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: 

• In April
• In June earlier
• And once more this month

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