Author Interview with Catherine Kullman

Today’s interview is with Catherine Kullman, a regency romance novel writer who likes to write variations of romance tropes.

LQ: Tell me a little bit about yourself. 

CK:

• I am Irish, widowed, a mother (three sons), and grandmother (one granddaughter, one grandson).
• I love travelling, meeting people, good food and drink,  classical music, especially opera
• I prefer radio and live theatre to cinema and tv 
• I cannot live without books or tea
• I am fascinated by history and love visiting historic sites and buildings of any period.
• I write novels set in England in the extended Regency Period from 1795 (when the later Prince Regent married to 1830 (when he died as King George IV

LQ: What does your writing process look like?

CK: It starts with a ‘what if?’ or ‘what then’ What if a marriage of convenience doesn’t turn into a love match? What happens after the first happy end? Can a leopard change his spots? I do a considerable amount of work developing my main characters, not only considering who they are but also working out their back stories. I draw up elaborate family trees so that I know what their families are like. Then I set them off on their journey. I don’t plot elaborately in advance as I think spoils the spontaneity of the narrative.

My characters are fictional but live in a very real time and place. I have been writing Regency novels for over five years now and have built up a large research library as well as a considerable database of historical facts and trivia. I draw on these to make the period come alive for my readers and to avoid anachronisms both of speech and fact.

LQ: What was your favorite book to write so far?

CK That is a very difficult question to answer. The Murmur of Masks was the most challenging as my hero, Luke Fitzmaurice, decided to join Wellington’s army after Napoleon escaped from Elba in 1815. This meant I had to write about the Waterloo campaign which involved a huge amount of research followed by hours of writing and re-writing. But I enjoyed writing all my books.

LQ: Who is your favorite character to write about? 

CK: Again, it is hard to say, but I am going to plump for Thomas and Arabella, hero and heroine of my new release The Potential for Love. They meet life head-on. 

LQ: Who are your favorite authors? Have any of them influenced your work?

CK: Jane Austen who lived during the Regency and Georgette Heyer who created the Regency novel genre are both favorites and influences.

LQ: How are you doing during the current pandemic? 

CK: I am cocooning, and managing well thanks to kind neighbours, family, and friends. It is just seven months since my husband died unexpectedly and this makes the isolation harder to bear.

LQ: What are you currently working on?

CK: It is the last book in my ‘Waterloo Arc’. Set in 1821, the heroine lost her fiancé at Waterloo and since then has not thought of marriage. When she receives an unexpected offer, she must decide will she leave the shallows and brave the depths again.

LQ: Anything else you would like to share? 

CK: As this is Indie April, I would like to add some advice for those considering self-publishing. 

Self-publishing is expensive and hard work and it could well take a couple of years before you are in profit. Writing one good book is not enough. At a workshop on publishing, one eBook publisher said that they reckoned it took three books for a new author to break through. It is essential that you keep writing. Ideally, you should have a couple of books in the pipeline before you publish the first one. Readers are used to the idea of a new book each year from their favourite authors and won’t care whether you are indie or have the support of a large publishing house.

However, once you break through, the royalties are considerably more than those paid by traditional publishers and you have the satisfaction of publishing your books your way, with no interference re title, cover or even plot, and with minimal delay. But you must be able to multi-task. At present I am marketing four books, promoting my new release, The Potential for Love and am working on Book Six for publication next year. 

Thank you for hosting me and for your interest in my writing. Your readers can find out more about me and my books at

Website: https://www.catherinekullmann.com

Facebook: fb.me/catherinekullmannauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CKullmannAuthor 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15549457.Catherine_Kullmann? 

Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Kullmann/e/B01IW3F4MA? 

Amazon.co.uk https://www.amazon.co.uk/Catherine-Kullmann/e/B01IW3F4MA/re