Six of A Story: Lee Ann Sontheimer and Kinfolk

My guest today on Six of A Story, is romance author, Lee Ann Sontheimer. Lee Ann is a very accomplished writer with many titles currently out for your reading pleasure and going through her blog, it was hard to choose which one to ask about. There was something about KINFOLK, that made me keep coming back to it, so I decided to ask Lee Ann all about this new romantic suspense release. A quirky fact about Lee Ann "I'm more at home out in the rugged Ozark woods hiking along a narrow trail, skipping over the snakes than in any shopping mall".

1. Can you please tell us a little about your main character, Katherine Vaughn? What is she like?

Katherine is a very talented writer and she's also very domestic, something that didn't always mesh with her late husband's lifestyle. She's happy writing but she is also very content to be in the kitchen, cooking. At heart, she's more traditional than probably even she realized until she came back to her native Arkansas. She is also very loyal and she can be headstrong, a quality that sometimes gets her into trouble.

2. Other than the obvious (that Katherine is fleeing from someone or something) what is one obstacle she faces? 

 

She's Arkansas born but she's lived away for most of her life. Until she comes home, in fear for her life, she has not accepted or understood her own past completely.Until she does, she can't really be comfortable in her own skin so her homecoming, although it is for a different reason, actually helps her to come to terms with who she really is and more importantly who she can become.

3. If we were playing, "Truth or Dare", with Ben Hatfield, what would he dare us to do?

As a former Navy SEAL, Ben is a very serious-minded, focused individual. He loves his family, his country, and his way of life enough to protect any of the above using any means necessary but he's just the kind of man you'd find playing "Truth or Dare".

4. Katherine comes back to her family farm. Are there any memorable pets on this farm?

No, no memorable pets.

5. What makes KINFOLK unique, from other romantic suspense novels? And though I realize most authors are weary of making comparisons, is there a mainstream romantic suspense author you'd say, "My book is like....theirs?"

One thing that I think sets Kinfolk apart is the rural northwest Arkansas setting, not one often encountered in romance fiction of any kind. The fact that although Ben Hatfield is a former Navy SEAL, he works in the local poultry processing plant, is different.That's a personal quirk - I like heroes who have ordinary, everyday occupations. Billionaires, CEOs, royalty, and movie stars as the hero usually turn me off quickly in a romantic suspense novel.

I'm an avid reader of Sandra Brown's romantic suspense novels and I would like to hope that some readers might see some similarity in the kind of romance.Other than that, I like to think that my novels have some unique qualities.

6. Is there a message you hope readers will take away from KINFOLK?

Yes.  Something that I have learned, especially over the past few years, is that the family bonds that we make early in life are the bonds, the ties that remain with us forever.Those early common bonds are stronger than we often may think. Although I have many cousins, there are just a few that I am very close with as an adult.Those are the ones that I had a close, bonded relationship with as a child. The same goes with aunts, uncles, and other relatives. In writing Kinfolk I drew on that experience, that the oldest bonds are the strongest, so that Katherine's ties with her family, especially Ruby remain powerful despite her long absence. The same applies to Ben and his relationship with Pop, with his cousin Kenny.

Thanks to Lee Ann for sharing her work with us today! KINFOLK can be purchased here

Here is more about Lee Ann: 

Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy is a full-time romance author. A native of the old historic city of St. Joseph, Missouri, one time home to both Jesse James and the Pony Express, she now lives and writes in the beautiful Missouri Ozark region. Her romance novels include Wolfe’s Lady (December 2010 Evernight Publishing), Love Tattoo, (March 2011, Evernight), Love Scars (June 2011, Evernight), Love Never Fails (May 2011, Rebel Ink Press), Kinfolk (July 2011, Champagne Books) Witness Protection Program (Rebel Ink Press), and The Marriage Cure (Astraea Press). Other works scheduled for upcoming publication include four other novels, short fiction in several anthologies and more.

Her work also appears in nine anthologies to date. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Missouri Writers Guild, EPIC, The Ozark Writers League and Paranormal Authors Guild. She earned a BA degree in both English and History from Missouri Southern State University as well as an AA Degree in Journalism from Crowder College. She worked in broadcast media for a decade and has also worked in the education field.

She is married to Roy W. Murphy and the couple has three children, Emily, Megan, and Patrick Murphy.

If Lee Ann – or Lee as many of her writing friends know her – isn’t writing, she’s reading or spending time outdoors.

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Would you like to be interviewed for Six of A Story? Please send all requests to cschamberlain2010@gmail.com with "Six of a Story" in the subject line. Include your website, book blurb and a quirky fact.

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