A Day In An Author’s Life
byKathleen Bittner Roth
People often wonder how an author spends his or her day and how they manage to get so many books written. Before I tell you about my day as a writer, perhaps I should share a little something about how I ended up living in not one, but two post-communist countries.
Hans, my late husband, was German. We met in Texas and married in a private castle in Scotland. Four years later, he wanted to return to Europe and thought living along the Adriatic would be an ideal lifestyle. So, off we went, settling in stunning Opatija, a spa town Emperor Franz Josef had built in the 1800’s for his lovely wife, Empress Elizabeth.
We lived an idyllic life swimming in the crystal clear waters, climbing the Emerald green mountain that met the sea, dining on fresh-caught fish in outdoor restaurants. But then, my wonderful, athletic, too-young-to-die husband suddenly took ill. We rushed him to a specialized hospital in Budapest where he passed away. I was devastated. Every morning, I would leave my apartment and walk the streets alone. Soon, the beauty of Budapest took hold of me, and the fog in my head began to lift. Three months later, as a way of working through my grief, I started writing a Victorian era romance. Not only did writing A Duke’s Wicked Kiss help me heal, it became a finalist in Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart Contest®. It wasn’t long before I had a wonderful agent and contracts to write five books.
I ended up falling in love with this beautiful city, and with the lovely Hungarians. I joined a women’s group of expats who all speak English. Not only did I survive, I thrived. Now, I find it hard to leave this enchanting city, so here, I remain.
Most of my week goes something like this:
Most of my week goes something like this:
Because of the time difference between here and the U.S., upon awakening, I check my email and social media to see what went on while I slept. Next, I go for a walk. I live a block from City Park. What a magical place! There’s a fairy tale castle nestled amongst tall trees, a lovely little lake filled with ducks, restaurants, a zoo, the famous Szechenyi Baths, and in the winter, an ice palace with a huge skating rink. Heading home, I walk along streets lined with grand old villas built during the wealthy Austro-Hungarian Empire era.
Four p.m. will find me back home and writing until 7p.m. when I stop for dinner. If I’m at home, I’ll watch a movie or a series. I then check emails, perhaps Skype friends or family, maybe write a little more, and then off to bed for my nightly reading. I live alone, but I am never lonely. The two words are so entirely different.
Losing my husband in a strange country where the language is considered the second most difficult in the world, put me through a rugged series of testing everything I stood for. But instead of feeling sorry for myself, I applied myself and wrote. Now, exactly five years later, JOSETTE, my fifth book just released. JOSETTE the third in my When Hearts Dare series (it is also a stand alone).
This past July, I signed contracts to write a total of five more books. I’m also writing a WWII story.
Here’s a little about JOSETTE, my latest release:
Josette LeBlanc left behind her poverty-stricken life in a Louisiana bayou after marrying the wealthiest man in New Orleans. Now a widow living in luxury, Josette should have it all. Nothing could be further from the truth. Polite society's scorn has forced her into a lonely existence. When a wayward niece overwhelms Josette, she grudgingly turns to someone she once adored—the man she believes to be the girl's father.
Wealthy shipping magnate Cameron Andrews possesses everything a man could want, but tragedy shrouded his heart in darkness. He has every intention of escaping a life more suffocating than the sultry heat of the French Quarter. Fate, however, has something else in mind when a precocious young girl storms into his life claiming to be his daughter. Not only is the girl a Cajun raised in the bayou backwaters, she is also the granddaughter of a wicked voodoo priestess.
Like a rose bush filled with prickly thorns, an unwanted attraction blossoms between Josette and Cameron. While denying the passion that sparks between them, their verbal sparring heats their blood as nothing ever has, but treacherous forces are at work. Soon, Josette and Cameron are caught in a tangled web of passion and betrayal that could cost Cameron his life.
EXCERPT
How long had it been since she had run barefoot in the streets? Since blood pounded through her veins at the risk of being caught slipping two fingers into a coat pocket without anyone having a clue what she’d done. Past memories of the wicked thrill of it all washed through her veins once again. The idea of reliving that kind of perverse freedom could be had, right here, right now with the man she’d once only dared to dream about. Oh, she’d wanted Cameron to notice her back then, wanted him to pluck her out of the crowd and carry her off. But here he stood, in the flesh, his hungry eyes fixed on her like she was about to become his next meal. Pleasure ran through her. Well, she could just as easily dine on him as well. Replace old memories with new. Yes, she was going to do this, and she would savor every moment of whatever was to pass between them.
Cameron lifted a brow. “Now I should be asking what you are thinking. You have a secret little smile that I find rather impressive.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kathleen Bittner Roth thrives on creating passionate stories featuring characters who are forced to draw on their strength of spirit to overcome adversity and find unending love. Her own fairy tale wedding in a Scottish castle led her to her current residence in Budapest, Hungary, considered one of Europe’s most romantic cities. However, she still keeps one boot firmly in Texas and the other in her home state of Minnesota. A member of Romance Writers of America®, she was a finalist in the prestigious Golden Heart® contest. Find Kathleen on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, Pinterest and www.kathleenbittnerroth.com.
