Home and Away with Kathleen Kole...plus a book giveaway

Introduction and interview by Tracey Meyers

I "virtually" met Kathleen Kole in April 2012 just a few months into working for Chick Lit Central.  I had messaged her via Facebook after seeing an answer to one of our group questions.

From the start I could sense her kindness and warmth.  I was new to world of Chick Lit and found Kathleen to be a wonderful ambassador of sorts.  Though I don't have constant contact with Kathleen I have found all my interactions with her to be the same as the first one I had.  So, when I had the opportunity to interview her as part of a Chick Lit Plus blog tour I leaped on the opportunity.

Though my interactions with her via Facebook have taught me a lot about Kathleen, preparing for this interview has taken that knowledge one step further.  Being a storyteller is not something new for Katlhleen.  She started this profession back in grade school when she would spend summers afternoons out on the swing-set in her childhood backyard, creating tales to entertain her neighborhood friends. Nowadays, she spends her time creating stories for us to enjoy. To her credit, she has four novels including the recently published Tales from the Laundry Pile.

Currently, Kathleen resides in Canada with her husband, son and their dog.

We are so fortunate that Kathleen has agree to stop by Chick Lit Central to visit with us today and to celebrate, she is giving THREE lucky US readers a copy of her new novel, Tales from the Laundry Pile.

You can find Kathleen at her website and Facebook.

Thank you to Chick Lit Plus for coordinating this interview, as part of their blog tour.

Home:

What was it about where you currently live that made you choose it to be your home?
When I was in my early twenties, I had the good fortune to vacation with friends here in the beautiful Okanagan Valley. It was my first time in the area and I knew, from then on, that I would one day call it home.
Thankfully, my husband was in total agreement and eleven years ago we moved our young family and never looked back.
Now, we step outside our door and are greeted by breathtaking mountains and lakes. We can hop in the car and take a short drive a number of award winning vineyards. We’re blessed with moderate/cool temperatures in the winter and hot, blue sky summers.
We’ve met friendly people and made dear friends.
I am always grateful.

You're home alone, what do you do?
I’m rarely ever alone. Even if there are no humans around, my dog is in residence. I think, if it happened that I was alone in the house, I’d revel in the solitude. I know that sounds rather dullsville, but truly, the idea of being in the house with no one else, no one watching (as dog’s are prone to do), I’d just relax, pour a glass of chilled white wine and embrace the utter aloneness.

Which room in your home best expresses who you are? Describe the room and the qualities that make it "you".
I would have to say my office. It’s the one room in the house that is just mine, so I felt free to make it girly; without apology to the men in my family. (Did I mention I’m the only female in the house, including the dog?)
My office is painted a soft lavender, has flowers and candles and inspirational pieces of art. I have two large bookshelves filled to capacity with not just my books, but trinkets, mementos and the like. There’s no questioning, when you enter the room, that a woman is in residence.

Away:

What is your packing routine when you are getting ready for a trip? Do you pack in advance or do you put off packing until the last minute?
Lists are my friend, so I usually start making my list of what must be remembered to bring along about a week in advance. As for the physical act of packing, my husband does that part. We have a great partnership where I gather the items we need to take along and he gets everything into the cases, neat and tidy. We usually get everything handled the day before, quick and simple.

Describe your fantasy getaway:
I’ve never been to the UK, so that’s a goal/fantasy getaway I look forward to making a reality in the not-so-distant-future. It sounds like heaven to be able to take at least a month and travel throughout England with my husband, meander into Scotland, take the Chunnel across to Paris. Bliss.

Fly or Road Trip? Why?
Well, clearly, if I’m to get to the UK, it would have to be fly. Not going to swim, that’s for sure! ha!
Otherwise, I do love road trips; especially when I’m in good company.

Thanks so much for having me on your site and being so kind as to participate in the blog tour!


How to win: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. If you have questions on how to use it, e-mail us.

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US only. Giveaway ends July 28th midnight EST.