ICYMI - Between The Pages ~ Live with Kate James (PT1)

In Case You Missed It... 

Between The Pages ~ Live with Kate James 

March 10, 2017 on our Facebook Page

(Part One)

I’d like to welcome everyone to Still Moments Magazine’s live interview! Our special guest today is Kate James. Before we get into the interview, I want to request that everyone who has a separate question for Kate please wait until the end of our interview. We will then open the floor to visitor questions. But feel free to chime in on the conversation. Even though this ‘live’ chat isn’t visual, I can still see Kate’s two black Labradors snuggled together on their bed in a patch of sunlight. Shakes head. My apologies, I lose focus when a dog enters the room, lol. So, let’s get right to the chat and give a big warm welcome to Kate! 
Kate James I am so happy to be here with you, Darlene! Thank you for the invitation. As for our guests, please don’t be surprised if one of my black Labs, Harley or Logan, chimes in at some point. They’ve been known to do their own interviews! Feel free to ask them questions, too.
Still Moments Magazine Kate James So great to have you take time out of your schedule to be with us today. Your boys can chimes in at any time :)
Kate James Still Moments Magazine If they wake up long enough, I bet they will. I took them for a long walk before we started our chat!

Kate, what can I get you to drink, and perhaps your favourite snack? 

Kate James I’d love a cup of tea, Darlene. I even brought my own mug!
Still Moments Magazine Kate James tea on the way! I love a lady who comes prepared with her own dishes!
Kate James Still Moments Magazine I even clean up after myself! :-)
Kate James Isn’t this mug terrific? It’s very special to me, since it was given to me by one of my favorite authors, the sweet and talented Loree Lough! As for something to snack on, anything with chocolate in it will do! Thank you very much for the kind hospitality, Darlene.
Still Moments Magazine We have plenty of chocolate! :)
Kate James Aww... thank you. And huge thanks to the wonderful Loree Lough Author who gifted it to me!
Gini Rifkin Author Totally cool, what a wonderful keepsake.
Kate James Thank you, Gini! It was a complete surprise to me when they arrived. Yes, she sent me two and I treasure them!

Kate, please tell everyone a little about yourself.
Kate James I can start with something that anyone who has followed me on social media will know: I’m Harley and Logan’s Mom! As you can see in this picture, they’re very excited about this interview! Okay, so while they rest, I can tell you a little about me. I’m a civil engineer by profession. I have had a fun and challenging business career, but I always loved to read and, for some time, I’ve had a strong desire to write. It was my husband who started me down the path to publication when he gave me a personal laptop for the sole purpose of writing. I was fortunate to get a publishing contract for my first manuscript, which was released in September 2011. Sanctuary Cove, released this month, is my ninth book, if I include the Thanksgiving anthology I participated in last year. I love to hear from readers and interact with them!
Still Moments Magazine I think you have the most adorable black labs. And how sweet of your husband to get you a laptop.
Still Moments Magazine Kate James Congratulation of your first manuscript receiving a contract!
Kate James Still Moments Magazine Well, you have the most adorable yellow lab!
Still Moments Magazine Kate James Jag is blushing, lol
Kate James Still Moments Magazine Thank you! For any aspiring authors, I would like to say keep at it, because it IS possible!

Still Moments Magazine Here are Kate's adorable boys...Harley and Logan!
Kate James Clearly very excited about my Facebook interview with Darlene. Now if it was Jag asking the questions . . .
Still Moments Magazine Kate James Then there's be absolute chaos with all those boys playing, lol
Kate James Still Moments Magazine I'm okay with that! :-)

I’ve heard you’ve lived in a few different places and speak a couple of languages. Can you share with us more about your travels before settling down in Ontario?
Kate James I consider myself very fortunate to have had the experiences that I have had. My parents were both engineers as well (mechanical discipline). They worked for a global company that sent them on assignments. I spent eight years living in different countries. It’s easy to learn languages when you’re young, and I spoke five before I turned eighteen. Living in foreign places is different from simply visiting. There’s a much greater opportunity to get to know the people and the cultures, and it instilled in me a great love of travel. I had the pleasure of visiting some fascinating and exotic places in recent years, places such as Dubai, Bangkok and Hong Kong.

Kate James Me in Bangkok . . .

Kate James This is me in Hong Kong.

Kate James ...on the beach in Dubai...
Still Moments Magazine Kate James Looks warm. I could take that sandy beach right now :)
Kate James Still Moments Magazine How about a writers' retreat!?
Still Moments Magazine Kate James Only in my dreams...heavy sigh...
Still Moments Magazine Kate James you've been to some beautiful places! Ontario must be awful in the winter especially after living in such warmer climates.
Kate James The snow can be beautiful, too. If I was able to post pictures, I would share a couple of winter pics of our cottage...which, incidentally, Emma's cottage in Sanctuary Cove is based on!
Still Moments Magazine Kate James Just say no to snow :) I'll see it tomorrow and that's enough, lol
Kate James Still Moments Magazine I like that. Just say no to snow...the power of positive thinking!

Kate, what do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Kate James I love to spend time outdoors, preferably with the pups (which should be no surprise to you!). We’re fortunate to have a lovely property with extensive gardens, so when I’m not walking the forest trails with Harley and Logan, or cycling in our neighbourhood, there’s always work to be done on our property. I enjoy being physically active, but for true down time—probably no surprise—I love to read.

Kate James This is a front garden that Harley loves to run through as he's chasing butterflies.

Kate James This is our back view.

Kate James This is an early spring garden...something I am really hoping we'll see soon, since it's been very cold the last few days!
Still Moments Magazine Kate James Let's hope we see lots of that green soon! Kate James Still Moments Magazine I bought a potted crocus that is starting to bloom! :)
Still Moments Magazine Kate James That's surprising, but you did have some warmer weather last week. I hope they survive!
Kate James Still Moments Magazine The crocus is in a pot on the windowsill, in the comfortable temperature inside our house!
Still Moments Magazine Kate James Your property and gardens are beautiful. I would sit and read out there for hours :)
Kate James You are more than welcome to visit if you are in Toronto. Of course, Jag is always welcome, too! I might even offer you tea from one of my special mugs!
Still Moments Magazine Kate James I am holding you to the offer of a visit! And Jag would love your garden. He doesn't trash them, he just loves to smell flowers. We just say, oh look at Jag, stopping to smell the flowers, lol
Kate James Still Moments Magazine Logan and Jag can smell the flowers...while Harley chases butterflies right through them!
Still Moments Magazine Kate James lol! I guess Harley is the mischievous one.
Kate James Still Moments Magazine Outside, yes. Inside, it's Logan!

Let’s get back to Kate’s dogs, Harley and Logan, two very handsome boys. I’m sure Kate has a photo of her fur-babies she can share with us. 
Kate, your boys aren’t brothers, but they have such a close bond. How can you tell them apart, and do they have their own unique personalities? 
Kate James Oh, that’s a dangerous comment to make! I recently downloaded all the pictures that I had taken with my mobile phone because I was reaching storage capacity. Out of over 3,200 photos, I guestimate that 2,900 were of the pups! I could probably crash Facebook, if I posted them all, so I’ll share just a couple.

 

You’re correct that they aren’t brothers. They hadn’t even met before they adopted us. They came into our lives unplanned. They'd been held back by the breeder for show and breeding, but she'd decided to sell them. It was my editor, Paula Eykelhof, who first commented on how wonderful it was that we had brought these rescue dogs into our lives. I protested that they weren't rescue dogs. After all, they had been cared for and never abused. But, as with most things, Paula was right.

 

Having lived their entire lives in kennels, their behaviors told their own story. They are sweet, good-natured and smart. They’re inseparable and have become integral parts of our lives. In case anyone is interested, here is the story of how they adopted us:
http://heartwarmingauthors.blogspot.ca/2014/09/a-dogs-life-by-kate-james-and.html
A Dog's Life by Kate James (and contributed to by Harley and Logan)
Still Moments Magazine Kate James as you know, I have a strong liking to labs ;) but your boys have so much character in their faces. They are absolutely adorable.
Still Moments Magazine Kate James What's it like having to large dogs? I find one busy enough, lol
Kate James Still Moments Magazine First of all, they have CHARACTER in their personalities, too! As for large dogs, for us, labs are small, since our last three were a malamute (large), a German shepherd (medium) and a yellow Lab (small)! These guys do keep us busy!
Kate James For us, it’s easy to tell them apart. They really do look different. Logan has a puppy face, while Harley looks like an old soul. We can even tell them apart in the dark, just by running a hand along their sides. Logan has coarser fur, while Harley’s coat is silky smooth. As for the differences in their personalities, that could fill a whole separate post! Suffice it to say that as far as their behaviours, Harley is perfect indoors, while Logan is perfect outdoors!
Still Moments Magazine Jag's fur is very soft too.
Kate James Still Moments Magazine Awww...perfect for cuddles!
Kate James Awww....in the big picture of Harley at the top, he looks like he's shedding tears of joy. Those two close-up pics of the boys were taken just after they adopted us, so maybe he was!
Still Moments Magazine Kate James I just want to hug them. They are so adorable!
Kate James Still Moments Magazine You'd get no complaints, I guarantee!
Kate James Aha! The boys just woke up...so I gave them Greenie chews to occupy them, keep them from my laptop AND clean their teeth at the same time! :-)
Still Moments Magazine Kate James Milk bones from Jag to Harley and Logan!
Kate James Still Moments Magazine They love Jag even more! And a peanut-butter filled bone from them to Jag.

Kate, what one article of clothing have you owned forever and can’t part with? 
Kate James I had to think about this for a while! I’ll go with a sweatshirt I have from university. Although I haven’t worn it probably since university, I’ve hung on to it. Wait, I just remembered I have something even older! I still have a sweatshirt from the swim team I used to compete with when I was in high school.
Still Moments Magazine Wow, how nice to have kept those items. I don't think I've saved anything from my school days. I wouldn't fit into them anyway, lol
Kate James Still Moments Magazine I've cleaned closets many times, but I've hung on to those two pieces. I like the memories they bring back!

To continue our chat, read Part Two of Live with Kate James here: http://stillmomentsezine.blogspot.ca/2017/03/icymi-between-pages-live-with-kate_14.html