Today I am introducing a new author, Kathy Lane, whose book Blood Sworn:Bound By Magic is being released by Wild Rose Press in September.
-Pixie- Why did you become a writer? Was it a dream of yours since you were younger or did the desire to write happen later in your life?
-Kathy Lane- I think I started out writing as a child because I wanted to remember my dreams. I used to have the most vivid, action-packed adventures when I slept. I didn’t want to forget them. My love of writing probably also extended from my love of reading. I read everything I could get my hands on as a child. I once got an award in Middle School for reading the most books in a year. I wrote a lot of poetry in High School. Even had some of it published in the yearbook my senior year. Still, writing was more or less a hobby until early 2006. That’s when I had the first chapter of a story critiqued by a published author at a conference and she actually pulled me out of the breakfast buffet line the next morning and begged for more. I thought, huh, maybe I can do this. Maybe I can really write a book somebody besides myself would want to read. Writing that book became my focus and well, three manuscripts later, here I am. My dream is coming true.
-Pixie- What do you love about being an author? Is there anything you dislike?
-K.L.- I like the idea of creating a world other people can slip into for a time. I’ve read books where I’ve thought, “Oh, wow, this author really put a lot of thought into creating this world. I want more, I want to know what happens to this character over here next.” I would love to get that kind of a response from a reader. I also enjoy having control of the story, being able to decide what comes next. What I don’t like is ‘writer’s block’. Yuck! I absolutely hate having to slog through a difficult part of the story. Luckily, there’s usually a really great scene on the other side to keep me going.
-Pixie- How do you balance your personal and writing time?
-K.L.- I’m single, dating sporadically, and my grown sons are out on their own. When I come home from work, my time is (very unequally) divided between housework, reading, and writing. When I started my first book back in 2006, I would find myself writing until 2 or 3am. Not so much anymore. I try to devote at least four hours a day to writing, but it doesn’t always happen. I try not to stress over it unless I’m on a deadline, like now. My editor is breathing down my neck for book two in the Bloodsworn series, so I’m working like a mad woman. My cat is thinking about going on strike because I don’t pay enough attention to him.
-Pixie- How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
-K.L.- Hummm, characters and world, I think. In my first two books (which are un-published) the plot definitely came later. I didn’t even have an outline, much less a synopsis. Yes, I’m a pantser—someone who writes by the seat of her pants. Even Bloodsworn started out with a ‘what if’ and not a full plot. I’ve since learned the value of a good synopsis. It certainly helps when you’re trying to meet a deadline. You have to be flexible, though, and listen to your characters.
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Check out part 2 at Cats Place For Writing.blogspot.com
Hugs and Pixie Dust!!
