1. Please tell us a little about yourself.

I am a nearly thirty college graduate working a full-time job that has absolutely zero to do with my degree (it pays well). I write part-time during most evenings when I am not playing or DMing Dungeons and Dragons. It’s one of the few things that keeps me sane while working my day job, and something I very much hope to do full-time in the future.

2. What do you write (genre, length)? 

I primarily write fantasy fiction, though I have been looking to reach out into a romance fiction genre. I write novel length primarily, though I have yet to officially publish anything novel-esque. I write a lot of poetry, though that seems to be across the spectrum as far as genre is concerned.

3. What is/are your current project/s? Please give us some details. 

I have a few different projects currently in production. I have two novels that are in vastly different stages of development. Both are of the fantasy genre. The one closest to completion of rewrites is a story about an ongoing war between two factions, and how the heirs to each throne must learn to work together to bring an end to the war that threatens to destroy both factions. I am hoping to have final rewrites done within the year. The other project is still in the process of brain-dumping the first draft. It is very rough, and even the plot line is a little fuzzy in places. Its overarching concept is a set of twins setting out on a quest to reassemble a crown to reunite the realm with the assistance of the only remaining living dragon. This one I am excited to see grow fully. I even have secondary stories lined up to follow it, but one step at a time.

4. Who (author or otherwise) or what book inspired you to write?

This is a long list… I would say Laurel K. Hamilton is one of the largest influences, specifically the early books in the Anita Blake series. Tolkien is another large influence, his ability to world build is awe inspiring. 

5. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Do not worry about your first draft being perfect. Just get it on the paper. You can edit later. If you concern yourself over making the first draft perfect from the beginning, you will never finish writing you story. Brain dump. Even if you do not think it belongs, or if you think it is terrible, put it in there. You can pare down, remove, and rearrange after you have all the thoughts on the page. 

6. What do you do for a living?

I work in a call center for a telecommunications company in their customer service/technical support position. 

7. Who is/are your favorite author(s)?

Laurel K. Hamilton is one that comes quickly to mind, though I have found less desire in her later books. Kresley Cole has peaked up on my list. R.A. Salvatore has substance, though he seems to regularly struggle with beginnings of the books, once you get into the meat, it keeps hold with his ability to weave plot lines. This list could go on a long while, so I’ll stop there.

8. What is/are your favorite book(s)?

My hands down favorite book is The Devil’s Footsteps by E.E. Richardson. On subsequent rereads, it’s not the best book by far, but it’s always stuck with me since I read it when I was younger. 

9. What’s the best compliment someone can give you as an author?

I would turn to a puddle of mush if someone told me that my writings changed their lives, that something I’ve written has stuck with them through the years. That’s my goal, my dream… to one day see that glimmer in someone’s eye when talking about something I’ve written.

10. What is the strangest/most interesting/coolest/weirdest/scariest thing you’ve had to research for a book or short story?

How long do you have? I could fill a small book with some of the things I have had to research. From most likely suicide methods for those of the female gender, to seeing just how deep you must cut before you start getting to internal organs in the abdomen. Though, probably the most interesting was how many volts of electricity needs to pass through a human body to completely disintegrate it into dust.

11. What is the most difficult part of writing for you? Why?

Dialogue. I am not entirely sure why, but I have always struggled with inter-character conversations. Exposition and descriptors to move the story along I can do all day, but dialogue has always been a foreign and aloof concept to me. 

12. What is your favorite genre to read? Why?

Fantasy and paranormal romance. I like the escapism of traveling to an adjacent, or sometimes entirely new, world and experiencing the thrill of magic and creatures of all different types interacting. 

13. What are some little known facts about you? Hobbies, talents, anything?

I craft a lot, sewing, crocheting, jewelry making, etc. I adore playing D&D. My house is filled with all things leaves and pumpkins. Oh, and I am absolutely obsessed with Sleeping Beauty. I have an extensively large collection of Sleeping Beauty memorabilia. 

14. Do you like physical books, ebooks, or audiobooks better? Why?

I prefer physical books, personally. I enjoy the weight in my hands and the scent of the pages as you turn them. I also love displaying my collection of books, and I currently have more books than shelving space. I do read ebooks, though, as well, especially when I travel, as it’s far more convenient to tote around hundreds of books on my tablet than a literal hundred books.

Find Katherine at the links below!

Creepies 2: Things That Go Bump in the Closet

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