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Author Interview - Kathryn Rossati


My guest this week is fantasy author, Kathryn Rossati. Kathryn writes YA/NA and childrens' fiction as well as poetry. She also has published works under the pen name of Kathryn Wells.


Thank you, Kathryn, for participating in author interviews.

About Writing/Books/Being an Author


1. Do you remember the first book you read that had an impact on you - in what way and what was the name of that book?


Not specifically, as I read voraciously as a kid and so absorbed quite a few books. There was one series that made me want to write a sequel, though – which I guess would be fan fic now – and that was The Legendeer by Alan Gibbons, about a boy

who goes into a game world as Perseus. It taught me a lot about Greek, Norse and Vampire myths.


2. When did you first realize you wanted to write?


I think I started writing stories as soon as I grasped enough writing skills to do so at around five or six, and a few years after that, I knew it was what I wanted to do when I grew up.


3. Who is/are your favourite author(s)?


Tough one, as I have so many: Diana Wynne Jones, David Eddings, Garth Nix, Geanna Culberston, Jonathan Stroud, Cornelia Funke


4. What is your favourite thing about writing? What is your least favourite thing about writing?


My favourite is coming up with ideas. I tend to get lost in my head for days doing this. My least favourite is definitely the first draft, as there are times when the words simply don't flow as well as they should. Saying that, I make them come out when I have deadlines.


5. Where do your ideas come from?


I'd say from everything I absorb going through life – any interactions, art, media, dreams. All sorts of places, really. I take bits from here and there and jumble them all up in a pot and let them stew together.


6. I’ve often found that creative people have more than one talent, what is yours?


Hmm, I don't know about talent, but there's lots of things I'm interested in. I'm quite good at arts and crafts when I want to be.


7. If you could jump inside a book for one day (as an observer) what book would it be?


One of Garth Nix's Abhorsen ones, I'd love to see Charter Magic for real.


8. When you create characters, are they completely made up or do they resemble or remind you of people you know?


That often depends on the book. Sometimes there's intentionally parts from people I know in them, others there's not.


9. Have you ever created a character “out of thin air” only to run into someone in real life that reminds you of that character either in personality or their features?


No, actually. But I'm quite glad, as I'd probably end up calling them by the character name, which would lead to all sorts of confusion.


10. How do you come up with titles for your books?


Sometimes they're inspired by the plot or something a character says, though I often have the title in my head before I start writing. Of course, they can change as I get more familiar with my characters.


11. What are you working on now and can you tell us about it?


I'm writing a middle grade time travel about a girl who ends up in the Victorian era and meeting a boy magician whose journal she found in an old magic book.


12. Have you won any awards for your writing/books and if so what?


I've come runner-up in a few local short story competitions before. None of my books have been entered into competitions, but maybe someday they will be, so who knows?


A Little More Personal


13. What is one thing you haven’t done but would like to do?


I'd love to own my own bookshop one day.


14. Can you tell us about an embarrassing/funny moment?


I have many. Being autistic, I often misunderstand what people are saying, only to figure it out a while after. Those moments can be either hilarious or embarrassing, depending on who I'm with. If I'm with my other half, we usually end up roaring with laughter and going completely off topic.


15. Have you ever experienced something weird you could not explain?


Not that I can think of. My mum has though.


16. Are you superstitious? Do you have any rituals for good luck?


I try not to be, though I often have my mum's old rhymes pop into my head (like when seeing magpies). I don't have any rituals for luck, but I do have some for comfort. I'm a very routine person though, so I guess that explains it.


17. What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten?


I've been known to dip lollipops into tea before. And I tend to throw any old thing together when I'm low on ingredients.


18. Do you have a favourite vacation spot? Where?


I like quiet places around nature. But on the flip side, I've always wanted to go back to Disneyland.


19. Can you tell us about one of your favourite childhood memories?


I've got quite a few, but I loved going to museums. I also had one of my stories read out in front of the whole school in primary, which was lovely, but kind of embarrassing too.


20. What makes you happy?


Rambles off the beaten track with my other half (neither of us have any sense of direction, so it's usually an adventure), reading, being creative, spending time with my animals.


21. If you aren’t writing (or doing anything associated with writing), what are you doing?


Procrastinating, usually. Which can mean anything from cleaning the whole house or getting stuck into The Legend of Zelda/ a good book.


22. Have you ever met anyone famous – who?


Nope, but I'd love to meet some of my favourite authors.


Kate's Links:


Twitter: @KaptainKat90

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