We recently connected with Kate Cole and have shared our conversation below.

Kate, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

As a woman who works in construction and an avid romance reader, I’d always noticed an absence of women who work in this field in the genre. There were plenty of men in these roles, and perhaps some women in STEM, but you rarely saw women in trade professions truly shown on the page. Working in heritage building rehabilitation projects in my day job, I’m endlessly inspired by the grit and resilience I see in my fellow women on the scaffold or in the workshop. I wanted to see these incredible women–and the men who support them–represented in the romance books that line bookstore shelves. The idea came to me one day: write a Women in Trades Romance™ series and create the stories that I long to read. With Under Construction, the series was born. In UC, you meet Avery, a heritage stone mason, and her fellow women in trades. (Violet the commercial diver, and Greta the electrician). Through their stories, we get to learn what it’s like for these women to be the only female on the scaffold, dive team. or site trailer. It’s been extremely gratifying to hear that those who work in these fields, or other male dominated professions, have identified with these characters.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I write romance books that are steamy and swoony, but also aim to amplify voices of women who occupy positions–like the trades–traditionally held by men. Late to the author world, I’ve built a career around work related to heritage rehabilitation projects. I’ve spent a lot of time as the lone woman in the crowd, often outnumbered by men. They say you should write what you know, and I certainly do that. But my commitment to technical accuracy in my writing is important to me, and I don’t pretend to know every trade. Each time I write about a new specialism, I seek out women who work in these disciplines and ensure that I’m getting it right. I can’t properly represent these women, if I don’t take the time to know these women. I often say that my books are for people who want a little learning with their love stories, and I’m incredibly proud of the hard work I put in to get all the details right. Hopefully, when you walk away from one of my stories, you will have a better sense of the extremely technical and often scientific work that the trades entail as well as being delighted by the sexy bits too.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Women are my why. I not only want to amplify the voices of women who work in male dominated professions, but I want to shed light on the women warriors who do incredible things, in spite of the obstacles constantly being thrown in their path. To give them credit where it’s long overdue. I also want to showcase the love that exists between women–women who support and cheer each other on when we stumble or fall. If by reading one of my stories, women feel loved and supported by being represented, even better. But when I’m not writing, I’m also trying to walk the walk, and participate in events and work with organizations that make supporting women in all manner of ways their primary objective.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an author is always when a reader reaches out to tell me that my book has made a difference in their life. All a writer could ever hope for is to make an audience laugh, cry, or kick their feet with glee, Knowing that I’ve done this makes all of the hard work and late nights worthwhile. One military service worker once reached out to tell me that parts of Under Construction resonated with her and some of the experiences that she’s faced on the job. That it could give her any sense of being seen reaffirmed my commitment to the task.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.katecoleauthor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katecoleauthor/

Image Credits

All photos owned by Kate Cole