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First question, Kate. How do you go about starting a new writing project?
The first step is always to choose a new notebook! I need two: an A4 size for the actual book (I write the first draft by hand) and a smaller one to make notes in. I work on the characters first, and need to know their names and what they look like before I can write; I look on the internet for photos that might match my characters, and save them on a Pinterest board.
I donāt do much other planning, other than completing character questionnaires. I prefer to start writing and see what happens!
What was your favourite book as a child and how do you view it now as an adult?
I canāt choose one favourite. I loved so many: The Magic Faraway Tree books, Winnie the Pooh, the Famous Five, the Flambards storiesā¦ There was one particular book that changed my reading habits, though, and I canāt even remember the title! When I was 11, I visited an enormous book warehouse with my primary school headmistress to choose books to give out as school prizes. She told me that I was ready to start reading adultsā books, and picked out one of the Miss Silver mysteries by Patricia Wentworth to be my prize. It was the first crime book Iād read, and it has been one of my favourite genres ever since.
Enid Blyton again! Sheās definitely one of our most popular childhood writers. And I loved Flambards! What are your writing goals long term and/or short term?
When I first stared writing, I just wanted one person to read my book and enjoy it. It still feels incredible that that has happened ā more than one person, I hope! I think Iāll always have that goal for every book thatās published.
My other great wish would be to see one of my books on the shelf of a bookshop. Both books have been published in paperback but havenāt made it into shops, and I hope it happens one day ā it would all seem real then!
Which genre would you like to write in but donāt think you could?
I love reading crime books, particularly police procedural and detective stories. It must be wonderful to write a series and to be able to develop characters across many books. It must also take a great deal of skill and planning to work out a gripping plot, with twists, turns and red herrings, so I think it would be beyond me!
Which television show from your childhood would you like to bring back?
The Adventure Game. It was on BBC2 in the 1980s, and can probably best be described as a forerunner of The Crystal Maze and that style of show. For those unfortunate enough to have missed it, here are the details:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/adventuregame/intro.shtml
Reading the description, it does sound bonkers, but I absolutely loved that show and in the days before iPlayer, nothing could come between me and the television when it was on.
Not heard of that one! Your book is going to be filmed. Name your dream cast.
There are three main characters in The Truth About You, Me and Us: the heroine, Helen, and two potential heroes, Daniel and Joel.
I see a young Emily Blunt playing Helen. James Purefoy would make a perfect Daniel. As for Joel, when I was writing the book the first series of The Fall was showing on television, and I pictured Joel very much like Jamie Dornan, but without the serial killer tendencies. Of course, Jamie went on to find fame as Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades films, and my Joel doesnāt have those tendencies either!
Haha! What thing or things are guaranteed to cheer you up?
A good book is the obvious answer, but apart from that, I would say a walk in the sunshine and my cat. The cat has lived with us for almost two years now, and is our first family pet. When she arrived as a kitten it was a shock to the system and I spent a few days in crisis thinking we had done the wrong thing. Now I canāt imagine life without her. When she curls on my knee and purrs, itās very easy to forget the strains of the day.
Aw, how lovely. Sounds perfect, but is there anything you would change about your life?
I donāt think thereās much Iād change. At the moment I have family, friends, health, a home and a job. Things arenāt always perfect, and thereās been sadness along the way, but Iām grateful for everything I have. Although if Iām totally honest, I wouldnāt mind selling a few more books and having hair that didnāt frizz at the slightest hint of dampā¦
Whatās your favourite social media outlet and why?
Iām on Facebook and Twitter, but much prefer Facebook. I find it a friendlier place: my timeline is full of conversation and interesting articles, whereas my Twitter feed quickly fills with adverts or people trying to be clever or controversial. Perhaps Iām following the wrong people! I particularly like the groups feature on Facebook, and Iām part of some interesting, supportive and informative groups about books and writing.
I agree. What are the best and worst things about being a writer?
The worst thing is the constant worry: whether anyone will buy the book, whether anyone will like it, whether readers who liked the first book will enjoy the second, whether I will get a contract for more booksā¦ I had no idea that it would be like this. When I was an unpublished writer, I worried about whether I would ever be published, but I thought that when I was, all the stress would be over!
There are two best things. The first is when you become so involved with the characters and world youāre writing about that it seems completely real, and the words pour out. I first experienced that with The Magic of Ramblings: for the first time, I was upset to reach the end, as I didnāt want to leave that world behind.
The other best thing is receiving a good review. It doesnāt need to say much: just someone saying they enjoyed reading the book makes all the effort of writing it worthwhile.
Whatās your favourite first or last line from a book?
This is a tricky one! One of my favourites would have to be from The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien:
āIn a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.ā
Itās simple but immediately intriguing. The Hobbit was another of my favourite childhood books, and when I wasnāt reading, I could usually be found playing The Hobbit game on my Commodore 64 computer!
What one piece of advice would you give to other writers?
Find writing friends. It took me a long time to discover the benefits of this, after writing for the best part of twenty years on my own. I now have a wonderful group of beta buddies, who offer support, encouragement, sympathy ā whatever is needed! I recently shared a whole novel with them for the first time, which was terrifying, but the advice they gave was spot on ā even though they did pick up the issues that I had hoped to get away with!
Absolutely agree with you there, Kate. Thank you so much for joining me today.
Kate writes contemporary womenās fiction, mainly set in her favourite county of Lancashire, where she lives with her husband, daughter and hyperactive cat.
She is a member of the Romantic Novelistsā Association.
Kateās debut novel, The Magic of Ramblings, won the RNAās Joan Hessayon Award for new writers in 2017.
You can follow Kate on Facebook and also on Twitter, as @katehaswords.
The Truth About You, Me and Us
Five years ago Helen Walters walked out on her āperfectā life with the āperfectā man. Wealthy, glamorous and bored, she longed for something more.
Now a talented artist with a small business, Helen creates crazy patchwork crafts to support her young daughter, Megan. Penniless, content and single, she is almost unrecognisable.
But when her past unexpectedly collides with her new life, Helen finds herself torn. She knows what the easiest choice is, but is it what she wants?
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