cornwell’s book Trace really influenced my writing style. I loved her use of present tense. I felt like I was involved in the action as it happened, and apparently it really affected me, because every time I sit down to write, I find myself writing in present tense. Some publishers don’t care for present tense, so sometimes I have to go back and change everything to past tense.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

I’m not sure I can choose. I haven’t really worked hand in hand with any writers; however, I will say certain writers have had a big influence on my style and voice and other writers have been very supportive of my efforts. I’ve been told that my writing (style, not subject matter) is comparable to Patricia Cornwell’s, Audriana Triggiani’s, Alice Hoffman’s, and Jodi Picoult’s writing. I don’t know how comparable my style is, but I will say I admire these women very much. I have always loved Diane Chamberlain’s books, and she has always had kind words and encouragement for me. Also, Linda Rettstatt, a fellow Wings author, has been very supportive of my writing, as well as a great inspiration. There are days when the blank screen on my computer is very daunting, but Linda is so prolific, I think okay, Linda’s working so hard, you can do it too.

What are your current projects?

I am currently writing a Christmas themed women’s fiction novel, and I hope I can finish a rough draft soon. The Christmas music is killing me now that Christmas is over. I also have two other manuscripts started: one is a disco time travel romance, which is very different from anything I’ve written but so much fun, and the other is a young adult romance. Following that, I have plans for a sequel to a young adult book I wrote last spring.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

I am not one to outline much. The more notes I take, the less compelled I am to write the story. I’m getting better about envisioning my story line as an arc and picturing myself moving around that arc as I write in order to keep the pace of the story. Having that image in my mind helps me stay focused on what I need to write, and yet it can still be difficult to sit down and write something every day. Sometimes after I’ve been sitting at the computer for fifteen or twenty minutes, I decide it’d be much easier to do laundry or more fun to check email.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

I guess the advice I’ve taken from other writers that’s helped me the most is to write. Don’t talk about the book you’re going to write, write it. Don’t get hung up on edits or genre or word count. Write your story. Be passionate about your writing. Believe in yourself.

Here's a blurb from Fairytale:

Caroline Wolfe is a modern day Rapunzel, locked away in a third story bedroom. She has no memory, no past. In fact, Caroline has nothing but a son she doesn’t remember, a friend she is afraid to trust, a husband she isn’t sure she wants to remember, and a gut feeling that something is very wrong in her house.

As Caroline begins to remember bits and pieces of her past, she is overcome with fear. The more she remembers, the more desperate she is to regain her complete memory. Her life may depend on it.