AccessRomance interviews author Charlotte Hughes.

AR: Thank you, Charlotte, for talking to us today at Access Romance.

Charlotte:You're welcome, dawlink! Thank you for the invite.

AR: Your new book, WHAT LOOKS LIKE CRAZY, launches a new series for you, is that right?

Charlotte: Yes, and it has been a huge thrill for me. I was working on another book proposal when the idea for the Crazy series hit. The book and its characters just TOOK OFF! I had a ball writing it.

AR: What can you tell us about psychologist Kate Holly?

Charlotte: Clinical psychologist, Dr. Kate Holly would love to have a normal life. It has been anything but. Her firefighter father died in the line of duty when Kate was ten years old, leaving her to be raised by her mother and aunt, twin sisters (Dixie and Trixie) who still dress alike despite being in their mid 50's. Also, they're junk dealers. Kate grew up in a home that resembled "Sanford and Son." Her earliest memories are of being lowered into a Dumpster to pull out an old lamp. Imagine two plus-size women driving a bright red 2007 Navistar CXT monster pickup truck filled with junk. In school, Kate was known as the daughter of the Junk Sisters. Kate swears the "sisters" are responsible for making her neurotic. She counts things and does multiplication tables in her head when she's stressed. She likes even numbers. Odd numbers are complicated. Like her life.

Kate struggles to keep her practice afloat since her patients have trouble paying their bills. Fortunately, her best friend, Mona Epps, works for free as Kate's receptionist. Mona's late multi-millionaire husband left her filthy rich so she spends most of her time shopping online. She has also appointed herself as Kate's PR person. Mona wants to catapult Kate to fame so she can have her own show like Dr. Phil. Mona will stop at nothing.

Then there's Kate's ex-boyfriend and practicing psychiatrist, Thad Glazer. He refers patients to Kate in return for lewd descriptions of her underwear.

Kate's aunt Lou, a woman who smokes non-filtered cigarettes and carries an ice pick in her purse, can't understand why her niece, supposedly a doctor, can treat her vaginitis.

Finally, there's Kate's soon-to-be ex-husband, Jay Rush, the love of her life. Jay is a firefighter who, in Kate's opinion, takes too many chances. Kate fears losing him like she lost her father, but that doesn't keep them out of bed. Kate falls asleep in his bed after a wild night of sex, only to oversleep the next morning. She arrives at her office in her sexiest dress, minus her thong.

This doesn't take into account Kate's nutty patients who will keep you laughing and guessing; because it isn't long before Kate realizes somebody is out to get her, and it could be anybody because she has treated almost every lunatic in town.

AR: Is Kate Holly going to have more books? Is she a continuing protagonist?

Charlotte: Definitely more books. I'm working on book #2 now, titled "Nutcase," and it promises to be just as entertaining. As I've stated before, the series is irreverent and politically incorrect, but it's done in great fun.

AR: Previously you've written single title suspense novels and a number of category romances. Did those also have a humorous tone?

Charlotte: With the exception of writing what was coined a "soft horror" anthology, all of my books contain humor.

AR: Do you prefer reading books written by authors with comedic voices, or do you like to read in a different genre than in that which you write?

Charlotte: I seldom read from the genre in which I write, mainly because I need a break from my own work. I've listed my favorite books/authors on my website. I loved "The Kite Runner," and "A Thousand Splendid Suns," by Khaled Hosseini. I loved "The Secret Life of Bees," "Water for Elephants," "Memory Keeper's Daughter," that sort of thing. I adore Ann B. Ross' "Miss Julia" series, as well as Jan Karon's "Mitford" books. Don't get me started. When I'm not writing I'm usually reading.

AR: You've done some collaboration work with Janet Evanovich. Do you anticipate doing more? Do you prefer writing your own single author stories? What are some of the challenges and benefits of collaboration?

Charlotte : I was very lucky to write for an author whose wacky sense of humor is a lot like mine, which is why Janet wanted me to write the series to begin with. Actually, Janet gave me full rein. I was also very lucky to work with Editor Jen Enderlin who taught me a lot. These two professionals prepared me to write my own series. As for writing future books with Janet, who knows? Our motto is, "Girls just wanna to have fu-un." So as long as I'm having fun with this series I'll keep writing.

There was one major drawback in writing the series. Janet has what I refer to as a "cult" following with her Stephanie Plum series. When readers see Janet's name on a book they want Stephanie, and no matter how hard you work, no matter how funny the book you write, if it ain't Stephanie, some people are going to get mad. Also, when you write for a mega-star like Janet, you're going to draw a lot of attention, some of it not-so-good. It was the first time in a 20+ year career that I had to deal with harsh or what some call hit-and-run reviews, all on Amazon. (Professional reviewers loved the books!) Nevertheless, some reviews were cruel and below the belt. Janet said, "Don't read them." Duh.

AR: If you weren't a writer, what would you be doing? What DO you do when you're not writing?

Charlotte: I would have become a nuclear physicist. Just kidding. I would probably have turned to interior decorating. That's my second love; although I have little time for it. I enjoy watching Home & Garden TV. I especially like the blond hunk, Eric. I can't remember his last name at the moment. Any man who looks that good doesn't need a last name.

In what little spare time I have, when I'm not reading, I enjoy going to dinner and a movie. I also love plays. I have two Dachshunds and a Yorkie that I enjoy spending time with. My life is not exactly an adventure novel. Usually, my greatest challenge is getting out of my pajamas by noon, just in case FedEx shows up at my door.

AR: Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?

Charlotte: This is probably going to sound deep, and I prefer to be known as a shallow person; but I simply want to entertain readers. All you have to do is turn on the news to see how much turmoil there is in the world today – it is one crisis after another. While I think we should all be aware of what's going on in the world, I also think we need time-out. I know many single mothers who are struggling to make ends meet, and I know the stress involved in raising children. Our lives are so hurried! We're all trying to multi-task! So at the end of the day, I look forward to climbing into bed and reaching for the book on my night table. I hope my book lands on a lot of night tables out there. My greatest wish is to bring a lot of laughter into the lives of readers. If I do that, then I've done my job.

Interviews Index > Charlotte Hughes (February 08)