Interview! Kate and the Kid by Anne Rothman-Hicks and Kenneth Hicks

Anne Rothman-Hicks was born in New York City and, except for a brief exile to the suburbs imposed by her parents, she has lived there all of her life, the latter part of which she has shared with her co-author, Kenneth Hicks, and their three children.

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1. At any given time do you work on only one story at a time and maybe plot out the next one or are there many ideas racing around your head?

At any one time there are many different ideas running around in our collective heads – some half-finished, never finished or completely vague -- and we talk about them on our morning (or sometimes afternoon) walks through the streets of our neighborhood in New York City.  Ideas tend to pop up from the most unlikely sources.  For example, we wrote a children’s book called Stone Faces after finding a stone on a beach on Cape Cod that looked like a laughing man’s head in profile.  We have another ‘tween book in the works called Splotch! based on an image that appeared on the sidewalk.  In Splotch, a boy is not allowed to have a dog, but when he uploads a picture of a dog image onto his computer, the image comes to life and becomes a humorous thorn in his side.  Kate and the Kid originated after hearing a story told by a friend who had become attached to a child but was not allowed to adopt.  All of these ideas are tossed back and forth between us until a book emerges.

2. Is there a genre you haven't written in but would like to? Or wish you could write in?

We are glad that you added “or wish you could write in.”  If we could write like Stephen King, we would definitely write horror, but not being able to execute that genre nearly as well as him, we have stayed away from horror.  We could say the same thing about science fiction and the writing of Kurt Vonnegut, whom we greatly admire.  That being said, if we got an exciting idea, we might give any genre a try.  So far, we have published mainstream, mystery/suspense and ‘tween books.  We hope to complete in the next year or so a book called Minister.  It will have several parts that together span the lifetime of Daniel, the main character.

3. Do you add an element of romantic suspense in your stories?

We have romance in most of our books.  Even our ‘tween novel, Things Are Not What They Seem, has a young and very unlikely couple who are holding hands at the end of the book.  In Kate and the Kid, Kate’s relationship with her boyfriend, Roger, is threatened as she becomes more and more involved in trying to help a little girl named Jenny.  Roger thinks that Kate is making a big mistake, as do all of Kate’s friends.  Kate does not want to lose Roger, but she develops a bond with Jenny that is not easily broken either.  This provides a significant amount of tension in the novel.  In our mystery/suspense book, Mind Me, Milady, the main character begins to become involved with a guy, but is worried that he might be an actual suspect in the rapes and murders that have been occurring on New York’s Upper East Side.  The definitely adds an edge of suspense to the romance.

4. Say you have unlimited funds: What kind of writing office/cottage would you create for yourself?

This may sound very strange, but we doubt that we would change a thing.  We both love living in New York, so we would not care to have a writing spot anywhere else in the world (although in August, we might be temporarily enticed to a beach house in the dunes of Truro on Cape Cod in Massachusetts!).  Ken works at a small table set up in a corner of our bedroom with a window next to him where he looks out from time to time to check on our local mockingbird and a kestrel that occasionally perches on the water tower across the street.  Anne likes to work in a favorite chair in our living room with its big windows and lots of airy space, as well as a door out to our terrace, which is nearly as large as the inside of our apartment. 

5. If you could turn your novel into a TV show, which novel or series would you do? Where would it be set? Network TV (ABC, NBC, CBS), Cable (AMC, BBC, Lifetime) or Premium Cable (HBO, Showtime, Starz)?

Wow.  Talk about a fantasy!  Kate and the Kid would be a movie (one and a half hours) on cable or premium cable.  Our novel Mind Me, Milady, would work well as a series with the recurring main character being a female lawyer who is somewhat conflicted between wanting to make big bucks and also trying to help people who really need a lawyer.  She does some matrimonial work, which seems to provide a plenitude of plotlines!  We have another book coming out in the summer called Praise Her, Praise Diana, which (in our fantasy) could easily be a show on premium cable unfolding in about six one hour segments to complete.  It is a very involved plot with multiple characters and different threads of action, including romance, revenge, and murder, not necessarily in that order!

6. Finally, tell us about your latest release!

Kate and the Kid is about a young woman (Kate) who has just lost her job and had a major fight with her boyfriend and is tricked into taking care of a sweet but emotionally damaged six-year-old girl (Jenny) who only communicates with adults through a doll she calls “Miranda.”  Kate and Jenny are two lost souls who begin to bond after an eventful night of babysitting, including a picnic in Central Park during which they are chased by a drug dealer who turns out to be Jenny’s father (or so he claims).  Kate’s growing involvement in Jenny’s predicament causes complications for Kate and for Jenny and the people in their lives.  Essentially, this novel tells the story of the transforming effect of love on the lives of Kate and Jenny and others around them as they help each other to heal, grow, and navigate the difficult and sometimes dangerous world of New York City.

 Buy link: Amazon

Excerpt: 

Like any kid sleeping in an unfamiliar place, Jenny was up at first light. She crept into the living room and sat cross-legged within a few inches of Kate’s sleeping form. When Kate stirred, Miranda’s plastic face was pressed gently against her cheek.

Smack.

“Hi, Katy!” Miranda said in her high-pitched voice.

“Hi, Miranda!” Kate replied in the deepest basso tones she could manage without harming her vocal chords.

Jenny giggled. Miranda danced with delight on the mattress.

“Say it again!”

Kate sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

“Hi, Miranda! Wasamatta?”

Jenny giggled harder than before, but Kate noticed that Jenny had changed her clothes again. Her pink shirt had a bright yellow flower on it, which matched smaller yellow flowers on her pink shorts. Miranda wore a new matching outfit also, yellow with a touch of pink.

“Girls,” Kate said very seriously now. “You didn’t go out on the fire escape again, did you?” The answer was obvious, both from the downcast look on Jenny’s face and from the fact that Miranda also turned away in apparent shame. “Please, no more walking on the fire escape? Okay? Please? Will you promise me that?”

“Yes, Katy,” Miranda said sweetly. “And Jenny promises too.”

Anne and Kennet will be awarding a $40 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner during the tour!

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#BookBlast An Absent Mind by Eric Rill

Eric Rill was born in Montreal and graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts, and from UCLA with an MBA. He held several executive positions in the hospitality industry, including president of a global hotel group. His hobbies include trekking, scuba diving, and collecting antique carpets.  Eric has two sons and divides his time between his residence in Panama and international travel. You can reach him at his website at: www.ericrill.com

 One randomly chosen commenter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. The more you comment, the better your chances to win!

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Blurb:

A riveting new novel from Eric Rill, author of Pinnacle of Deceit and The Innocent Traitor, is about a race against time. The ticking time bomb is Saul Reimer’s sanity. His Alzheimer’s is going to be the catalyst that will either bring his family together or tear it apart.

 

Excerpt:

Saul: The Façade

It’s been almost two years since they told me how sick and useless I was. I am able to keep it more or less together most days. And I stress days, because by dinnertime my mind is exhausted. I never knew you could have an exhausted mind, but I do now. The sheer weight of having to pretend I am normal all day for my friends, or the store clerks, feels like a boulder around my neck. What happens toward sundown is like when you hear the snap, crackle, and pop when the transistors in your old television go bad. Everything numbs and becomes foggy. Sights, sounds, and smells meld into a ball and explode toward the sky. It’s as if I’m not the same person I was when I got up.

As of now anyway, I can see everything I want to say as clear as ice. It’s right there on a blackboard in front of me, spelled out perfectly. But then to actually say what’s written on the blackboard isn’t always a piece of cake. Sometimes it’s easy, like it is right now. I know what I’m saying to you is coherent and that my vocabulary is correct—but that could suddenly change and become difficult, sometimes impossible.

In the morning, I can be happy—well, maybe not happy, but not feeling sorry for myself. It’s different by lunch—if I remember to eat, and I generally do because it’s on my list, although I have been known to leave my pad somewhere and not be able to find it; if that happens, Monique usually reminds me. At least I think she does. Regardless, by lunchtime things generally start to go downhill.

Today, while I was sitting in my easy chair, she bent down to kiss me and brought her hand quickly to her mouth.

“Whew,” she said, or something like that. “You didn’t brush your teeth. Why did you check it off?”

I didn’t bother answering, not because she was interrupting my soap opera—I really wasn’t focusing anyway—but because I didn’t know the answer. Maybe I didn’t check the toothbrush to see if it was wet or dry, like I’ve been doing. Then she scolded me, like it was my fault. First they tell you you’re sick because you can’t remember anything and then they give you hell for not remembering.

The doorbell rang, and Monique disappeared for a minute, reappearing with Arthur Winslow in tow. I was standing there with the telephone receiver in my hand. Monique took it from me and put it back in the cradle.

Arthur was in high school with me and was actually the one who squealed to the principal that I was the one who decked Ian Coulter. Coulter, even though one of the great anti-Semites of all time, lived by a code of honor and wouldn’t have turned me in, but Arthur did, and I understand why. You see, Arthur was the goody-goody of the class. He would have turned in his own mother if she had done something wrong. But other than squealing on me, he was a true and trusted friend.

Arthur lives down the street—at least I think he still does—and faithfully drops in to see me. Sometimes I think he has nothing else to do. I can’t tell if he has missed any days visiting, or, if so, how many, but that doesn’t matter now. What I do know is he cares, and I hope he keeps coming, even if I don’t recognize him one day.

I already know that there will come a time when I won’t know him, or people like Bernie. Frankly, I don’t give a damn if I don’t recognize Bernie—in fact, that could be the Lord’s gift to me, something to make up for what lies ahead. What does bother me—in fact, scares the hell out of me—is not recognizing the kids. As inconceivable as that seems, they say it will happen as sure as night follows day. Who, you may ask, are they? I remember when I was a kid, my grandmother would always quote the almighty they. I would ask her, “Who are they, Granny?” She would always answer, “You know, they.” I think maybe she had Alzheimer’s!

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