Get Lost with Kim Sanders and The Ex Lottery

Get Lost in a Story Readers, it’s been a while since Author Kim Sanders visited. And last time she did, she was decked out full in suspense.  Today, she visits us with romance on her mind.  Please welcome my versatile friend, Kim Sanders, as she talks to us about The Ex Lottery.

The Ex Lottery by Kim Sanders

A Contemporary Romance Set In Ireland

A lonely art teacher wins the lottery and flies to Ireland to buy a castle in the latest contemporary novel The Ex Lottery by Kim Sanders. All her life, Tory Adams has dreamed of having a home and family of her own. Instead, every man she loves breaks her heart. On a whim, Tory buys a lottery ticket using the dates her three ex-boyfriends dumped her—and wins—wins over $600 million dollars. With her newfound fortune, Tory travels to Ireland to buy the castle where her grandparents met and begins a journey of excitement and fun as men chase her across this beautiful land. Now she must decide, do the men love her or are they simply romancing the numbers?

Reviews and Awards

“A light, uplifting romance that’s equal parts comedy, fairy tale and travelogue.”       —Kirkus Reviews, “The Ex Lottery” by Kim Sanders http://bit.ly/1lw7qct

“The Ex Lottery” by Kim Sanders —First Place in Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit Writers, Get Your Stiletto in the Door 

DONNELL:  Kim, welcome back!  I have so much to ask you about this book.  First, let’s talk covers.  Did you design it?

KIM:  Hi, Donnell. It’s great to be back. Thanks for the invite. I wish I could take credit for designing the cover, but the credit goes to Lindsay Carson—a talented graphic designer based in New York City.

DONNELL:  My husband buys a lottery ticket every week.  I tell him if we ever win, we’ll be in trouble.  I’m of the mind that money doesn’t always buy happiness.  What say you about that, and what went through your mind when you were plotting this book?

KIM:  If your husband wins, remember I’m your new best friend. I don’t want you to face that trouble alone. When I was plotting this book, I was thinking money could buy freedom—the freedom to start one’s life over anywhere in the world. So I gave the main character money—lots and lots of money.

DONNELL:  You told me what inspired this story.  Will you share it with the GLIAS readers?

KIM:  Yes, but I can feel my daughter shaking her head and sighing from over two hundred miles away so let me preface by saying that all the characters in this book are fictitious—pure fiction. A conversation with my daughter sparked the idea for The Ex Lottery. She had just suffered a broken heart and was sitting in my home when she announced that she was giving up on love—no more kissing toads for her. She was going back to school for a second graduate degree, switching from art to business, so she could find a career that earned enough money to buy a home and travel the world alone.

The next morning, I was sitting on my writing porch, and I had a book with a lottery ticket stuck between the pages. I picked up the ticket, stared at the losing six numbers, and recalled my daughter’s conversation. My imagination took over. What if a woman used the dates her three ex-boyfriends dumped her and bought a winning lottery ticket? My daughter wanted a home—why not a castle? She mentioned travel— why not a castle in Ireland? Single in Ireland with lots of gorgeous guys. And The Ex Lottery was born.  

DONNELL:  I love this story of your daughter giving up on love, and because we have a lot of romance writers and readers who log in now and then, I want to assure you that Kim's daughter did indeed have a happy ending.  But back to our interview.

Ireland, such a magical place.  Have you been there? 

KIM:  Only in the virtual world via Google. Seriously, I did spend a tremendous amount of time researching Ireland while writing this book. I wanted the reader to experience the magic of the island through Tory’s eyes as the men chased her across Ireland. I did a happy dance when the Kirkus book reviewer said I did just that. My next stop—toes in the Irish Sea.

DONNELL:  So, here’s a tough question.  Last book, Shades of Gray, was suspense. The Ex Lottery, straight romance, what did you discover while writing? 

KIM: Switching genres is difficult. I got stumped about halfway through this book, forcing me to walk away, regroup and rewrite. It took me a bit to think “romantic comedy” instead of intrigue. I had just published Shades of Gray when the idea for The Ex Lottery popped in my head. And I’ll be honest—I thought I was just writing fiction for myself and maybe a few readers. If I’d known I would have so many readers asking for a sequel to Shades of Gray, I’d have stuck with suspense.

But now I’m glad I was so clueless. The struggle with writing straight romance was a learning experience. I’m really proud of this book. Readers have told me they like it even more than my first novel. But who am I to follow a trend—I’m back to suspense. I’m finally writing that sequel to Shades of Gray even as readers are asking me to write the sequel to The Ex Lottery. The early chapters of my new book, Shades of Justice, are heavy on romance so maybe I’m meant to write in both worlds. I just wish I wrote faster.

DONNELL:  You live in a pretty magical place in the U.S.  If you could live anywhere on earth, where would it be, and why?

KIM:  I need to be near water. I don’t know why, but I do. My husband and I have always lived within walking distance of rivers, streams or an ocean, but my favorite place is the sea. My husband says the ocean heals me. I’d be happy living any place close enough to feel the ocean breeze from my porch.

DONNELL:  What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned while doing research?

KIM:  So many things, but I’ll give this example. While writing The Ex Lottery, I discovered stories about an ancient well in Malahide, Ireland, called St. Sylvester’s well. Some of the stories attributed to St. Sylvester’s influenced the scenes in my book. None of the stories are exactly the same, but one legend has it that the well was named after Saint Sylvester because he slayed a dragon. It was so perfect since a blue dragon was very much a part of my main character’s life. Also, eels were dropped into the well water to purify it. These waters had healing powers often attributed to the magical powers of the eel. Legend has it that spirits haunt the depths of the holy wells and could be vindictive. I had to add a humorous scene with a vindictive well to my book.

DONNELL:  The most unusual thing in your closet?

KIM: Wait. Let me run look… Me.

DONNELL:   If you’re not writing, where will we find you?

KIM: Walking on a beach with a camera in my hand.

DONNELL:  Kim, now it’s your turn:  Time to ask the readers a question.  AND READERS KIM WILL NOT BE GIVING A GIVEAWAY.  WHY?  BECEAUSE SHE'S GOT A FREE KINDLE PROMOTION THAT STARTS TODAY AND ENDS ON NOVEMBER 16TH.  But stick around and comment because

KIM WANTS TO KNOW:  If you could walk into a bar in Ireland and meet any man/actor of your dreams, who would it be? And how would you convince him to take off his shirt?

Thanks so much for being our guest, Kim, and wishing you terrific sales on your three-day promotion! 

Book Links

http://amzn.to/1t0wmtm     Amazon Link for Kindle ---  The Ex Lottery

ebook is only on Amazon right now, but paperback book is  everywhere

website:         www.kesanders.com

facebook author page :    http://on.fb.me/1vs2PYX