Sharon Kayne

Pen Name:

None

Genre:

Historical Romance, Romantasy, Humor

Website:

SharonKayne.com

Social Media:

Facebook

Bio

I decided I was a writer when I was six years old, even though my spelling at the time was atrocious. My spelling has since improved, but only incrementally (regardless, I’m told I am an excellent copy editor. Go figure). After several years working in journalism — where I was a freelancer, TV news producer, and award-winning columnist and managing editor for an alternative weekly magazine — I decided to go where the money was: the world of nonprofits. I have been the communications director for a nonprofit advocacy group longer than I care to admit, during which time I have written hundreds of op-eds and blogs, most of which are published under other peoples’ names. I’ve written more press releases than should be required from a mere mortal. So many, in fact, that I now often compose them in my sleep. I’ve also edited more reports, policy briefs, and fact sheets than I am willing to count. I’d have happily kept to my non-fiction/persuasive genre, but I was given the opportunity to take a three-month sabbatical in 2022. Though I was keen to laze about the house and read novels written by other people, I had this nagging sense that I should accomplish something. My first novel was born. As if having been bitten by a novel bug, I wrote three more in fairly quick succession. I almost immediately found that the writing of the novel is so much easier than the selling of the novel. Although I’ve been at it for an embarrassingly long time, I am still currently seeking representation by an agent or traditional publisher. I have a BA in Theatre from Arizona State University. I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with my husband and our two cats.

Complete Works Seeking Representation

Title: Prince Tagert’s Quest: An Unfettered Fairytale
Current Word Count: 75,000
Genre: Romantasy, Humor

Prince Tagert may be next in line for the throne, but his father is fairly certain he is not ready for it. He’s still a virgin, for pity’s sake. To help the prince “man up,” the king sends Tagert on a royal quest to rescue a lovely maiden. But Tagert, the maiden he rescues, and even the sovereign himself, all get much more out of the experience than anyone bargained for. Throw in a fire-breathing dragon, lots of bawdy sex, and musical theatre, and you’ve found a road to medieval England no fairytale has ever trod before.

Title: This Restless Sea
Current Word Count: 90,000
Genre: Historical Romance

Kate and Thomas, two head-strong characters, collide only to realize that the strong negative reactions they have toward one another actually conceal another powerful emotion — that of love. But it takes the force of a tornado to twist their lives together before they can see past their misperceptions of one another and allow love to take root. Set in late 19th century Oklahoma.

Title: The Green Silk Gown
Current Word Count: 76,000
Genre: Historical Romance

Emily’s father has selected the man he wants her to marry, but Emily wants a love match. Her interactions with a portrait painter and a suffragist open her eyes both to what she wants and what she deserves. When violence forces Emily to flee her family and forge a path of her own, she also must leave behind the love of her life. Eventually she must face her painful past and determine if she has the courage to set the terms for her future. Set in late 19th century San Francisco.

Title: Remember Me
Current Word Count: 66,000
Genre: Historical Romance

Lily wants very much to fall in love with her husband. She was, by all accounts, madly in love with Patrick when she married him, but a horse-riding accident has left her with partial amnesia — she has no recollection of the past two years, which includes all of the time she’d known Patrick. A quiet man, Patrick found courting Lily — allowing himself to be open and vulnerable — difficult enough the first time. But he will do whatever it takes to win her heart again. Set on a cattle ranch in late 19th century Colorado.

Awards:

First Place (brochure), National Federation of Press Women, 2008
Best New Song (lyrics), New Mexico Music Association, 2005
Third Place (personal column, humorous), National Federation of Press Women, 2004
First Place (personal column, humorous), New Mexico Press Women, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000
First Place (personality profile), New Mexico Press Women, 2004
First Place (section edited by entrant), New Mexico Press Women, 2002
First Place (single page edited by entrant), New Mexico Press Women, 2002, 2001