From reader to reviewer to drabbler to author, what's next for Kath?
How do you strike the
balance between writing something you want to write and writing something that
people want to read, in terms of the compromises you make, if any?
As
a new author, I never even considered that I was writing for an audience. I’m sure that will change! I have one book published at the moment, one
in the editing stage and another still being written. I’m afraid I still haven’t got into that
author mind-set of writing what I think people will want to read. I’m still writing what I want to say.
What excites,
attracts or appeals to you about the genre(s) you write in.
I’m
not sure I have a genre. I write about
people faced with unthinkable things.
Then I see how they react – how they survive. I’m an optimist and I think there’s something
admirable in people’s ability to overcome horrible things. The first book is set in early mediaeval
times and the next two in modern times, so I don’t think you could categorise
them together at all.
Do you have a box,
drawer, folder etc where you keep thoughts and ideas for future stories? Such
as names you have come across, bits of dialogue, ideas, characters - even if
you have no idea when you might use them?
No. I have a big echoing skull though, and I just
rake stuff out of there! For each story,
I have an outline plan on my computer but I don’t always follow it all that
closely.
How do you manage
plot bunnies (ideas that invade your mind that aren’t usually helpful to the
story you’re writing but breed like...er...bunnies)?
My
first venture into ‘authorship’ (as against submitting the occasional short
story to anthologies) was with Jonathan Hill.
I contributed some drabbles (100 word stories) to his second book, Beyond
100 Drabbles. This is a wonderful thing
to do with a bunny – turn it into a tiny, stand-alone story! It makes use of the idea and ties it up and
gets it out of your current book!
How much of you is in
your characters? Which of your characters is the you that you’d most like to
be? Or be with ?
That’s
a bit difficult to judge. I’m sure
there’s some of me in Maude from Ravenfold.
There’s a character in my next book that I’m very fond of – but it
wouldn’t work out!
Do you become so
wrapped up in your writing that your spouse wonders if they're married to you
or one of your characters?
I
do realise when I’m answering my husband and I stop mid-sentence, that I’ve
actually been trying to think of two things at once. We’ve been married a long time, though. He copes with my obsessions!
What type of book do
you like reading? Is it the same genre as you write?
For
reading, I’ll have a go at most things.
I really don’t like ‘icky’ romance though. Sweet stuff with improbably happy
endings. As I’ve said, I’m not sure I
write in a genre myself.
What lengths do you
go to to convince us readers that your book has the X factor?
Haha! As someone who never expected to write, let
alone to be read, I am rubbish at this.
I sent a link to a good friend recently, as she’s shown an interest in
what I was doing, but I said, ‘I don’t think it’s your kind of book,
though.’ As a marketing ploy, that has a
long way to go!
I’m
not sure an author can convince people, other than making the best job you can
of the book, and writing a short but enticing blurb. Shoving your book up people’s noses and
telling them how brilliant you are is probably counter-productive. People have to discover for themselves if
it’s their kind of book.
How do you feel when
a reader points out the spelling mistake(s) you have made?
You
know what they say, ‘Pobody’s Nerfect!’
Chastened, and grateful – and in a rush to correct it!
What do you like most
about visiting KUF/GR/forums?
Goodreads
UK Amazon Kindle Forum has been my home from home for a couple of years, and
I’ve been a member of KUF for just about a year. I’ve been there as a reader
and have found some fantastic authors and lots of keen fellow readers to swap
recommendations with. Nobody was more
surprised than I was to discover I was writing a book. However, I now have a network of friends
there who will tell me the truth!
What is on your near
horizon?
My
second novella, shorter than Ravenfold – and I here exclusively reveal the
title – Message in a Bottle. I’m also
writing a third and until I finish it, I have no idea how long that will be.
Where can we find you
for more information?
