Interview of Author Kathy Lane: Ice Cream Dreams

Why is dieting during the summer so hard? You’d think it would be easier than in the winter, what with the holidays clumped right at the end of the year. But, no. Come spring and summer you’ve got trips to beach, back-yard bar-b-ques, and pool parties, all of which involve copious amounts of chips, dips, hotdogs, hamburgers, ribs, potato salad, and other assorted goodies. And ice cream! Ah, that’s the culprit!

Can we talk about falling off the diet wagon here? I have a bad habit of nibbling ice cream while I’m writing and I’ve recently discovered a sinful blend of milk and sugar that puts all others to shame. Chic-fil-A’s version of ice-cream. Yeah, really, who would have thought a fast food place could out-delicious Breyers? Thick and vanillowy (if it’s not a word, it should be), the stuff is what ice-cream dreams are made of…and I don’t usually like vanilla ice cream as a rule. But this? Such creamy goodness should be outlawed, that’s all I’m saying. Warning: If you haven’t tried one of these melt-in-your-mouth-not-in-your-cone concoctions yet and don’t have any will-power, please, stay away from you nearest Chic-fil-A. The smell alone is libel to pull you in right off the street.

Getting back to the flavor issue—I remember starting out my toddler years on plain vanilla ice cream. You know, the kind that came in the little cups with the little wooden ‘spoon’ to eat it with. Later, I turned into a strawberry girl. The best brand, of course, had the bits of real strawberry in it. Mmmmm. At the time, I remember thinking there was nothing better. Then, in my late teens and early twenties, I discovered Butter Pecan. Wow, the rich flavor of a good butter pecan ice cream knocked my socks off. As I grew older, so did my taste buds. I discovered the satisfying crunch of Pralines and Cream, the rich caramel sweetness of Dulce de leche, the slight bitterness of Mocha Almond Fudge.

Who would have thought that at my age—no, I’m not telling—that I’d come full circle back to vanilla?

So how about the rest of you? What brand and/or flavor succeeds in pulling you off the wagon and into ice cream dream heaven? Oh, the possibilities………….

BIO:
I have lived all my life in central Florida. I began reading at an early age and have been devouring books on a regular basis ever since. I have always found books on fiction to be the most entertaining as they allow me to exercise my ever active imagination.

I began writing short stories and poems in high school where I contributed to both the Yearbook and Senior Memory Book. After graduating as valedictorian of my class I fell into my career as an accountant, but continued to both read and write science fiction/fantasy.

In 2001 I returned to my educational endeavors as a part-time student and received my AS in Accounting Technology from Polk Community College in 2005, graduating with a 4.0 GPA.

One of my college classes was an online Creative Writing course which fired my desire to write again. Nothing serious at first, just a short story here and there. Not until 2006 when my niece, Darelle, invited me to join her at a writer's convention in Bradenton, Florida, did the desire to write translate into the dream to write well enough to be published. Four years, three manuscripts, and numerous edits and revisions later, my dream is about to become reality.

BLURB:
Love means never missing when you shoot to kill.

All her life, Amy Sheridan wanted to be the one to slay the dragon and save the innocent. While her job as a sniper in a special ops unit required her to kill, she made sure the targets she took out deserved every bullet. When she’s tricked by a traitor into taking the life of an innocent man, exposing the traitor does nothing to assuage her guilt and Amy chooses to leave the world of black ops behind. Her new life is a tranquil change; no guns, no fighting. Until the traitor resurfaces, on the hunt for revenge.

Joshua Colby, the head of the elite special ops unit known as the NightHawks, is assigned to protect Amy, not realizing she was once the most talented sniper in the SO. When he and Amy clash, sparks fly. Joshua swears to protect her, but Amy isn’t used to someone else fighting her battles—or getting under her skin the way Joshua does. When the threats from the traitor become all too real, Amy’s vow to never kill again is put to the test. Will she be able to pull the trigger for the sake of love?