Michelle Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Katherine Warwick http://www.ballroomdancenovels.comhttp://www.anopenvein.comhttp://www.katherinewarwick.com I'm not very good at introducing, so you can read Katherine's own introduction here. Reviews: Dancing With His Heart Noon An Open Vein Interview with Katherine Competition During January, Katherine will also monitor this thread, and respond to any questions or comments, so please go ahead and chat to our featured author. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted January 3, 2007 Author Share Posted January 3, 2007 I have a question for you that didn't make it to the interview.. why a change of name for An Open Vein? Is it because it's so different to your romance books? Which name is your other YA fiction under? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KW Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 There are several reasons authors use different names: for privacy, but mainly if they write under one name and don't have any significant sales, an interested publishing house can use another name to "start afresh" if you will. For me, the name differences differentiate my various genres: Women's Romance, ( Katherine Warwick )YA, (Jennnifer Laurens ) and edgy YA.( JM Warwick ) So next time you see your favorite author on the shelf, consider the fact that the name they are using might not be the first name they wrote under. You never know! KW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share Posted January 5, 2007 We have some members of this forum who show an interest in writing. Do you have any advice for them, to help improve their skills.. and confidence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KW Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Though reading "how-to" books may help, nothing is better than a class where you can take your writing in, have the instructor and class read it and then go through the critiquing process. Be open to even the most harsh suggestions, as new writers are often close to their work and think it's already perfect. A seasoned author/teacher "sees" things you aren't trained to see yet and can help you focus your writing lense. Comments from other class members will tell you if you're getting your point across, how interesting your passages are, where they have questions you have not answered. I'm in a group now with a woman that is still very sensitive to crits about her work. Last week we all had the same question at the same spot in her story, but she didn't want to answer the question by changing her work. "I answer that later in the story," she kept saying. Clearly, we all had the question at the same point however, and having that question answered later creates a loss of impact in the story thread. Remember, you're not going to be standing over your reader's shoulder as a footnote to answer they're questions or defend why you did something. All loose ends must be wrapped up in a satisfying manner or be accounted for before the story ends or the reader will be left unsatisfied. Reading is also key, and reading a large variety of genres and authors to see how they express themselves. Subconsciously, this seeps into your creative process as you settle into voice and style, in then end giving you part of your genetic makeup as an author. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Hello Katherine. Can you expand a bit on Kane's character in An Open Vein. Your description of him on the website says... 'A cunning, intelligent, handsome man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Do you have a favourite author to read, and if so, are they inspiration for you? If you could have written any book published by another author, what would you pick, and why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KW Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 You nailed Kane, purplepoppy. Kane’s obsession knows no boundaries. He will stop at nothing in an act of revenge so deeply woven into life that reality has been lost and dreams become what are real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KW Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Do you have a favourite author to read, and if so, are they inspiration for you? If you could have written any book published by another author, what would you pick, and why? I've been fond of Nora Roberts, but lately her newest work hasn't grabbed me. But my all time favorite book is Honest Illusions. Her crafting of that story is as near to perfect as any book I've read on so many levels, it's amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share Posted January 5, 2007 How about the second question, Katherine.. which book do you admire, and wish you'd written? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KW Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 There are so many great books out there and I'd love to have written them for different reasons: Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice because I could never create such a detailed world and I really admire that about her creative process. Penelope Williams for her use of the language in Wages of Sin and Mortal Sins I'd have to say though, Honest Illusions is the book I'd like to have written. It has it all: suspense, fabulous locations, unforgettable characters and it's the kind of book I didn't want to end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Thanks for the speedy replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Yes thank you for your speedy answers. Here's a question of a more general nature. What do your children think about your writing career and do any of them intend following in your footsteps? Do they write now? PP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KW Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 My two daughters ages 21 and 19 both write. One attends our local B&N where I host the writing group. One writes historical romance, the other edgy YA. Both have been voracious readers and have written for their high school newspaper, etc. I think it's in our family genes. My step father was a writer, and it always fascinated me -- his work. Now, ds age 14 is also writing - fantasy - as in, he takes out his frustrations and fantasies in his journals about his older brother harassing him and his younger brother who bosses him around! In his stories, he's the victor of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Hi Katherine. Can I ask you whether you draw on real life experiences in your novels, or whether every one is a figment of your imagination? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KW Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Hi Maureen, Oh, well, there is definitely an element of real life in everything I write. If I'm on a roll, I don't stop and take the time to figure out some things, they just pop into mind and work. I mentioned before that much of John's relationship with his mother in An Open Vein is like mine has been with my mother: agitated, insecure, struggling for independence. Maybe it's because I was an only child but it's been difficult for my mom to let go. She still struggles with that and it's still an issue. I wanted to show the frustration a child has when a parent can't let go, but also, how difficult it is once a parent lets go. It's not as easy to be an adult as you think. When romance enters into a story, I never draw from intimate experience. I wouldn't do that to my husband. This, among other reasons, is why I don't write explicit sex. But many little incidents creep into my work. It's a way of personalizing it I think. And no one knows what's me and what isn't unless they know me very well -- like family. Often friends and family read and point out a neighbor's name that I've grabbed and stuck here or there because I haven't the inclination to pick something else out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Hi Katherine. I was wondering if you'd ever thought about running a writing course or series of workshops? PS - I'm planning on reading An Open Vein very shortly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcow Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Katherine in Dances With His Heart the female lead has a child with autism, do you find it hard to write about something that is personal like that (your website says you have a child who suffers from autism) and did you have to do much research into what is available to a single parent with an autistic child i.e. the special school, its cost and waiting list and the window and door alarms etc. I hope that it is not too personal a question to ask and apologise if so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share Posted January 5, 2007 Often friends and family read and point out a neighbor's name that I've grabbed and stuck here or there because I haven't the inclination to pick something else out. They probably think they're really special.. and you've simply picked their names because you're stuck! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KW Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Hi Katherine. I was wondering if you'd ever thought about running a writing course or series of workshops? PS - I'm planning on reading An Open Vein very shortly... Hi Kell, I really enjoy helping people with their writing, and have already been "hired" if you will, by other authors to critique and work with them through the process. (Not for pay) I do it because I was so moved by my own experience with my instructor that I thought, if I could help someone to the degree he helped me, I could give back. Not to sound cheesy, but I really DO enjoy that. In light of that enjoyment, I have an online crit group with a few select ladies -- we came together from other online crit groups -- and I head up two local crit groups here in my city. Every now and then I still work one on one with writers if my schedule allows. It can be very time consuming. But I think it'd be fun to try an online class with posts, weekly lessons /writing challenges and feedback from other members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Well, if you do, sign me up! And in the meantime, any pointers you can give me on any of the shorts I've been posting here will be most welcome, good or bad - I'm all for improving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KW Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Katherine in Dances With His Heart the female lead has a child with autism, do you find it hard to write about something that is personal like that (your website says you have a child who suffers from autism) and did you have to do much research into what is available to a single parent with an autistic child i.e. the special school, its cost and waiting list and the window and door alarms etc. I hope that it is not too personal a question to ask and apologise if so. Hey Madcow - LOL, I didn't need to do any research for DWHH. Nope, that was ( again ) all me there. Writing Lauren as a mother of a child with autism was really a purge for me. I wanted the contrast between her highly competitive life as a dancer to be just as high stress as life is living with autism, because it made her more real and sympathetic. But all of those things that happened to Lauren -- the things Rebekah did -- are all things my daughter with autism has done. Running away, getting lost, escaping through windows and doors, falling from shelves, etc...are direct experiences from our daily lives, though she's 12 now and has grown out of the running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KW Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Stuck, sometimes most definitely, but mostly it's because I have a neighborhood directory sitting right here next to my computer and if I'm creating a new character, I glance at it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Thanks Katherine - that was very open and sincere of you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Often friends and family read and point out a neighbor's name that I've grabbed and stuck here or there . .....I will check if:mrgreen: I find any of the forum members in yr next book Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts