Sharon Kayne spent more than 30 years as an award-winning writer/editor of nonfiction, working in journalism and in nonprofit advocacy, before retiring to pursue fiction writing. Her newest historical romance release, The Green Silk Gown (August 2025), is set in late 19th century San Francisco and touches on themes of self-determination, independence, and women’s rights. Look for Sharon on her website SharonKayne.com, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and her Amazon author page.
What is your elevator pitch for The Green Silk Gown?
I don’t really have an elevator pitch for any of my books—which is probably not the best way to sell your books! I usually talk about my books in fairly general terms, such as: The Green Silk Gown is a second-chance historical romance about a young woman who finds love with a portrait painter only to have her world shattered by a shocking assault. Though it is a romance at its core, it delves into larger themes, such as independence, self-determination, and women’s rights. Book club discussion prompts are included.
I do have a new-and-improved book blurb, however (and that’s sort of an elevator pitch, right?), which reads: Emily’s father expects obedience. And that means marrying the man he’s chosen for her. But Jonathan is coarse, over-confident, and controlling. And he doesn’t love her any more than she loves him.
Emily, who works in her family’s flower shop, is as hopeful as she is resilient. She decides to get to know two interesting customers: Edmund, a handsome artist who asks her to sit for his next portrait and a suffragist who invites her to a meeting. As Emily begins to forge a close and romantic friendship with the portrait painter and hears new perspectives from the suffragist about the rights she is denied, she becomes determined to take charge of her life. Then angry threats, an unspoken ultimatum, and a shocking sexual assault force Emily to make an unthinkable escape. She must ultimately discover if she has the courage to eschew social expectations and set her own terms for her future. Sometimes, the darkest, most daunting path is the one that leads to the brightest possibilities.
Who are the love interests in the story, and why will readers connect to them and cheer them on? Which point of view did you enjoy writing the most?
The heroine, Emily, is a sweet young woman who works in her family’s flower shop. Readers will connect to her and cheer her on because she is being pressured by her father to marry a man she does not love. Although her options in the late 19th century are limited, she wants more from her life—especially once she begins to attend suffrage meetings and learns new perspectives. The hero, Edmund, was born in a well-to-do family but has given up his inheritance because he wants to be a portrait painter—something his father disapproves of. Readers will connect with him and cheer him on because he is pursuing his dreams rather than settling for the life that is expected of him. I generally enjoy writing all points of view in my novels, although I usually find female characters slightly easier to write because I can relate more to their issues.
What is the main setting of the book? Why is it the perfect place for your story to unfold?
The book is set in San Francisco. Aside from having been there a few times, I’ve always found it to be a rather romantic city. I love the architecture and the hills, as well as the bay. I also needed a city large enough to have flower shops and art galleries, not to mention having the sort of clientele that could support a portrait painter. I also needed a setting that would have the kinds of factories that women and children worked at in the late 19th century. That it has the trolley system in the late 19th century was also a plus, as it allowed my character some independence of movement.
How did the book come together?
I came up with the idea just after having completed my first novel, This Restless Sea, which I’d written during a three-month sabbatical from my job. Not only was I shocked that I’d been able to write a novel from start to finish, but I was fairly certain it was the only idea I would ever have for a novel—mainly because the idea for This Restless Sea had been banging about in my mind for years! But I’d loved writing it and wanted to see if I could write another. So, I flopped down on the couch and started thinking up another plot. This consisted mainly of asking myself a lot of “what if?” questions. I came up with the idea fairly quickly and so I spent the last two weeks of my sabbatical working on it. It took me another few months to complete after that. As if I’d been bitten by a radioactive spider, I felt compelled to write every weekend (I didn’t write in the evenings because I was working as a writer/editor, which took up a lot of my creative juices during the week) and I completed three more novels over the next couple of years. During that time, I also worked with a developmental editor that a friend had introduced me to, who taught me many valuable lessons (such as why you don’t head hop), so that meant going back and doing some major rewriting on all of my manuscripts. I have some wonderful friends who are excellent writers who act as my beta readers. I’ve also joined a critique group through SouthWest Writers and have learned a great deal about writing from them. I found my cover designer through a friend who is also a published author, and it was another friend who suggested I use an image of green silk fabric on the cover, since it was impossible to find an appropriate image of the green silk gown that Edmund paints Emily wearing.
What makes this novel unique in the historical romance market?
While most historical romances deal very minimally with the strictures that women used to live under, The Green Silk Gown delves into them in a much more comprehensive way. Most historical romances—at least those set in England—revolve around women living very privileged lives (have you ever noticed how many historical romances have the word “Duke” in the title?!). Privilege brings with it rights and freedoms that common folk lack. I think it does modern women—especially young ones—a disservice to wholly romanticize what life was like for women before the mid-20th century. If we don’t understand how hard-fought our current rights are, we are too apt to lose them. I certainly don’t make women’s rights central in any of my historical romances, but they are always important to my heroines, so they make an appearance. Since Emily attends suffrage meetings, she learns about things like inheritance laws, the Comstock Act, what role the AMA had in constricting abortion rights, etc. That’s also one of the reasons I set my historical romances in the late 19th century—because suffrage movements were really picking up steam and, until women had the right to vote, they had no way to hold lawmakers accountable. Because my novels are infused with information about women’s rights, they make good reading for book clubs—and that is also why I include discussion prompts at the end.
Why did you choose The Green Silk Gown for the title?
The green silk gown is instrumental in getting the main two characters together, so it made sense as the title. Emily knows that it is improper for her to sit for a portrait for Edmund without a chaperone on hand—and she knows her parents would never approve of it. Edmund sees Emily as something of a muse, and he also believes that her red hair, fair complexion, and green eyes will set off the gown beautifully. So, he uses the gown to lure her into the sitting. Coming from a working-class family, she’s had neither the opportunity nor occasion to wear such a beautiful gown. The only drawback to the title, as I mentioned before, was that I knew I wouldn’t be able to find a photograph for the cover that depicted both the gown and Emily correctly. Most historical romance covers show the woman being disrobed and that was the wrong message to send. Not to mention, so many photos of models in historical dress are distressingly inaccurate! They show women in evening gowns wearing huge sunbonnets, for example. And, very conveniently, the women being disrobed are never wearing corsets!
What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
Writing the first draft of the manuscript is always my favorite part, although I also enjoy rewrites (which makes me something of an oddball, I know!). It’s also exciting to see the cover art when it’s complete, as it gives the novel its face, so to speak.
You published your first novel, This Restless Sea, in May 2025, just a few months before the release of The Green Silk Gown. Why did you choose to release two novels in the same year? What did you learn in writing/publishing these books that you can apply to future projects?
My initial plan was to grow my readership with This Restless Sea before I released The Green Silk Gown. But I soon learned that growing your readership is a slow process, so I thought a rapid release of a second novel might help. The jury is still out on whether that was a good plan! I have a third historical romance that I may release before the end of the year. After that, I’ll continue working on my rom-com romantasy series, and I’ll be looking for a publisher for that.
Looking back to the beginning of your writing/publishing career, what do you know now that you wish you’d known then?
I knew self-publishing would be hard, but I had no idea just how hard. Marketing your book takes a great deal of creative and emotional energy and, so far, mostly I get crickets back, which feels like failure on a near-daily basis. Also, if you promote your stuff on social media (and who doesn’t?) you’ll find that you are chum in the water for marketing sharks. TikTok is especially bad about this, and so many of the sharks out there are scammers. It’s disheartening!
What writing projects are you working on now?
As I mentioned, I have one more straight historical romance to release. After I’d finished writing that one, I decided to go back to the kind of writing I enjoy the most—humor. So, my current project is a rom-com romantasy series that has a fairytale basis. I’ll be looking for a small publisher for that series, as self-publishing is much harder than I imagined!
KL Wagoner loves creating worlds of fantasy and science fiction. Her current work in progress is The Last Bonekeeper fantasy trilogy and short stories in the same universe. A member of SouthWest Writers since 2006, Kat has worked as the organization’s secretary, newsletter editor, website manager, and author interview coordinator. Kat is also a veteran, a martial art student, and a grandmother. Visit her at klwagoner.com.
