Interview with the fabulous Kathy Bosman author of Dragonfly Moments

Today I have author Kathy Bosman here. My first contact with Kathy occurred when I entered a trivia contest on her blog and won a copy of one of her books, Reminding Me of You. Who knew we would both become published with Decadent Publishing under their Ubuntu line, romance novels based in Africa? 

NP: Welcome to my blog Kathy. Tell us a little about yourself.

KB: Thank you so much for having me. It’s a privilege to be a guest on your blog. I’m thrilled that you signed a contract with Decadent Publishing and can’t wait to read your story.

I’m a busy person. I think that epitomizes me at the moment. I homeschool my three kids and try to find time while they’re quiet (not often) to write. Since I fell in love with my now hubby, I love romance. True love does that. I didn’t think I would write it though. I’d always wanted to be a writer but only pursued the desire about twelve years ago but thought then that I wanted to write children’s books. They didn’t get published. Then my husband suggested I write an adult book. Why not? The writing flowed much easier. The book turned out to be a romance. When I connected with the Romance Writers of South Africa group (ROSA,) I realized that romance was the genre for my writing. Since then I’ve tried several sub-genres and found that sweet contemporary is my natural flow.

NP: I’m getting right into your new release Dragonfly Moments. First of all what made you set the story in Johannesburg?

KB: I love setting my stories in my home country, mostly because I’m familiar with the culture. I’ve never lived in Johannesburg but have driven through and visited a couple of times. It did take some research as I’m not wonderfully familiar with the place but I wanted the book to be set there because it was a prime position for Tessa to put her gallery. Johannesburg is the commerce center of South Africa and speaks of success.

NP: You mention in the blurb that the heroine, Tessa, falls in love with an HIV orphan. What made you bring the HIV aspect into the story?

KB: I don’t plot the details of my books. The characters lead me. Tessa’s obsession with having her own family made her fall in love with Lilly, an HIV orphaned baby. I think the HIV part came into being because many orphans in South Africa have HIV. The numbers have dropped, which is great news. I heard on the news the other morning that in one HIV children’s home, the number of beds has dropped from seventy to about fifteen over the last five years or so. The numbers have dropped because of the antiretrovirals being given out by the government. South Africa had the highest incidence of AIDS in the world. It’s a serious problem here but things are getting better. I wanted my book to be relevant to what’s happening in our land.

NP: What is one challenge of being a writer in Africa?

KB: Initially getting published was the greatest challenge because South Africa doesn’t have many romance publishers and US publishers weren’t open to other settings. But they are becoming more open to stories with different cultures. I used to get so frustrated when reading through the submission guidelines of publishers to find that the story had to be set in North America. I didn’t feel ready to change the settings of my books just to get published. Maybe as my research abilities increased, I would have attempted it. Thanks to Decadent Publishing and Astraea Press who published my other two books, I could keep my setting intact.

NP: Where there are challenges, there are benefits. Tell us one benefit of being an African writer.

KB: The fellow writers are your best buddies. I belong to the Romance Writers of South Africa Group and I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for their help and encouragement. I think we need each other so much because finding success is harder when we don’t have many romance publishers in our domain. The African writers seem to stick together and support one another.

NP: Why should people buy and read your book?

KB: Dragonfly Moments will touch your heart. It will reveal a taste of South Africa from the point of view of the art and food world. Although the culture is so different from the usual romance e-book, the same elements of romance remain – attraction, conflict and a happily ever after. How the characters get there will take you on a journey you won’t forget.

NP: Please give an analogy of what writing is like for you.

KB: I like to jog once a week. Yes, I know it should be more. A few years back, I was more serious with my running and used to train for 10 km races. I think writing is similar to running. You get the runner’s high when you haven’t been on the road for a while. There’s a feeling of immense freedom and enjoyment in going out on the road, breathing the fresh air, and being alone for a few minutes (that’s rare for me.) When your legs are strong and your muscles warm, you’re thrilled at how well your body takes you forward and how easy it is. Then you get those days when you’re really not in the mood but you run anyway because you need to keep fit. Your legs aren’t strong and you feel light-headed or it’s just a pain. But after a while, the fresh air and the solitude take over and revive you. Not always, but most of the time.

Writing is a freedom. It’s a precious moment to savor but sometimes, it’s hard. When life gets busy and steals away your moments of inspiration, you sometimes have to start all over again. Sometimes you lose your fitness and need to begin serious training again. And sometimes, your mental muscles are exhausted and don’t want to come up with the right word or the right move for your character. You have to stick at it and keep on doing it, else you will never win that race.

But you mustn’t over train else you may get injuries. You need to take a break. I don’t write on a Friday night. That’s my night off. Lately I’ve had many nights off as busyness has taken over. Because it’s not my main job, I tend to write whenever I have a spare moment, but I also need to rest to function properly. A runner’s muscles will get built up on a day of rest too.

Thank you so much for being on my blog today.

Thanks for having me. It’s been great fun.

Blurb for Dragonfly Moments:

A young woman’s first love walks back into her life at the worst time possible—she is about to start a family with another man. But when her dreams begin to crumble, which one will be there to help her pick up the pieces?

Seven years earlier, at university, Tessa Calitz wrote a letter to Ryan le Roux promising her undying love. As time passed, she forgot about that letter...but not Ryan, who clung to the hope that she would wait for him.

Such is not the case when he walks back into her life. Tessa is in a serious relationship, and is busy setting up her art gallery in Johannesburg. She has plans to start a family, and the arrival of Ryan into her life throws her for a spin.

He is the worst thing that could happen to her dream of stability and starting a family...or is he?

Because when her relationship and everything she clung to starts to crumble, Ryan is right beside her to inspire her to greater things.

But her obsession for having her own child pushes Ryan away when she falls in love with an orphaned HIV-positive baby.

What can Ryan do to make Tessa realize that being with him is what her heart has longed for all along?

How can the readers get a copy of Dragonfly Moments?

Decadent Publishing: 

Amazon

All Romance E-books 

Smashwords

Barnes and Noble

You can find me at:

Blog: www.kathybosman.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KathleenBosman

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathleenLBosman