AccessRomance interviews author Karen Kendall.

AR: Have you always written romantic comedy? How did you get your start in it?

Karen: My very first manuscript was targeted to Harlequin Presents. I was only about a third of the way through it when it started getting suspiciously funny and irreverent--not the right tone for Presents at all! That was my first clue that I even had a "voice" as an author and that it was going to be much louder than my speaking voice.

I was quite surprised to find myself writing humor, since I can't tell a joke or remember a punch-line to save my life. But since then I have always written romantic comedy, probably because I find human relationships so funny.

I got my start after a contest judge called her old editor and told her she needed to take a look at my entry. I am still amazed by her generosity!

AR: Tell us about the Bridesmaid Chronicles. What was the process like to work with the other authors? How intricately do the books entwine - if they do at all?

Karen: Writing my two books in the Bridesmaid Chronicles series was actually a lot of fun, even though my life was in flux during the process! All we knew (Kylie Adams, Julie Kenner and I) was that we had three bridesmaids and a bride. The only other details I had were: my first book would be about the bride's older sister. My second book would be about her best friend. This meant that before we could go ahead and work out the individual book plots, we had to figure out who these women were and how their lives intertwined. So we did a lot of chatting and e-mailing and throwing ideas around before we solidified the characters.

Working with Kylie and Julie was great and often hilarious! I'd never even done a continuity or an anthology with other authors, so I had no idea what to expect. But I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Plotting with other authors is so much more dynamic and productive than plotting alone, especially if you're plot-challenged like me!

I think each book is strong enough to stand alone, but readers will enjoy meeting recurrent characters and find inside jokes if they read the stories consecutively as they're published: FIRST DATE in June, FIRST KISS in July, FIRST DANCE in August and FIRST LOVE in September.

AR: Do you write full-time? What is your schedule and your process like?

Karen: I do now. My schedule seems to be getting ever-more insane, LOL, but my process is still very simple: I write by page quota. I calculate the number of pages I have to do Monday through Friday in order to make a given deadline. Then I make sure I write the necessary number of pages each day, no matter how bad I might think they are! I do build in some "cushion" time in case of emergencies or illness or the need for a sanity day here and there.

I allow for some revision time at the end. And I almost always stick with a synopsis after banging one out (the most hideous part of the process for me). I need it as a road-map and a key to character arc.

AR: We see you're also now writing for Harlequin Blaze. Describe for us the concept behind your Man-Handlers series.

Karen: Yes! I had contracted with Harlequin for three linked Flipsides and then suddenly Flipside was no more. My editor called and said that since I could write a pretty steamy sex scene, would I consider writing the Flips as Blazes?

Sure! So these Blazes are humorous as well as sexy. The Man-Handlers series started with a dream of mine: we live in an age where women can upgrade their wardrobes, hotel rooms and airline seats. Wouldn't it be great if we could upgrade our men?

So I invented Finesse, a center for career and personal enhancement founded by 3 women, one with a background in behavioral psychology, one who is an image-consultant and one who's an etiquette specialist. Each heroine gets involved with a difficult client and sparks fly.

AR: Are your books for Blaze still romantic comedies? How do you feel about combining humor and hot sex?

Karen: Yes, the Blazes are romantic comedies, too. I love combining humor and sex!

AR: What's your favorite thing to do in your spare time? Do you have a favorite vacation spot?

Karen: My favorite thing to do in my spare time is to read or watch movies. I also love to swim, boat, cook, make all kinds of miscellaneous things and spend time with my husband and good friends! Laughing is good, too. I do like to laugh . . .

AR: Thank you for talking with us!

Karen: Thank you for the opportunity! Happy reading and have a great summer.