Kate, first, tell us a little bit about the manuscript
you’re working on now.
Kate: I'm editing two different manuscripts right now, in preparation for submission. After that, I'm hoping to start work on a military romantic suspense trilogy.
Debra: Some very famous authors have played with language, creating words for people or places that no one has ever heard of. Have you ever played with words in that way and if so how?
Kate: I played with language much more when I wrote fantasy fiction. Now that I'm focusing on contemporary romance, there's less wiggle room for making up words, but I certainly enjoyed it back in my sf/f days.
Debra: For some writers, dreams play a role in creating fiction. Has this been true for you? Have you ever dreamed a scene or an image that later wound up in one of your books?
Kate: Do daydreams count?
Debra: Oh, yes. Daydreams definately count.
Kate: My first published book, Taking the Cake, grew out of a daydream moment at an RWA meeting. I was listening to the speaker, thinking about what direction I wanted to go with my writing, when a scene popped into my head fully developed. It was of a woman jumping out of the cake at her fiance's bachelor party, only to find him cheating on her. I knew instantly that I had to write her story, if only to find out what happened next. At the time, I was writing traditional, close-the-bedroom-door sweet romances, so this image ended up changing the entire direction of my writing career.
Debra: If we would but follow where our dreams lead us.
As a child did any particular book or author pull you into their imaginary world?
Kate: Absolutely! More than I can count. I could always be depended on to get lost in a book – so much so that I missed my cousin's baptism because I was reading in the back bedroom and didn't notice that everyone else had left for the church!
Debra: LOL
Kate: For me, the author who captivated me the most was Susan Cooper. I read The Dark Is Rising series when I was in junior high, and absolutely loved it. The blend of Celtic legends, epic battles between good and evil, and mysterious quests just captivated me. I still read The Dark Is Rising (the book, if not the entire series) around the winter solstice most years. I even made it a point to visit some of the places she mentioned in her books when I traveled through the UK after I graduated from college.
Debra: Is there anything else you would like to add about the role of imagination, and dreams in creating fiction? Any other message for our readers?
Kate: I love to listen to children when they're playing. The breathtaking creativity they exhibit, the casual acceptance of the possible and the fantastic, is such a gift. As they get older, that gift can fade. Writing, to me, is a chance to tap into that wellspring of the possible, to explore 'what-if' and 'why not?'
I encourage everyone to give it a try!
Debra: But sometimes, even if the gift fades, it can come back again. The thing is, we have to be receptive to it.
Kate, thank you for joining us here on this Make-believe Monday to share a little bit of the magic of writing with our readers.
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