Books Spark Joy with Kaye Dobbie
This week's guest on Books Spark Joy is Kaye Dobbie.
Kaye has been writing professionally ever since she won the Big River short story contest at the age of 18. Her career has undergone many changes, including Australian historical fiction under the name Lilly Sommers, to romance written as Sara Bennett and published in the US and Australia. Her books have been translated into many languages. She is currently writing under her ‘proper’ name, Kaye Dobbie, and is published by Harlequin (Mira) Australia and Weltbild in Germany. Kaye lives on the central Victorian goldfields, where she creates her stories and in her spare time researches her family tree.I think most writers are readers, it goes with the territory. I used to save reading for when I wasn’t writing, and I always read in a different genre. Then I went through a few rough patches, where I did nothing but lie on the couch and read, read, read. Once I realised how important it was for me to read, and refill that well, I made sure that every day I put aside time for myself.I have my favourite authors, the ones whose books I buy without a second thought. Then I like to try some new names, just to see. I also think reading what is selling is important, to keep up to date. Especially when you are self publishing. Not that you have to jump on the latest band wagon, but it helps to see what is happening out there in the wide world. You never know, you might have an idea that starts the next big thing!My personal favourite reads? I used to love crime novels and still dive into them occasionally, but more recently I’ve been drawn back to my first love. Romance. I think this is because of some recent family dramas, where I really needed that happy ending. I suppose I’ve always loved the classics. The Bronte sisters and Jane Austen. Daphne du Maurier and Georgette Heyer. They would probably be at the top of my list, the books I go to when I need a cuddly moment. They make me feel safe somehow.I am a very untidy person, so my books are usually higgledy-piggledy. Recently my daughter sorted them for me in name order so now I am trying very hard not to mess them up!Connect with Kaye ...Website https://www.kayedobbie.com/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KayedobbieAuthor/