AAD Author Spotlight & Giveaway: Kayleigh Jamison

Kayleigh Jamison joins us for today's author spotlight. Kayleigh has been writing since she was 7 year-old and playing the violin since age 8.  She spends her days working as a lawyer, but writes erotic romance by night. Please help me welcome her to the blog.

Jen: Give new readers the lowdown on a few of your titles.

Kayleigh: I primarily write historical erotic romance, but beyond that I'm all over the map, with books set in Regency England (Unspeakable, Reckless Liaisons, A Scandalous Arrangement), 1500s Scotland (Leading Her to Heaven), and 1700s Hungary (Svetkavista). I also write the ocassional contemporary paranormal, like Caging Kat which features the Greek god, Ares, as the hero.

Jen: I see a lot of historicals among your titles ... what draws you to writing historical romance? Is there a lot of research involved?

Kayleigh: I've always been something of an armchair historian. I like the past, there's something seductive about it from the clothing to the events that took place to the cultural ideals. I do have to research a lot because I try to be as accurate as possible. Something as simple as making sure I've got my characters using the correct type of writing utensils can take me on a tangent for a day or two (and it ends up being maybe a sentence in the book itself). Fortunately, the Internet makes research a lot easier than it used to be.

Jen: Leading Her to Heaven has a sexy Scotsman for the male lead. I have to admit, I am such a sucker for a brogue. What goes in to writing with the accent?

Kayleigh: I'd say the biggest challenge with writing an accent is to maintain consistency throughout the story without going overboard. I want readers to be able to understand the character without too much effort (if I have to sound out every bit of dialogue in a book, I'm going to lose interest myself) and to get the flavor of the accent without feeling hit over the head with it too much. It can be a risk to write a character that way, but I hope I have succeeded. 

Jen: Svetkavista features a f/f relationship, right? Right now, m/m books seem to be gaining momentum among many more traditional romance readers. Do you think the same could be said about f/f romance? Why or why not?

Kayleigh: Yes, Svetkavista features a bisexual heroine who finds herself in a love triangle with another woman and a man, so there is f/f and m/f. There are a lot of theories out there about why f/f hasn't caught on the way m/m has. It would certainly be nice if it became popular, and I haven't given up but I don't expect the same thing to happen with f/f that's happened with m/m. I think if it were going to happen, it would have already.

Jen: You're a lawyer by day. Are many people surprised to find out you're a sexy romance writer by night?

Kayleigh: I don't tell a lot of people in my day job, to be honest. My co-workers know I'm published, but they don't know my pen name. Some of them have made it a mission to find out my alter ego, but they've been unsuccessful thus far.

Jen: What is the most gratifying thing about being an author?

Kayleigh: I have always loved writing, since I was a kid so being able to do it and get paid is a double win. It's also validation that I'm not a crazy person for having imaginary people in my head all the time. I love meeting readers who have enjoyed my books (my friends will tell you I'm surprised every time someone comes up to me and tells me they've read my work!).

Jen: When people see your name on a book, what should they be expecting?

Kayleigh: I would hope that when people see my name they think sensual with stubborn heroines and gorgeous, dominant alpha heroes. 

Jen: What are you most looking forward to from AAD in New Orleans?

Kayleigh: I go to AAD every year and always have fun. I also go to New Orleans every year to help rebuild Katrina-damaged homes and have a blast, so combining two things I love is going to be nothing short of awesome!

Kayleigh is giving away a copy of Leading Her to Heaven. To enter, just enter the Rafflecopter form below.  You can find Kayleigh on her website and on Twitter.




a Rafflecopter giveaway