Meet Debut Harlequin Heartwarming Author Kathy Damp



June brings Harlequin Heartwarming readers a new author, Kathy Damp, with Waiting for Sparks. Would you like to meet her? Read on!

HW: How long have you been writing? 

Kathy Damp: I remember making up stories when our family traveled to go camping when I was a kid. I handwrote a couple of Harlequin romances in high school, but never finished them. I used to change the main characters’ names when I came back to write some more because I was too lazy to go back and see what I’d named them at the beginning. 

You can check out more about me in a couple of Harlequin Heartwarming blog posts: 


HW: Is this your first romance to be published?

Kathy Damp: It is! When I was writing Waiting for Sparks, I knew I wanted it to be a wholesome read as well as fun, and I'm happy at how it turned out. In reviews, people are saying that it's funny, has lots of plot twists and they love Sparks, the hero. I adore him and his crooked smile.

HW: Why Harlequin Heartwarming?

Kathy Damp: I've read other Harlequin Heartwarming novels and knew that sometimes there was a third person viewpoint. In Waiting for Sparks, if there isn't Naomi Chambers, the indomitable grandmother, the story has a big hole. I wanted the story to be a Harlequin Heartwarming and I was so excited that Harlequin wanted to buy it! Hmmm...excited is too tame a word for the yelling at our house that day...

HW: Is Waiting for Sparks your first book to be published?

Kathy Damp: No, my first books were an animal rescue series for ages eight to 12, The S.A.V.E. Squad. Quite a bit different to write than a romance, but just as fun since I had to research baby basset hounds, learn about feral cats and miniature horses, and what baby owls are like. That series is under my name as Kathleen Damp Wright.

HW: What do you do when you're not writing?

Kathy Damp: My husband and I like to ride bikes and kayak when we can find water in Utah (where we live) that's gentle for us but not dried up. I think adventure comes in all different ways and you don't have to leap out of a plane to find it. We also like heading out of town with our border collie and trailer to work different places, since both of our day jobs can be done anywhere as long as we have our wifi hotspot.

HW: What's the most exciting thing you've ever done?

Kathy Damp: That's easy. I walked on fire. The second most exciting thing was kayaking a river I had no business being on.

HW: Did you say you walked on fire?

Kathy Damp: I did! I went to an evening event in the middle of a private forest in the next county with another writer friend. It was a boundary-breaking retreat for one evening. 
Yes, we built a real fire.

They used jet fuel. It was HOT.
That's me. I was the third to go--before I lost my nerve.


HW: What would you like to say to all the Harlequin Heartwarming readers, now that you are a Heartwarming author?

Kathy Damp: Oh! Well, after PLEASE READ WAITING FOR SPARKS, you mean? I would like to tell them that it's a joy to write for them and put all the fun and romance--along with lots of secrets--into my story. I hope they enjoy it. I'd also like to thank them for getting the word out about Harlequin Heartwarming. I'm seeing more and more folks finding out about sweet romance that has depth and power. Many thanks to those who post reviews on Goodreads and Amazon and review the novels in their blogs. 
   

You can find Kathy's book as an ebook on any online bookstore, through harlequin.com and ordered at bookstores.

Find her on social media:


Pinterest: @AuthorKathyDamp
Twitter: @Kathy_Damp
Facebook: AuthorKathleenWright
Instagram: @KathyDamp
Goodreads: as Kathy Damp and Kathleen Damp Wright

Comments

  1. It's wonderful to learn a little more about you, Kathy, and I can't wait to read Waiting for Sparks...not just to learn more about Sparks, but for the rest of the story, too! :-) Hope your Tuesday is terrific, and the rest of your week, too!

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    1. Thanks, Loree. One review insisted Waiting for Sparks should be a movie. I am not at all opposed to that. Have a great week.

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  2. Kathy, I'm in the middle of reading Waiting For Sparks now. Needless to say I love Naomi and the town of Heaven. Such fun characters. I'm reading fast to find out why Sparks needed to think of Heaven as his vacation place for the summer.

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    1. Sometimes I close my eyes and take myself to Heaven to visit. I love the place!

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  3. Congratulations on your first published romance novel!! You picked the right place for its debut. Everybody knows I love the Heartwarming line of books. I read them and post reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, LibraryThing, The Reading Room and my blog. I love showing them off. I want desperately for people to discover these sweet romance books that can be passed along to children, grandmas, friends, and anyone else who loves wholesome romance books. I wish they were in WalMart and B&N....I truly believe they'd be a sensation with those beautiful covers alone. Your book sounds wonderful. I love when there's an aged character in a book since there are usually words of wisdom to ponder. Congratulations again, and I'm looking forward to reading Waiting for Sparks.

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    1. Laurie, what a blessing you are! You are our biggest cheerleader and I appreciate you. Oh, in another post you said you have an entertainer in your family...just curious as who it is...:-)

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    2. Awww....thanks Patricia. For all of those sweet romance readers who are not yet familiar with Heartwarming books and authors, they're truly missing out. You'll are such a fun, uplifting and supportive group of one another (not to mention great writers), and I'm so happy to have found all of you. That's why I really try my best to spread the word.
      As for the entertainers and actors in my family, I'll mention only two that you might know. (There's two others but you probably never heard of them....they're not A-listers or anything). One is Diahann Carroll, and my husband is related to Julio Iglesias, although we personally have never met him. We've heard he's been at family reunions though.

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    3. Laurie, you've listed places I didn't know about. Thank you so much. I would love to know what you think of Waiting for Sparks and your favorite parts.

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  4. Hi, Kathy! Fun to learn more about you. As an aging character,myself, I'm looking forward to reading about Naomi. And Sparks, of course. Great name for a hero. And what a wonderful cover at such an appropriate time. Hope you have a great day, and an absolutely brilliant career. You've already walked on fire - everything else should be easy in comparison.

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    1. That's what I tell myself: "Is this really more difficult than walking on fire?"

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  5. Your book sounds like a fun read and the cover is very appropriate for the season of fireworks and the Fourth of July. Welcome, and congratulations on joining our group.

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  6. Huge congrats on your first HW! Love how the title ties in with waiting in line to walk on fire/hot coals lol! :)

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  7. Okay Kathy, I need to know a little more about this walking on fire business. Didn't it hurt? Or are you saving that for another blog post?
    So glad you're here, and I can't wait to read Waiting for Sparks! It's on my TBR table.

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    1. I'll that for another post along the lines of "What if you did?"

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  8. Congratulations on your first HW, Kathy! I look forward to reading it. I love the cover! It's perfect for the upcoming holiday.

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  9. Welcome to the fold, Kathy! Congrats!

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  10. You're the first one of us to walk on fire--though there are some edits that feel a little warm sometimes! So glad to see you here.

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    1. It was during the edit process that I told myself that surely getting through the edits could not be more overwhelming than walking on fire.

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  11. Welcome to Heartwarming, Kathy! Sounds as though you've had some foot warming, too!

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