Lynn Kurland

Recently, author Lynn Kurland made it to #13 on the New York Times‘ Bestseller List for her novel, With Every Breath. To celebrate, she stops by to chat with me about making the list, her upcoming projects and why she loves her publisher.

Michelle Lauren: First, I’ve been a long-time fan of yours since reading A Dance Through Time & Stardust of Yesterday. How long have you been writing professionally?

Lynne Kurland: I sold my first book, Stardust of Yesterday, in 1994.

ML: Why do you think With Every Breath was the first of your books to make it to the New York Times’ bestseller list?

LK: If I had the definitive answer to that, I’d probably have a new career in NY as List Prognosticatoress    I wish I had the real answer, but all I can do is guess at a couple.  I think the short answer–and the one I like best– is that enough wonderful readers bought my books at just the right time and something terrific happened.  The long answer is that I think at some point if sales warrant it, books begin to hit and move up bestseller lists.  My books have been on the USAToday list since This is All I Ask, and they’ve hit the NYT Extended list for several years. I don’t know what the real science behind the Times list is, but I think something started a couple of years ago with Much Ado in the Moonlight breaking the USAToday top 50.  Things just seemed to progress from there.

The bottom line is, though, that it’s a great thing for my publisher, it’s exciting for me, but what really matters is doing everything I can to ship off books that readers think are worth the time and money!

ML: The FAQ at your site mentions that the PG content in your novels is a conscious choice. Why is that? And how hard has it been to stick with that rule in lieu of the constant demand for “hotter” stories?

LK: I really love old-fashioned love stories and musicals where the bedroom door closes and the more intimate details are left to the imagination.  That’s what appeals to me the most as a reader, so that’s what I decided to write.  It’s really nothing more complicated than that.  My first three books (Stardust of Yesterday, A Dance Through Time, and This is All I Ask) are definitely steamier than the subsequent ones, but that’s only because that was what I could reasonably get away with at the time.  As time went on and there appeared to be a market for PG romances, I was able to put out exactly the level of sensuality I was comfortable with.  I have been very, very fortunate to have such a great home at Berkley.  They took enormous gambles with my first few books and continued to take risks by putting out PG romances.  So, the reality is it hasn’t been terribly difficult to keep to that PG rating—but all the credit goes to Berkley for being willing to go along with it and all the wonderful, fabulous women (and men!) who have supported that by buying my books.

ML: Of your books, do you have any favorite characters?

LK: If we’re talking about heroes, I have to admit I’m particularly fond of Patrick MacLeod and Nicholas de Piaget.  I wish I were more like Margaret of Falconberg, but I also like how grounded Sunshine Phillips is.  Then again, sometimes my favorites just depend on what book I might be rereading

ML: Please tell us about some of your upcoming projects.

LK: I just finished the third book of my fantasy trilogy, Princess of the Sword. I’m turning next to another romance, this one starring Zachary Smith, the brother of Elizabeth who was the heroine in A Dance Through Time.  It’s been a few years of waiting for him to be in the right place in his life to settle down, but the time has definitely come.

ML: A very big thanks to Lynn for stopping by to chat today. For anyone who hasn’t read her work, please stop by her site and find out more about her writing.