Kim Sanders of Shades of Gray fame Gets Lost in a Story

Kim Sanders and I discovered each other when our books were making their way up the Amazon 100 in March.  Naturally we became curious about one another, and I for one am so glad I checked out Kim's writing.  I am now a fan of this marvelous author. As such, I invited her to visit us on GET LOST IN A STORY.  Please welcome Kim Sanders! ~ Donnell

ABOUT SHADES OF GRAY:

An award-winning photographer finds herself on the wrong end of the lens when she is framed for the murder of her ex-boyfriend, and the only one who can save her is the man who broke her heart ten years earlier. Samantha Jennings loves her camera and her solitude, but she is thrust into the limelight when Ben Fuller is murdered and she is the only suspect. To find the true killer, Sam must join forces with defense attorney Caleb McCloud—the man who haunts her dreams. As the two follow the clues and confront the killer, their unresolved feelings surface. Sam agrees to trust him with her life, but not her heart. Caleb is determined to win both.

Reviews

Oozes all the necessary passion of any good romance novel. . . . The romance enthusiast won't be disappointed with this novel that never skimps on passion or story.
--Kirkus ReviewsA must-read murder mystery. . . . This book is excellent from beginning to end and the mixture of mystery and romance will leave the reader wanting more.
--Michelle Humphrey, Examiner.com


About the Author:

Kim Sanders was born and raised in the South. The only thing she likes better than writing romantic fiction is reading it—which she has done since she was a teenager. Sanders received a journalism degree from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and a law degree from Emory University in Atlanta. Over the years, she has worked as a journalist, photographer, editor, and attorney. She is the mother of two grown children and lives in South Carolina with her husband. Sanders’ best selling debut novel Shades of Gray was a Kirkus Reviews Critics’ Pick and the romantic suspense winner of the 2011 Get Your Stiletto in The Door contest. In March 2012, the book ranked number one in contemporary romance on Amazon’s Kindle Best Seller List.

AND NOW OUR FUN QUESTIONS!

DONNELL:  Hi, Kim!!! When writing, how likely are you to be sipping coffee, tea, or something stronger?

KIM: In the mornings, it’s coffee. My brain is asleep until it gets that jolt of caffeine. In the evening, if I have a glass of wine, all writing must stop, or it won’t make sense. My family laughing calls me a “cheap drunk.” Of course, the wine does add to my creative thinking. 

DONNELL:  Character driven or plot driven author?

KIM: Character driven. I want my readers to miss my protagonist when they finish the book.

DONNELL:  In Shades of Gray, your protagonist is an award winning photojournalist.  So let’s pin you down, Kim.  Are you any good with a camera?

KIM: At one time, I wanted to be a documentary photographer—thanks to a wonderful professor in college, Alex Harris. But bills had to be paid, so I went to law school. My big photography claim to fame was having a photograph hang in the New York City SoHo Gallery when I was just out of undergrad. Now, I shoot landscapes for fun. I even have a website with some of my photography. http://kesandersphotography.zenfolio.com/

DONNELL:  You write romantic mysteries, so for every person who writes the same genre I do, I ask them to finish a “very” short story.   Your neighbor is stalking you.  You can’t prove it and everyone you talk to thinks he’s a harmless old guy.  One night while you’re doing dishes, someone is staring back at you.  Harmless is grinning back at you.  What do you do?

KIM:  I felt him before I saw him. My hands were wrist-deep in silky water, cupping an empty wine glass, when I glanced up and out the window. Cataracts clouded one blue eye, but the other one leered. The man leaned forward and slowly licked the thin glass that separated us before stepping back to give me the full view. The old bastard was completely naked. Wiry gray hair trailed below his belly button, at the stick thin body part he lovingly wagged my way. Anger surged through my veins. Jumping over my sleeping dog, I threw open the back door and shouted, “T-Rex! Fetch!”

DONNELL:  What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you WISH more people COULD know?

KIM: I love to take an afternoon nap about three o’clock. Unfortunately, my phone usually rings about that time, and I just can’t bring myself to turn it off.

DONNELL:  What turns you off?  What turns you on?

KIM:  Since we write romance novels, that sounds like a loaded question. But getting my mind out of the gutter, I must say that I hate political ads—those 30-second sound bites of hate and false information. On the other hand, I love watching The Daily Show and the Colbert Report to see how Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert interpret the political campaigns.

DONNELL:  What’s the most surprising thing you learned while writing/researching a book?

KIM: I'm working on Shades of Justice, a sequel to Shades of Gray, and it involves a missing person mystery set in Savannah. I discovered that during the first yellow fever epidemic in Savannah, some reports claim 666 people died—a great fact for a horror element. During the second epidemic, 1066 people died.  It has been claimed that the city’s underground tunnels were used to take away the bodies and bury them in unmarked graves to prevent widespread panic. Many claim that bodies are buried under the police station’s parking deck, but because parking is so scarce, the police department refuses to let anyone investigate the claim.



DONNELL:  What comes next in the literary life of BESTSELLING AUTHOR, KIM SANDERS?

KIM: By the end of the year, I hope to complete The Ex Lottery, a contemporary romance about a woman who is unlucky in love, but lucky with numbers. She uses the dates her three exes dumped her to buy a winning lottery ticket. Cash in hand, she travels to Ireland to buy a castle only to be distracted by a gorgeous Irishman. I am also working on Shades of Justice for 2013. In addition, this month I have the honor of being a featured author on a panel of romance writers at the 2012 South Carolina Book Festival May 18-20th. http://www.scbookfestival.org

Kim Sander's Question for Readers & Fans:   
Have you ever hidden the fact that you read romance novels?  Do you hide the steamy covers?

Comments to Kim's question or about SHADES OF GRAY will enter you in a drawing to win Shades of Gray!
To learn more about Kim Sanders and her bestselling novel SHADES OF GRAY check out her website at  be www.kesanders.com


THEN GET LOST IN A STORY BLOG READERS, JOIN US MAY 11-13 AS ANGI MORGAN INTRODUCES OUR NEW BLOG PARTNER, 2010 GOLDEN HEART WINNING LIZBETH SELVIG AND DEBUT AUTHOR OF THE RANCHER AND THE ROCK STAR!

Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.