You’re being abducted by hunky aliens and they’ve never
watched a DVD. What five movies do you take to watch with them?
This question made me laugh out loud. Hmm, the first movie
would be Twilight, just because I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a Twi-hard, and
would leap at any opportunity to watch any one of those movies. Second would be
Letters to Juliet. Again, I just like it. Then, I think they’d need to see some
comedy, so I’d pick a selection starring Robin Williams (RIP). He made too many
great movies to count, so either Mrs. Doubtfire or RV. Next, we need an
adventure. How about either Superman (with Christopher Reeve or Henry Cavill),
or Transformers? What can I say, I have a young son. And lastly they should see
something from the Disney vault. Although I love Frozen at the moment, I am
going to have to pick my all-time favorite, Beauty and the Beast. I’m not sure
dear old Walt could ever top that movie in my eyes.
Do you have a favourite author? Who is it/are they?
I have several favorite authors, as far as the style and
genre in which they write. However, there is one author who stands out, and has
decided to pay it forward. When I was a struggling newbie, before I had
anything published, I decided to try to contact a few of the authors that I
followed on Facebook, to see if I could pick their brains, so to speak. I think
I private messaged about four or five of them, and figured the worst they could
do was ignore me. Well, most of them did ignore me, but one best selling author
had the courtesy of emailing me back at length. Jennifer Probst is her name and
I can never repay her for the kind words of advice and encouragement she has
given to me. She not only answered my plea, but she made me feel like I was not
so alone in this sometimes isolated business. We have spoken, via Facebook
messages, several more times and I felt compelled to thank her in the
acknowledgement section of my first book, That Kiss. Because of her, I too have
vowed to pay it forward by answering any reader mail that I might get.
How did you start your writing career?
I hated reading. It’s ridiculous to say now, but I did. As a
child in school, I felt forced (because we all were) to read whatever the
powers that be deemed necessary for our education. I can’t name one of those
books that I actually enjoyed. Growing up, I was a book hoarder. I’d beg my mom
to buy books from the Weekly Reader order form, but I just liked to look at
them. It was as if they gave me comfort, even though I didn’t want to read
them. I was, however, great at writing. I got quite a few compliments on
everything from school reports, to applications that required me to answer
questions in detail. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I picked up a romance
novel, out of curiosity, and quickly became hooked on reading. The more books I
read, the more I realized that I could do this. I could write just as well as
these well-known authors. And so I began. I started with one simple sentence
and the characters came to life. I always joke and say that I didn’t write
these books, I was just doing what the people inside my head told me to do.
Which character was the hardest to write and why?
It’s hard to say, because each person spoke so clearly to
me, but I’d have to say Maxim was the most difficult character to write. It
wasn’t so much his personality that gave me pause, but more the fact of his
dialogue. English was his second language, even though he’d mastered it quite
well. I still had to give him a type of speech pattern that is typical of
someone in that position. In other words, he might not use contractions like
most people do. For instance, he would probably say, “Do not underestimate the
power of love” versus, “Don’t underestimate the power of love.” I had to make
him sound different than the other characters so my readers would understand
that he has an accent, and to some extent, broken English. He was still so much
fun to write about.
How would you classify the genre you write? Why did you
choose that genre?
The genre I write is contemporary romance. I’m not sure that
I chose it as much as it chose me. It might be because those were the first types
of books I enjoyed reading, or maybe because I can relate to them. I’m not
sure. Whatever the reason, for now, romance is my genre of choice. That’s not
to say I won’t change to a different genre in the future. I never know where my
imagination will lead me.
If you weren’t an author, what would you have ended up doing?
Being in this industry is a lot like being on a roller
coaster, in that I cannot rely on the income from the sales of my books.
Authors get an obscene amount of money for every book sold, and I don’t mean
that in a good way. If the readers truly knew how little an author gets, I’m
sure they would be shocked. I know I was when I got my ‘reality check'. Having
said that, I have to make ends meet somehow, and currently hold down several
jobs to support my writing aspirations. My first job is taking care of my
family, which I don’t get to do nearly often enough. The other jobs include
Nurses aid and Dance teacher. I have no plans on quitting either of those jobs
anytime soon, because they both give me a sense that I am making a difference
in the lives that I touch. I can’t imagine doing anything else.
Do you have any rituals/habits when you write?
No, I don’t do anything out of the ordinary when I sit down
at my laptop, at least I don’t think I do. When I finally have alone time, and
it’s quiet, I sit down at my desk, say a prayer asking for a good story, and I
begin. I drink Twining’s Lady Grey tea by the gallon, and have chocolate
nearby, always. If I get tired or my story ideas start to dwindle, I lie, face
down, on my bed for a few minutes. That’s usually enough to time to recharge my
batteries, and I type until my fingers fall off.
What is on your current and upcoming release schedule?
This question excites me, as I am really happy about my work
in progress. Currently, I am working on a standalone book, which doesn’t have a
title yet. It’s basically a story about people in a relationship where one of
them has a past that motivates them to build up emotional walls, while the
other has to try to break through them in order to get closer. I don’t want to
give too much away but I am pleased with it so far. I don’t have a release date
yet though. Anyone who is interested can check out my website. www.KateSquiresAuthor.com I list
everything on there.
Where are your books available?
For now, my books are available at Amazon.com and in the
Kindle store. I am hoping to get them on Smashwords, and have them available
for Nook. However, you can find me at book signings where I will have copies
available for purchase. I also want to mention Authorgraph.com. It’s a free
website where readers who bought digital copies of my books, or any other
author’s books, can request an autograph. If any of my fans send me a request,
I will personalize the autograph. It’s just one more fun way to connect to my
readers.
I want to say a huge Thank You to Kate for such great and in-depth answers to the questions. ~Mandy~
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