Interview: Kathryn Kaleigh on Last Stop: Yesterday
Kathryn Kaleigh writes the kind of romance you reach for on a rainy day — heartfelt, hopeful, with a touch of the impossible. She’s published more than 150 novels and 130 short stories, and her time-travel romances are a particular favorite of Kris Rusch, who curated the Escape from 2026 StoryBundle around exactly this kind of fiction: stories that lift a reader out of the present and somewhere else for a few hours.
Time keeps bending in Last Stop: Yesterday. Alexandra Northam is plucked from her ordinary present into the world of 1876, where she meets Arthur Hollis — and as she keeps slipping back to her own time, she’s forced to confront an impossible question: which time gets to be hers? It’s a love story written exactly the way Kathryn likes them: slow-burn tension, a touch of the extraordinary, and an HEA you trust her to deliver.
The Interview
Time keeps bending in this book — Alexandra is in her ordinary present, then 1876, then back again. What does that kind of impermanence do to a love story?
I think it adds suspense for one thing. Will they get back together? And if so, how? Is there something they can do to make it happen? Or is it all just chance? Perhaps it’s fate. These are some of the questions the characters struggle with. Also I think it adds an extra element of longing. Two people find their soulmates only to be separated by time. Not only are they separated by distance, but by time itself. What are they supposed to do with that? Especially when they know that they’ve met that one special person. The one they know will always be the only one for them. The enormity of it affirms for the character just how much love they have for the other person.
You’ve written more than 150 novels and 130 short stories — a body of work most writers can only imagine. What does an actual writing day look like for you, and how do you keep each new romance feeling like the first one rather than the hundredth?
As an indie writer, I rarely get up and just start writing. Wouldn’t that be nice? Unfortunately, my brain is trained to write at night. At the end of the day, my critical voice is worn down and my creative voice is free to play unsupervised. It’s also an incredibly strong habit. I have written new fiction every single day since January 1, 2019. The work quite simply builds up. So a typical day not only involves writing, but publishing and promotion and the hundred other things that go along with. As for making the romance feel new, I think of it like sitting down to watch a romantic movie. We know it’s going to have an HEA, but it’s about the journey. Their journey. Each one is different. I just follow along, letting them tell me their stories.
The story opens with ten-year-old Alexandra up in the attic of Northam Lodge, only half-listening to Grandma Louisa’s stories about a railroad that opened in 1876, secretly wishing she were outside stacking firewood with her brother. Why did you want to begin with that inheritance — the lodge, the family history, the girl who’d rather be anywhere else — before bringing Alexandra and Arthur together?
I wanted the reader to get to know Alexandra a little. For this particular book, the history of the railroad, the lodge, the family history is integral to the story. And, of course, Alexandra has reason to regret not listening to her grandmother’s stories. As a writer, I find that added layers to this book.
Time-travel romance always seems to pose an impossible question: when two people belong to different centuries, whose time wins? Alexandra is a modern woman; Arthur lives in 1876. Without giving anything away, how do you think about that question while you’re building a story — and does the answer ever surprise you partway through?
The question is there, of course, but I just follow along with the characters. The expectation for me, at least, is that the character who travels back in time will be the one who stays back in time and that’s how it typically turns out for me. But. Sometimes the characters surprise me. Sometimes the situation surprises me. Some of the things that happened in book two of this series were definitely unexpected.
Romance has rules — the HEA, the meet-cute, the dark moment — and readers love those rules. Inside them, what do you reach for to make a particular story feel like its own thing?
Each book is different. I love writing meet-cutes. They are so much fun and they allow me to experience that feeling of falling in love over and over again. Just like with relationships, they are all different. And, of course, my books always have an HEA. Sometimes I don’t know how I’m going to get them there to the HEA until the very last minute. Even with the book I’m writing now, number one hundred fifty-five, I don’t know how they’re going to end up together. Or when. It’s like riding a roller coaster. I have to remind myself not to panic. I’ll get them there. Or rather they’ll get themselves there and I’ll write it down.
This bundle is built around the idea of escape — fiction that, as Kris Rusch puts it, completely alters our reality for a few hours. You’ve said you love rainy days, nostalgic music, and stories that make you believe in forever. When you sit down to write a romance that bends time, are you chasing that same feeling for yourself — and what does a story have to do to earn it?
I think it’s actually the other way around. When I sit down to write, I’m bringing my love of rainy days, nostalgic music, and stories that make me believe in forever with me. I don’t think I’m chasing that feeling so much as I’m trying to create it for the reader.
What are you working on now — and what’s fun or exciting about it?
I’m working on book 5 in this same series, The Ticket to Yesterday series. It’s a different kind of excitement from starting a new series. It’s fun because I know so much more about the family than I did when I started. I can add in little things about the characters from the previous four books and they often even show up in the pages. Although each book can be read standalone, reading them in order should be a much more enriching experience. I have mixed feelings about this being the last planned book in the series. I’ve been with this family and this world for months now and I’m sad to leave them. I’m already thinking about ways to keep the series going. Possibly bringing in new characters. I like this world that much.
About the Author
Prolific romance writer Kathryn Kaleigh spins dreamy romances that keep readers falling in love time after time.
Bestselling author, Kathryn has published over 150 novels and 130 short stories. She writes heartfelt romances where fate has a funny way of stepping in. From snowy small towns to moments lost in time, her stories blend emotional depth, timeless love, and just a touch of the extraordinary.
Readers can expect slow-burn tension, heartfelt reunions, and that perfect moment when everything falls into place. Whether it’s a second chance romance or a twist of destiny, Kathryn’s stories leave readers believing in forever love.
Her short fiction has appeared in publications including Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, Heart’s Kiss, and Cave Creek. Discover more of her stories at kathrynkaleigh.com.
When she’s not writing, Kathryn loves rainy days, nostalgic music, and curling up with a story that makes her believe in forever.
Find Kathryn
Last Stop: Yesterday is available now in the Escape from 2026 StoryBundle, curated by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. 15 exclusive books of alternate history and time travel—pay what you want, starting at $5. Customers can choose to direct a portion of their payment to World Central Kitchen. The bundle runs through June 25, 2026.