Featured Interview With Kaye D. Schmitz
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and spent the first twenty-eight years of my life there. After that, I moved to Florida and have lived there ever since. I make my home in the World Golf Village area of St. Augustine with my husband, Michael. Our two grown children and four grandchildren also live close by. We have not had a pet since our miniature schnauzer, Heidi, died.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always been a reader and a writer. I was actually published at the age of 10 when my poem, The Garden, was published in my local newspaper. I continued to write all through high school and college–again mostly poetry and short stories. I became a novelist about five years ago and have two books currently in publication, THE CONSORT CONSPIRACY and ON DEADLY GROUNDS. My third novel, THE ROAD REMEMBERED, will release on November 1, 2021 and I am currently working on the follow-on story.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love reading the late Dorothea Benton Frank, Steve Berry, David Morrel, Kristin Hannah, and Sarah Pinbrough. I shy away from straight romances and prefer action and psychological thrillers, but for sheer story-telling, it’s hard to beat Kristin Hannah.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My newest book, THE ROAD REMEMBERED, will release on November 1, 2021–in time for Veterans’ Day–and takes place primarily during World War II. It is actually a split-time novel, with the action both during 2015 and 1945. I was inspired to write it when I found a map my deceased father received when he was discharged from the Army in 1945 at the end of the war in Europe. The map traced his progress from France to Germany with the 89th Infantry Division and was accompanied by a transcript of an oral interview he had done about his war experiences. After reading the transcript with the map in front of me, I felt as if my father spoke to me from the grave. I knew I had to tell his story–partly because he was my father and I loved him so much–but also because I wanted the world to remember how ordinary men like my dad stepped away from their everyday lives to became “citizen soldiers” in the military only long enough to defeat Hitler…and then return to their everyday lives as husbands, sons, brothers, and fathers. I was upset, however, that I hadn’t decided to write the story before my dad died since I had so many questions. But I was able to find another veteran who had also been part of the 89th Infantry Division, so I flew to Austin to interview him. It was a magical day and we became good friends. I interviewed a number of other veterans and wove their stories into a tapestry of historically accurate fiction. Most of the story was written by the time I read The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah, but after that, I realized that my “citizen soldier” story needed a “savior” in addition to the Americans. So I created a character based on the life of Irina Sendler, a Polish social worker, who saved 2,500 Jewish children from Nazi extinction. My early readers have said the story filled them up emotionally–much like The Nightingale did for me. The best description of my book is Band of Brothers (Ambrose) meets The Nightingale (Hannah). I had the book written by the beginning of 2020. And then COVID hit, throwing publishing timelines out by a couple of years, so I am very grateful to be getting this book out in 2021. Sadly, however, many of the veterans I interviewed, including my wonderful friend in Austin, have already passed, so I am working with their families to get the book out in their honor and memories.
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