Kathleen Givens, Author | About Kathleen


I was born in New York City, but we moved a lot when I was young. My earliest years were spent in the Northeast, but we moved to northern Georgia when I was six, and Southern California when I was ten. It was a fabulous childhood for a writer. I was introduced to people and ideas I would never have met had we stayed in one place. Through it all, books were my constant companion, helping me through the first lonely weeks in a new place, or the poignant ones before the next move would take me elsewhere. I learned early that nothing stays the same, and to find something great about each new location. When we stayed in one place for a while, I still traveled through time and worlds in the books I read. As long as a library was nearby, I was happy. As a bonus, I can proudly state that I am fluent in California speak, Steel Magnolia, and Manhattanite.
I was blessed to have parents who read constantly, and librarians who were very kind to me. And so generous! It was a librarian in the Carnegie library of Rome, Georgia, who introduced me to Louisa May Alcott and her books, and changed my life forever. And two librarians there who let a nine-year-old (and a Yankee to boot), take home original Civil War diaries. They changed my life as well. From those diaries I learned the ache of war and loss and longing, of the strength of the women who went before us. Those diaries eventually led to my Kilgannon series. As long as I can remember, I have been loved the history, legends and sagas of the people who share my heritage, those who fused together to form Ireland, Scotland, and England, and later enrich what would become the United States. I find the mix - and often clash – of cultures fascinating, and love to weave elements of those myths and legends into my work. I enjoy the research far more than I should, and love to mix fictional and factual characters, to find periods of social and political turbulence in which to set my stories. A little betrayal, perhaps a Viking raid, a war or two. And then I add a love story. Of course. When I was ten I rewrote Little Women for my sister and me. In my version, Jo marries Laurie and no one dies. It is not in print. In high school a friend and I wrote a dreadful 250-page play about a rock group. Not surprisingly, it is not in print either. I spent the next decades writing and destroying what I had written. I wrote and destroyed while I got married, worked, and raised a family, but never finished a project. In retrospect, I see how self-defeating I was and regret the years I wasted. But I lived, and learned, and I am convinced that my writing is richer for not having started in my twenties. It was not until after my father died that I decided to get serious and try to finish a book. I gave myself a five year plan, then promptly spent the first half of that procrastinating. When I did get myself in gear, with the constant encouragement of my wonderful husband, I wrote the books that would become Kilgannon and The Wild Rose of Kilgannon. I’d heard horror stories about the road to publication, but to my delight and amazement, I easily got an agent, and Kilgannon was bought immediately. The books were published in 1999, and I have never looked back. Well, maybe a few times. It’s been an interesting journey since I held Kilgannon in my hand that first time. My own life is far calmer than my characters. I love to travel, to read, and to study history, which makes writing historical fiction a perfect career. But these days I stay in one house, in my beloved Laguna Beach, California, where my husband and I live in a tragically flawed house with the neurotic and dictatorial cat formerly known as Miss Lily. I’d love to hear from you! You can reach me at Kathleen@kathleengivens.com.