An Interview with K.Lynn: Author of His Womanly Ways

It's my pleasure to introduce you to K.Lynn, a talented writer in my critique group.  Her fantastic genderswap novel, His Womanly Ways, is now available for preorder on Torquere Press. She was kind enough to answer a few interview questions about herself and her book. Enjoy!

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·      I love a good origin story. Please tell me how this story got its start.

NaNoWrimo! I had never done it before, so I figured I'd give it a try, and this story came full-force as a result of the experience. This novel is unlike my usual fare of works, and perhaps that's why it came so fast to me. I let myself go and just saw where the plot would take me. And it turns out that it took me to quite an interesting place. The only thing I knew going in was that I wanted to do a genderswap book, but one that was unlike those I had read prior. I hope that I've succeeded on that front.

After I had a complete manuscript for His Womanly Ways, I put it away for a long, long time and moved on to other novels. Last year, I took it out again, because I had started to gain recognition for my short stories in various anthologies, and I had a pseudonym I wrote under for the genre, so I figured I'd polish it and send it out to publishers to see if anyone was interested. I knew I loved the journey of the characters and the writing, but I didn't know if anyone else would. Thankfully, they did, and I had a number of offers that I could choose between on where the best home for my book would be.

·      What was the hardest part of writing this story?

I was terrified going into the process for NaNoWriMo, because I had completed a novel the year prior and it took me a couple of months to get it finished. To think about writing a novel in a month was insanity, but at least it would give me a good start on the storyline. I never aimed to win, but win it I did with 51,000 words at the end of the month, and I continued on through the next month to finish up the remaining 15,000 words needed to have a complete story.

What is usually the hardest part of writing the story for my other publications became an advantage in this one. When I have a long time to contemplate and write, I'll often consider not only where the story's going, but also how it will be received by the audience at large. That changes the way it's constructed a bit. With His Womanly Ways, it was an experiment for myself. I wanted to write a genderswap story and I didn't constrain myself by wondering what the audience would think, or if it was a good fit for the publishing marketplace. My intention wasn't the ultimate goal of publishing, but the ultimate goal of finishing and entertaining myself. Now, I have the chance to entertain others as well.

·      What are you reading right now?

Fanfiction, which is probably why the concept of exploring whatever topics come to mind has always appealed to me in writing. There doesn't seem to be any plots off-limits in fandom, which is very freeing. And it was the mindset that I took on for this novel. Have fun, write what you want to write and what you want to read. And the act of writing within fandom has been very beneficial to a number of writers who went on to publish professionally. I recently wrote a think-piece for Media Res that explored using fanfiction in the classroom to teach the structure of writing. The framework that fandom gives, the built-in audience and the guidance that readers provide through feedback, is a great way to spread your wings and see how far you can go as a writer.

·      If we can't get enough of your words, where can we find more of them?

It is a very busy few months for me in publishing. Not only do I have this novel coming out, but in the middle of June I have a story in an anthology from Torquere Press around the concept of LGBT parenthood, I have a novella coming out from Less Than Three Press on July 1^st that focuses on a transgender character and her potential romantic involvement with a certain coffee shop employee, I have a novella from Dreamspinner Press out also in July that is about a blind artist and his emerging romance with a veterinarian, and I have another novella coming out later this fall that is about a noted novelist who is getting over the death of his long-time partner and not looking for love, but love finds him anyway. You can see all my releases on my website (WriterKLynn.com).

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The Book: His Womanly Ways

http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=200&products_id=4390

The Author: K. Lynn

K. Lynn has been an avid reader and writer since childhood. While in college, K. Lynn increased her involvement in LGBT issues and writing within the LGBT fiction genre. She has become a long-time fan of the authors that seek to explore the commonality that exists within all sexualities and genders. Most of K. Lynn's work features LGBT characters, many of whom are in established relationships and show how love perseveres through every trial and tribulation that life holds. She also has a particular interest in seeing transgender characters gain a larger foothold within the LGBT fiction genre, hoping that the market for these works will expand in the future. Contact K. Lynn at writerklynn@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @WriterKLynn