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Monday, September 30, 2013

10 Questions with Kadee McDonald


  I'm so pleased to welcome a fellow Texan to the Regency Redneck! The fun and fabulous Kadee McDonald steps up to answer my questions. Since she lives in the Land of Makebelieve (aka California), I've asked her about Hollywood.

1.      Easy question goes first. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Growing up in Texas, I was a world away from London and the beautiful English countryside. But I still loved all things British…the lilt of the language, tea & crumpets, the castles and country estates, the idea of a Royal Family who really knew how to throw a wedding (and have a baby!)  All these seemed like the ultimate fairy tale and they captivated me.

I’ve always loved history, so what would be more natural for me than to study British history? Even today, I could tell you more about the six wives of King Henry VIII than I could about most U.S. presidents.

2.      If you could pick one of your books to be made into a movie what would it be?

Marisa’s Choice, I think. It has romance, of course, a fairly large cast of characters, a badly-planned elopement scheme, a bit of intrigue, and a Happily Ever After ending.

 

3.      What would your theme song be?

That’s a tough one…maybe The Look of Love by Burt Bacharach would work for the movie. For me, personally, it’s usually something like Jackson Browne’s Running on Empty!

 

4.      Who would play your hero and heroine?

That’s even tougher…possibly Emma Watson as Marisa, although Emma is 23 now, I think, and Marisa is just 18. And Emma’s wearing her hair pretty short these days, which would be unusual for a young Regency lady. For William…Aussie hunk Chris Hemsworth perhaps? If you’re going to dream, dream big, I always say!

 

5.      Suppose it was a movie about your life. Hah. Didn’t see that one coming. Who would play you?

LOL…Roseanne Barr, perhaps?

 

6.      What movie can you watch over and over?


Sense and Sensibility, the Golden Globe-winning version adapted by Emma Thompson and directed by Ang Lee. I don’t think there’s a single line of dialogue in that film that I’d change.

 

7.      If you could adapt one novel (not your own) for a movie, which one would it be?


I’ve written screenplays, but I’m not sure I’d be at all competent to adapt a novel. But if I had to choose, though, I’d try to adapt one written by my critique partner, Nancy Lindley-Gauthier, titled Patriot: At Any Cost. It’s a sweet romance set against the backdrop of small-town life in World War II Maine, with lots of action and interesting characters.

 

8.      Have you ever done any acting?


Yes…every weekday I “act” like I’m thrilled to go to my day job! But, other than that, no, not really. I was an extra in one scene of a friend’s super-mega-ultra-low-budget docu-drama short film about 10 years ago, but you can’t even really see me in background…thank goodness. Still, my name is in the credits, but I think it’s only there because I brought home-made brownies that day for the cast and crew.

 

9.      Pimp it if you’ve got it. What’s new and next for you?

I just finished a short story “prequel” to Marisa’s Choice that I hope to be able to offer as a free e-book download soon, so that more readers can sample my work and see if they’d like to read the rest of Marisa and Will’s love story.

 

HOWEVER…I will pick a winner at random and give away an e-book version of Marisa’s Choice to one person who leaves us a comment on this post.

 

10.  Rejection haiku goes here. Don’t make me beg, okay?


Not even “pretty please, with a cherry on top,” huh? All righty, then, here goes nuthin’ :
 
Not for us, they say.
Hopes dashed by reality.
Time to start again.
 

Link to my site: http://kadeemcdonald.com/

 


 


 

11 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for hosting me, Marguerite. Two Texas ladies take on the Regency...heaven help Prinny and his subjects, I say!

    I'll check back later for comments, too..hope we have lots of folks stop by to say hello. :)

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  2. Hi Kadee, enjoyed the blog. Persuasion is my favourite - I have a soft spot for Naval heroes. I am glad you like all things British as I am just having my tea and crumpets. I already have Marisa's Choice on my Kindle and look forward to reading it soon.

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    1. Thanks, Susan! Persuasion is my favorite of Austen's plots, as I have a soft spot for "second chance at love" stories, but as far as any of the adaptations of her work that have been done, I enjoy Emma Thompson's Sense & Sensibility even more than seeing Colin Firth emerge dripping wet from that pond in the 1995 version of Pride & Prejudice. I hope you enjoy Marisa's story when you have time to read and would love to hear what you think of it. Thanks for coming by!

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  3. Great interview, gals! Kadee, you're sure a die-hard Regency reader and writer! Wishing you all the best in all your blasts from the past! Cheerio!

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    1. Thanks for coming by and leaving a comment, Sharon. Yes, I've been "into" Regencies for more years than I care to think about...but I also have an alter-ego, Vala Kaye, who reads and writes paranormal and sci-fi. But you won't catch me mixing the two into something like "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies!" They just don't go together in my mind in any logical way. Besides that...I've never seen the point of zombies! :)

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  4. Pleased to see I'm not the only one who writes Regency prequels after they've completed the sequel! Loved that bit about acting thrilled about your day job. Trust a Texan to think of that one.

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    1. LOL, Vonnie...yes, we Texans can be a crafty bunch! Thanks for coming by. :)

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  5. Great interview Kadee. I have read Marisa's Choice, otherwise I'd be on thorns to win a copy. Can't wait for the prequel.

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    1. Thanks, Grace! Contact me (KadeeMcDonald(at)aol.com) if you'd like and I'll send you an ARC of the prequel.

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  6. Have you read Thackeray's 'Vanity Fair' ? Quite a savage take on aspects of Regency, though Becky Sharp remains one of my heroines

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  7. Hi, Mike. Thanks for stopping by!

    I'm not that familiar with VANITY FAIR, I must admit, having only skim-read it. It's true there was disreputable behavior among all the classes and scandals a-plenty in the upper classes during Regency times. Not that different from some of what goes on today, I guess.

    Becky wouldn't be considered a heroine in a traditional Regency romance like mine. She is definitely the anti-heroine. If there is a heroine, it could be Amelia, even she is often seen as too weak and undecided to be much admired.

    It depends on what you're looking for as a reader...a heroine who is strong, even though she might be lacking in morals...or a heroine who finds a way to maintain her integrity and still get what she wants.

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