AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS
Contact: Sarah Miniaci
Sarah.Miniaci@smithpublicity.com
Interview: Author of Fall 2019’s Must-Read Romantic Fantasy Debut on:
FEARLESS HEROINES, HAPPILY-EVER-AFTERS, AND THE
COMPLEX AND FASCINATING CULTURE & HISTORY OF HAWAII
A former CEO, cancer survivor, avid collector of vintage muumuus, and self-professed bad dancer (and helluva bartender), like most people, Katherine Kayne “adulted for more years than I could count.” But through it all, somewhere deep inside of her, the childhood voice – brimming with love for horses and poetry and magic and happily-ever-afters – remained.
Nowadays, in her “so-called retirement,” Kayne is reclaiming that voice and following the dream of her heart, culminating in the release of her debut novel Bound in Flame: Book One in the Hawaiian Ladies’ Riding Society series [Passionflower Press, October 28, 2019].
With the Hawaiian Ladies’ Riding Society, Kayne – who counts herself fortunate to live onHawaii Island part of each year, and otherwise resides on another magical island in Puget Sound – is writing the romances she only dreamed of reading as a girl. Her manifesto?
Hawaii makes every woman beautiful.
Strength is sexy.
You never outgrow a love for horses.
Flowers are for wearing.
Women don’t need to be saved.
Men should dance more. Especially hula.
Food is to be enjoyed.
There just might be magic still in the world.
The best dresses are long and flowing.
Our men are lucky to have us.
Happily-ever-after is always a possibility.
A little paper umbrella in your drink makes all things better.
Set in turn of the century Hawaii, Kayne’s literary debut is centered on the stories of the fearless horsewomen of the islands’ ranches (“Because who doesn’t love a suffragist on horseback? With a bullwhip? Wearing flowers?”) and sees her take great care with cultural sensitivity and bring a sharp eye to historical detail.
“By the turn of the twentieth century Hawaii was a study in contrasts,” she shares. “Cowboys and kahunas, wild pigs and steamships, hula dancers and rickshaws, land barons and mail-order brides made up the stuff and substance of the islands’ colorful history. The rise of the sugar industry gave great fortunes to a few and bypassed the many. Hawaiians today still fight to right the wrongs of that era. Yet despite it all, those times evoke a great nostalgia.”
“It is during these times that my stories begin,” Kayne continues. “Although these tales are pure fiction, I found inspiration in many wonderful pieces of Hawaiian history. Just as the colors are deeper, the smells sharper, and the sun brighter in Hawaii, the stories of the people carry richness beyond imagining.”
To promote the October 2019 release of Bound in Flame, Katherine Kayne – who will be attending the Romance Writers of America Conference in New York City from July 24-27 – has select availability for interviews, and can speak to a range of profound, inspiring, and incredibly fun topics, including but not limited to:
● Taking the leap in this “third chapter” of her life to follow her childhood dream of becoming an author
● The uniqueness, beauty, and complexity of Hawaii (which is so, so much more than just tiki drinks)
● Writing about Hawaiian culture and history as a white woman, and her experience in working with the Hawaiian community and a group of sensitivity readers, her “story trust”
● The suffragist movement in the early twentieth century (2020 will mark 100 years since women won the right to vote in the United States)
● The white-washing of history, and the end of the kingdom of Hawaii after it was annexed by the United States in 1898
● Self-acceptance as the key to power
● True love in all of its messiness and magic
● And much, much more!
Katherine Kayne writes the sort of romantic fantasy she has always wanted to read in her own beach chair. With horses and hula and magic and flowers and happily ever after… with heroines to cheer for and heroes strong enough to follow their heroine’s lead. Pure aloha. She lives in Seattle and counts herself fortunate to live in Hawaii a part of each year.
Find Katherine Kayne on Facebook (@katherinekayneauthor), Twitter (@k2writesbooks), Instagram (@k2writesbooks) and her website https://katherinekayne.com.
Bound in Flame: Book One in the Hawaiian Ladies’ Riding Society Series [Passionflower Press] will be available in paperback and ebook formats as of October 28, 2019.
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