Hi Kathy and thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with me a little.

First can you tell our readers a little about yourself?

I'm tall and gorgeous--just kidding! Lets see I'm a native Floridian who married the man she met in Fantasyland at Walt Disney World. We have two kids who are funny, and smart--a little too smart for their own goods!

How long have you been writing and why did you decide to target the category market as opposed to single titles?

I've been reading category romance since 1982-83 and I really knew what that type of story entailed. My first manuscript (never sold) was romantic suspense for single-title but I decided I needed to master writing romance first before I added anything else to the mix.

Most of your writing has been geared toward the Silhouette Desire line. Can you tell us why you like writing for this line? When you started writing why did you choose to submit to this line? What elements do you feel make the perfect Desire book?

I love writing for Desire because of the men in the books. They are all very strong and have the kind of emotional depth that I like to explore. These books are also incredibly sexy. But the sexiness is on an even keel with the romance which I love! I actually submitted to Special Edition and the editor who bought my book said no this is a Desire.

Your most recent series for the Desire line is the King Of Hearts mini series featuring In Bed With Beauty, Cinderella's Christmas Affair, Let It Ride, and Mistress Minded. This series has a really interesting premise. Can you tell the readers about the series and how you came up with the idea to write it? Are there more books planned beyond the four?

I love the King of Hearts series which is kind of like Quantum Leap meets Touched by An Angel meets the Sopranos! Il Re was the boss of bosses in the mob until he was betrayed and killed by one of his own men, with his dying breath he asked for forgiveness and ended up in purgatory. Essentially he has to unite in love as many couples as he murdered in hate. So he's going to be doing this thing for a long time. There is one more book planned for 2005 in the series. And possibly later, but next up I'm going to be writing something different for Desire.

In February of this year you had your first Blaze title, One Hot Weekend released. Can you tell us a little about this book?

This story came from an image I had in my head of a gift basket being delivered in an office. And as the woman walked closer to the gift basket she felt aroused and afraid. She knew what the basket meant and that the man she'd once done horribly wrong was finally coming back for revenge. From there the book just developed and I had a lot of fun writing it!

In what ways did writing a Blaze title differ from writing your usual Desires? Do you have plans to write more books for the Blaze line?

The length of the Blaze books gave me more room for subplots and for character development. I hope to write more books for Blaze in the future when my schedule allows!

Your current release and your first release for the new Silhouette Bombshell line is called Exposed. Could you tell us a little about this book? In what ways does this book differ from your previous work? Do you plan to write more Bombshell titles?

Exposed is part of the Athena Force continuity. Tory Patton is a journalist who is given the scoop of a lifetime at the network, an interview that could catapult her into network news superstardom. But once she arrives in Central America to interview the subject she finds her life in jeopardy. She follows her story uncovering a path of corruption that leads all the way to the White House.

This book is different from my other books in that the main focus of the story isn't on the romance but on Tory's story and what she is doing. There is romance in the book. In fact, Tory has to choose between three different guys who all mean something different to her.

I am writing two other Bombshells--Night Life coming in December 2004 and The Amazon Strain coming in May 2005

Is there a typical day for you when you are working on a book? Can you share you schedule with us?

I do have a typical day. I write Monday - Friday from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm. Usually I write one scene when I get home and then take a break and do yoga. Then I write a second scene before lunch. I take a break and watch Conan O'Brien and eat lunch. Then I write one final scene before I go pick my kids up from school. In the afternoons while my kids are doing homework, I do email and edit what I've written during the day.

As a writer what do you feel is your greatest strength and your greatest weakness? What if anything took you totally by surprise in your career as a published author?

My greatest strength, I think is my world-view. The way that I look at the world that no one else has. I think it comes out in my writing in my dialogue and in any deep POV scenes I have. My weakness...gosh I have so many I don't want to share them! Everything about writing takes me by surprise. One thing I have learned over the years is when I stop pushing for what I think is the next step and just focus on the writing that other stuff takes care of itself.

What is the one piece of advice you would give a writer wanting to sell something to the romance book industry? Do you feel getting published has become easier or more difficult since you started your career?

Read! Seriously, read the type of book that you are writing and make sure you like and respect what the genre is about. I think getting published is always hard but I have a secret that can help anyone who wants to sell. Never give up. Persistence is what keeps those who will-be from just being those who wanna-be.

Is there any type of writing you would really like to try but have not had the opportunity or the courage to tackle yet? If so what?

No. If I want to try something I usually do. I wish I could write paranormal because I love to read it but that's not really my thing! I can't create worlds the way the really good authors in that genre do!

What is the best way for your readers to get in touch with you?

Via email at my website www.katherinegarbera.com.

Can you share with us some of your upcoming projects?

Night Life coming in December 2004, The Amazon Strain coming in May 2005

What type of books do you like to read? Do you have a favorite author and if so who would that be?

I have tons of romance favorite authors so I can't choose just one! Outside of romance I like Nelson Demille, Margaret Atwood and Nick Hornby.

I have noticed a trend in category writing that many times a more seasoned writer will take someone newer under their wing so to speak and show them the ropes. Did anyone do this for you when you started and or have you done this for another writer?

Yes, several people have done that for me. Two of them I'm sad to say are no longer with us--Carol Quinta aka Jeanne Carmichael and Pam Maculouso.

I have done this for many new writers. I try to always help out anyone who is serious about writing and publishing and really loves the genre.

Where would you like to be in your career in say 5 to 10 years?

I'd like to be a New York Times best-selling author!

Kathy thanks for chatting with me. I look forward to your future releases and wish you the best of luck.

Thank you, Barb!!!