Hello everyone! I'm so happy to present Catherine Chant for Books & Sweet Epiphany's MaFTA session!! *squeal*
She is one of my favourite authors and I had fun knowing her.
Take a look at the interview down below. :D
1. Can you tell us a
little about yourself and your background?
Although
I’ve been writing since I was very young (heavily influenced by the Nancy Drew
series in elementary school), I went to college and studied mathematics because
all the adults around me said writing/art/theater wouldn’t get me a good job.
While studying math, I took a little detour into computers and after graduation
I worked in the technology field for fifteen years. So I guess you could say
I’m a computer nerd at heart (which might explain my affection for video games
as well.) :)
2. Who are your
favourite authors?
I
read across a lot of genres, but I think dark suspense is my most favorite, so
authors like Brenda Novak, Allison Brennan and Harlan Coben always top my list.
I just finished reading the “Gone” series by Michael Grant and really loved
that! Couldn’t put those books down! You’d probably technically call that
series sci-fi, but it’s got lots of suspense as well!
3. When did you decide
to become an author?
I
had two complete novels under my belt shortly after graduating from college,
but the idea of becoming an “author” (selling what I write and making a career
out of it) didn’t happen until fifteen years later when I left my full-time job
in technology to become a stay-at-home mom to my new baby boy. I started
freelancing (non-fiction articles, website content, etc.) when my son was about
a year old and eventually revisited those novels I’d written way back when to
see what I had there. Once I started reading them, I knew this was what I
wanted to do from now on, and haven’t looked back since.
4. What made you decide
to sit down and actually start something?
To
be honest, I started my first book simply because I was bored. :) I had an
office job at a not-so-busy office, and while teaching myself new word
processing software I just started typing up my daydreams and random stuff from
my imagination so I’d have some text on the screen to play with (like a
practice document). Over time, that ‘stuff’ started to gel together into a
cohesive story and I realized I might actually be creating something real here,
not just doodle typing. That “doodling” eventually became my first completed
manuscript a year or so later.
Since
then, I’ve been more receptive to story ideas as they come to me and I
recognize them as story ideas, not just random thoughts. As soon as I get one
that I think is interesting enough to be a book, I write the idea down and
store it in a special “ideas” folder I have.
5. So, what have you
written? (*Include books, novellas, short stories, poems, blogs, awards or
anything of interest.)
I’ve
written tons of freelance material. Everything from how to grow your own
vegetable garden to how to do something in one of the new Pokemon games. Mostly
I’ve written a lot of technology articles, how-to software guides and things
like that, since that’s my primary background. I continue to write similar
articles in the blog section of my website from time to time. One article I’m
particularly proud of is the one I wrote about ASCII Art for SchoolArts magazine a few years ago.
For
fiction, I’ve written a few short stories over the years that have appeared in
online and print magazines, but mainly I wanted to focus my energies on novels.
I have several novels either completed, at the revision stage or currently in
progress.
I
put a list of these “Works-in-Progress” on my website:
I
do have some awards listed on my website as well:
Most
are from RWA (Romance Writers of America) unpublished writer contests, which I
entered when I was just starting out to gain valuable feedback from the writing
judges and improve my craft.
I’ve
slowed down quite a bit on the contest circuit since finaling in the
prestigious RWA Golden Heart® contest in 2008, but I did enter a couple
published writer contests earlier this year with my novel WISHING YOU WERE
HERE. The book was chosen as a finalist in Wisconsin RWA’s Write Touch Reader’s
Award contest, so I’m pretty excited about that.
6. Are you working on
anything currently?
I
am currently working on Book 2 of my Soul Mates series, the follow-up to
WISHING YOU WERE HERE, and I’m also working on a new “top secret” paranormal
project that if all goes well I’ll be able to say more about by the end of the
summer. Waiting in the wings on the back burner are two completed novels that
need some revising. One is a YA mystery/suspense and the other an adult
romantic suspense.
7. Do you have a special
time to write or how is your day structured?
I
try very hard to treat my writing as a regular job. So I get up early, get my
son off to school and then I go to my home office and work at the computer
until about two in the afternoon. Then I have lunch and wait for my son to come
home from school. I’m more of a “morning person” so I try to get my writing done
first thing in the morning, but sometimes it’s hard because email and Facebook tempt
me mercilessly. :)
8. What is the hardest
thing about writing?
The
hardest thing for me is procrastination, being distracted by things like email
or Facebook when I’m supposed to be writing. :) And I think the second hardest
thing is probably writing when you don’t feel like it, which isn’t really an
option since this is my job.
9. Did any movies
inspire you to write your book?
I
wouldn’t say any particular movie inspired me to write the book (maybe La Bamba had a tiny bit of influence if
I had to pick one), but a song definitely did, way back in the 1980’s. It was
tribute song about two musicians from the 1950’s that I didn’t know much about,
but the song made me want to learn more. When I looked the duo up, I discovered
one of them sang a song I was very familiar with, so I was surprised his name
hadn’t rung a bell. Then I read his biography and discovered he had died in a
car crash several years before I was born, when he was only 20 years old. From
my shocked reaction, the idea for WISHING YOU WERE HERE was born.
10. Who is your most
favourite character in "Wishing You Were Here"? Why?
Wow,
that’s hard to say because each of the characters, even the minor ones, have
something I like about them (even mean ol’ Walter), but I think I’m going to go
with a character that most readers probably like the least and that’s Sable
Courtney. She just makes me smile when I think about her actions in the story.
She tries so hard to be prim and proper and do what’s expected of her, but
through Callie’s eyes she’s a bit of a drama queen. I’m toying with the idea of
giving her a cameo appearance in the second book.
11. Are any of your
characters based on anyone you know?
Nope.
Every one of them I made up from my fertile imagination. Although the idea for
the story was inspired by a real musician and his untimely death, everything
about Joey Tempo (except maybe his choice of guitar) is totally different.
Background, family, personality, all made up.
Likewise,
although Callie’s reaction to Joey’s story is inspired by the shock I felt when
I learned of that musician’s tragic death, she’s definitely not me. I did love
classic rock ’n’ roll as a teenager, but I was ever as ambitious as she is at
17. I went off to college without any plan at all. I had no clue about what
sort of job I’d have after I graduated. I even changed majors after my first
semester because I was so unsure about what I wanted to do. Callie, on the
other hand, has it all figured out. She’s very goal-oriented and knows exactly what
she wants. (Just maybe not the best way to get it. :) )
12. People always debate
on traditional paper/hard back books and ebooks. What is your favourite?
As
I write this I’m simultaneously reading a hard back, a paper back, and a book
on my Kindle. So I love all formats! :) I find different formats good for
different situations. The paperback, for example, is great to take to the beach
(and that’s where I was the other day!). A hard back is too heavy to carry with
all the other stuff you bring to the shore, and I’d never take anything
electronic with me. Sand gets everywhere. I worry it could get in the e-reader
buttons or scratch the screen.
On
the other hand, ebooks are great for taking with you to places like doctor’s
offices. The readers are so slender they fit right in your bag and off you go. Over
the weekend I was at a horse show to support my sister and during the down
time, I sat on a rock and whipped out my Kindle while waiting for the next
event to start.
I
tend to buy hard backs of books I want to keep in my collection, especially if
it’s part of a set (like the Harry Potter novels, or a new Stephen King novel)
because they look nice on the shelf all lined up, but I’d say without a doubt I
buy most of my books on the Kindle now. So easy!
13. What is your
favourite genre? Why?
Suspense
all the way, but I also read many other genres because if you think about it,
every story has some element of suspense in it or you wouldn’t be turning the
pages. I especially love ghost stories, family secrets, and mysteries. But I
also read a little bit of sci-fi and historical novels, like the Tudor books by
Philippa Gregory. I’m not a huge fantasy fan, but I have the Game of Throne series on my TBR
(to-be-read) pile and hope to get to it soon. (I love the TV show!)
14. I really love the
cover of 'Wishing You Were Here'. Tell me about the cover and how it came
about.
I
designed the cover myself, and initially I was planning something like an old
postcard as a play on the title and the “Wish You Were Here” sentiment you
often see on old postcards, but as I experimented with different nostalgic
images (postcards or things from the 1950’s), it just seemed to give the book
an “old” feel that didn’t look right for a young adult novel.
So
I went back to the drawing board and decided to focus on the time travel aspect
of the story instead and let the blurb on the back of the book relay the time
period. Time travel got me thinking about doorways, tunnels, crossing
boundaries, etc. and when I came upon the picture of the girl on the covered
bridge it struck me as the perfect way to show someone traveling between two
worlds. The empty grass on the far side of the bridge symbolized the unknown to
me as well as the simplicity of a rural, southern town in 1957.
The
image of the lone figure on the bridge also struck me as kind of romantic. It reminded
me of someone waiting to meet her boyfriend, someone she probably wishes were
here right now. That was my “Ah-ha!” moment in the design process. This single
image said so much about what was going on in the story, I had to use it.
I
did try to keep a hint of the original postcard idea, though, when I selected
the typeface used for the title. I wanted it to seem as if Callie were writing
those words in her own hand to Joey.
15. Do you think the
cover plays an important role in the buying process?
Definitely!
There are so many books available nowadays that when you look at a display of
titles for sale it’s the cover that’s going to first draw your eye one way or
the other. They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but many readers do. They
may not buy the book solely on appearance, but usually it’s the cover that
makes someone look at the back of the book or read the online description to
see if the story appeals to them.
16. When you first
published your novel, were you afraid or excited to read the reviews?
Probably
a mixture of both. :) I was hoping people would like it, but at the same time I
knew from having entered so many writing contests that not everyone loves every
story. I also thought about my own reading choices and reactions to books that other
readers might love, but I just didn’t get. I vowed to keep reviews in
perspective and remember that they are subjective.
Mainly
I was just very excited that the book was available for people to read. WISHING
YOU WERE HERE has had a very lengthy journey to publication.
17. What are your
thoughts on good and bad reviews?
I
don’t know any author who doesn’t like a good review. LOL! And I am always
eternally grateful for every positive review I receive. Each one is special to
me and means a lot.
As
a reader, if I’m considering buying a book, I usually look at good reviews for
an indication of what about the story the reader liked. If it’s the same sort
of things that appeal to me, then it might influence my purchase choices.
Similarly,
as a reader, I might look at negative reviews to see what the issue was.
Nitpicky reviews that talk about typos or other minutia don’t sway me in the
least. I want to hear about the story (without spoilers, please!). And mean
reviews that just want to tear someone down and have nothing to do with the
story I disregard completely.
18. What is your
favourite motivational quote?
I
have three that stand out me:
“If you don't have time
to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” –
Stephen King
(which
translates into simply, “Read a lot. Write a lot.” That’s how you become an
author.)
I
don’t know who said this next one. I got it in a fortune cookie at a Chinese
restaurant a long time ago and taped it above my computer:
“If you can imagine it,
you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.”
And
this last quote is printed on a picture of a butterfly my son gave me for
Mother’s Day one year:
Believe in the magic you
can create.
19. When you want to
relax, what do you do?
I
usually will read, knit/crochet (that’s my favorite hobby away from books),
play a little Sims 3 or another video game (I think I may have mentioned
earlier I know a thing or two or three about Pokemon LOL!) or I watch TV. I’m a
sucker for Lifetime TV movies, anything with Gordon Ramsay and the Nickelodeon
shows I watch with my son.
20. What advice would
you give to aspiring writers?
Keep writing. You only get better
with practice, so if this is what you want to do don’t stop. Lots of people say
they want to write a book, but few ever finish one. Show everyone you’re a
finisher and keep going! And don’t forget to read a lot too! That’s very
important. (As Stephen King reminds us in the quote above).
Also,
write the book you want to read, because you’re a reader first.
21. Give a shoutout to all
your fans out there. :D
{Big wave} Thank you all for
stopping by to learn more about me and my novel Wishing You Were Here. If you feel like traveling back in time to 1957 for a little drama, a
few life or death moments, and a lot of rock 'n' roll romance, please check it
out.
And
an extra big, super huge, enthusiastic THANK YOU to Selina for inviting me to Books and Sweet Epiphany today! It’s
been a real pleasure to meet you and talk to you about my writing.
Here are some ways you can get to know Catherine Chant.
Website:
http://www.catherinechant.com
Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/catherinechant/
Amazon
Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Chant/e/B00AGJHJ6I/
Not only that, here are some links to get Catherine's book, Wishing You Were Here. TO read my review, click here
Thank
you Catherine for taking the time to answer these questions.
You're
Awesome!!
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