It's the lead-up to Fan Expo Denver, and I'm taking a break from author interview. Don't worry, I'll be back next week with a new one, but for now, let's revisit a friend who dropped by recently.
--Adam
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Break time!
That's right, you've been working hard (enough), and it's time for a break!
Oh boy, do I have a doozy of an interview for you now!
Katie Cross is here, and before I tell you what's extra-special about her, let's do her bio. She grew up in the mountains of Idaho, where she still loves to play when she gets the chance.
Her mission is connect women with their best selves, to seek the divine in each one of us, and to prove that we can love ourselves—and accomplish all—despite opposition.
If she's not writing, you can find her traveling, adventuring with her kiddos, trail running with her husband and vizla dogs, or curled up with a good book and a cup of chai.
And if you want a FREE BOOK, just go here: http://www.katiecrossbooks.com/
So what makes her so special?
Well, just like EG earlier, she's part of the Fantasy Box Set Storybundle that I'm putting together!
I gathered a bunch of authors, and we've all put in a BOX SET - MULTIPLE NOVELS AND NOVELLAS - for a bundle you can get, starting July 31!
You can check out the current bundle at www.storybundle.com - the rules are the same for every bundle. You can get ALL of the books in the bundle for $20 (or more, if you're so inclined). That's going to be such AMAZING value for you! But if that's a stretch - and let's face it, sometimes you need to prioritize. (I know, I know, gas over books? Heresy!) That's okay; for $5, you get four books. In this case, you'll get four collections, so you're already winning.
Over the next weeks, I'll be featuring authors who are part of the bundle, so you can be as excited about this as I am!
So, let's learn more about this amazing author!
Star Trek or Star Wars? Star Trek!
DCU or MCU? If I have to choose, MCU.
Firefly – gone too soon or overrated? Gone too soon, RIP.
Reboots – a great idea or a lack of creativity? Mostly, a lack of creativity. Sometimes, reimagining a story can be fun, but we’re seeing WAY too much re-usage of creative works.
A book you’re looking forward to release (by someone else)? Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope.
A book that pleasantly surprised you? A Court of Mist and Wings. It’s the second book in the Sarah J Mass series, and I liked it more than the others!
Coffee, tea, or cacao? Oh, make me choose! What a miserable question. Okay, it’s tea. But I love cacao!
Favorite hangover recovery recipe? I don’t drink alcohol, but if I did, it would be ibuprofen.
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing? During the school year, I typically work 6-8 hours a day. It’s my jam! I love it. During the summer, I try to eke out 2-4, depending on the day. There are mountains to climb and kiddos to play with during the warm times!
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? I have to talk out my ideas, so when I do my daily hike (I live in the Montana mountains!) then I talk out my ideas and record them into my phone. Then, when I relisten to them later, I can cobble together a plot.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Oh, I’m outside with my vizsla’s and my kiddos! We hike, play baseball, soccer, chop firewood, go wildflower hunting, explore new mountains, go swimming, or hang out in the hammock, reading. Lately, my kids and I have been reading all the Harry Potter books outloud, then watching the movies when we finish.
Is there a trope you find yourself going back to in multiple works? Or one you avoid? Wild Woman in the Woods is definitely my preferred trope. We work really hard to vary up my characters so we don’t get totally sunk into there.
What does your family think of your writing? My kids are sort of ambivalent about it, even when they see me at book signings or speaking on panels or meeting readers. To them, it’s just what Mom does for work. My husband is super supportive, just like my extended family.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books? That I stood in my own way too much. The more I get out of my way, the more deeply I sink into creative spaces and places.
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite? Well over one hundred at this point—but some of those were ghostwritten, some were non-fiction, some were novellas, etc. I have over 50 novels under my name.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say? All the time! Nearly every day, I find an awesome, inspiring email in my inbox spurring me forward. I love it so much. Hearing from my readers is the impetus for all we do at my company.
What do you think makes a good story? Struggle and pain, to be honest. At least, the stories that I relate to the most seem to contain plenty of that!
Does writing energize or exhaust you? Energize. There have been so many days that I finished writing after six hours and I feel alive. Of course, it’s not always that way. Sometimes, I am tired or my brain feels stuffy at the end of a long day. For the most part, however, it just brings me great joy.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want? The challenge of doing both is a huge thrill to me. I love original work that transports my readers to another place, but also helping them find the story threads they need for courage and energy. So, both!
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you building a body of work with connections between each book? A mixture of these two. I have a fantasy world where everything is connected either geographically, through the stories themselves, or through world lore. It’s fun to have a place for readers to return to that’s the same, but different. Familiar, but fresh. I have series that contain all standalone books, and series with single-character focus. Switching it up helps keeps things new and far from stagnation.
How do you balance making demands on the reader with taking care of the reader? Oooh, this is such a fun question! The only demand that I really want to make of the reader is time, and trust. You can establish trust with the reader within paragraphs—if the reader knows what they want, or have an open mind. If I can demand trust, and then earn it, the next one follows. They’re willing to give all their time to the books!
Do you write novels, novellas, short stories, episodic fiction, poems, screenplays, or something else? What is your preferred format? I typically focus on what my readership prefers, which is novels, but I do LOVE short fiction—novella’s and short stories. My readers love the short stories and novellas in order to dive deeper into my world, Alkarra, and it’s fun for me to explore plots or themes with side characters that I can’t do in the busy novels!
What do you have coming next? There are so many fun projects! Book 9 in The Network Series, which is focused around my reader favorite character Bianca Monroe, is launching in September. I also have a cowritten novel that will release sometime around August, and a standalone YA Fantasy novel about an enchanted manor titled WILDROSE in July.
