Hey Everyone!! :-)
Catherine Winters has joined us today!! :-) Catherine, will you please tell us about yourself and how many books you have written?
Catherine: I'm a thirty-something author living in Denver, Colorado. I've been writing since I was 10, and I currently have four novels out, and one collection of short stories.
Me: Wonderful! :-) What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Catherine: The last book I published is GOLD. It's the third in a series, and the final book to a smaller trilogy within the larger universe. It was really inspired most by the first two books - as series enders tend to be - but I also wanted to explore some of the big questions that a newly-made vampire might face. What is life, what is death, what does it mean to live forever, how can you keep yourself sane, how do you contribute to society when you're outside of it. That kind of stuff. I don't know that my character, Josephine, really got any answers, but I like to think she's still working on it.
Me: Sounds like Josephine is as mixed up as most of us. :-) What are you working on now?
Catherine: My fourth Imperial Vampires book, which is a prequel, is in editing right now. I'm also pitching a women's fiction about a young widow with a stalker to some agents. And my fifth Imperial Vampires book is starting to take shape.
Me: Terrific! Best of luck with your pitching. ;-) What authors, or books, have influenced you?
Catherine: Oh, man. Who hasn't? I've been a reader for longer than I can remember. But I go back to my favorites: Anne Rice, Stephen King, Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, MaryJanice Davidson. I'm also a Dean Koontz fan, and I love A. S. Byatt, Gillian Flynn, and Elizabeth Kostova when I'm feeling more literary.
Me: Ha! Several of my favorite authors are on that list. :-) What are you reading now?
Catherine: Right now I'm finishing the latest Anita Blake novel from Laurell K. Hamilton. And then I have some romances and some stuff from local Colorado authors on my TBR.
Me: I read that one, it's really good! :-) For those who might consider reading your book, what would you tell them to expect?
Catherine: Like Lego Batman said, "DARKNESS. NO PARENTS." But in seriousness, I do like to explore the not-so-nice sides of things through my characters, who really push the story along. My characters are not tortured so much as they realize the world can be an unforgiving place, and the people in it even moreso. They've seen some shit. There's always hope - because it's life, and there's always hope in life - but sometimes, it can seem very far away. Basically, I write character-driven adult fiction for adults - with some fangs and some hot billionaires and some smart, ambitious women.
Me: Sounds interesting!! :- What is your favorite part of being an author?
Catherine: Working in my pajamas. :) Seriously, it's getting to live with my characters. That's also my least-favorite part, but, you know. Only when they don't want to do what I tell them.
Me: I think most authors could sympathize with you there! In my novella, Intrigue In The Summer Court, my characters wanted to debate Machiavelli when I wanted them to be getting it on! Stubborn things! ;-) Do you have a day job as well?
Catherine: I have three, actually. I work two days a week as a receptionist for Intelligent Office; I work one day a week as a courier for a property management company; and I work weekends as the principal mezzo-soprano for the choir at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver.
Me: Busy lady!! What are the hardest and easiest parts about being a writer?
Catherine: The hardest part is making a career out of writing. All the marketing and designing and pushing the books out there is something that's difficult to get right, and you have to just keep trying and trying again until you find something that works well for you and for your books. I'm still not sure what that is, but I'm trying! The easiest part is listening to my characters. They tell me what they want me to know, what story they want told. I just have to sift through it and find the truth.
Me: I think marketing is a challenge for many authors. :-) What genre do you place your book in?
Catherine: The Imperial Vampires books are Urban Fantasy. MADNESS, my other novel, is somewhere between commercial fiction and literary fiction.
Me: I love Urban Fantasy!!! :-) Anything else you'd like to tell your readers?
Catherine: I love, love, LOVE talking with readers and fans - of me, sure, but fans of general vampire stuff and geekery, too. My Facebook page is a lot of grammar jokes and puns and Star Trek memes, and it absolutely thrills me to no end when I get a comment on things. Talking to people about stuff we have in common is just absolutely the best, IMO, and they should never be hesitant to reach out to me. I'm also more than happy to help out fellow writers. I know a lot of readers are also writers, and I really believe in the power of the community to raise us all up. If people have links for me to share or stories they need beta read or edited, I am totally here for that. I believe in giving back to my community - and I'm lucky enough that my community is all over the world and doing amazing things with storycraft and publishing these days.
Me: I couldn't agree more, there are so many "kindred spirits" (as one of my favorite literary characters might say) out there, and it's always a pleasure to talk with them about our mutual obsessions. ;-) So all these fine folks can find your amazing stories, are there any links you'd like me to post?
Catherine: I'd love it if you could post my general social media stuff:
writingwinters.com - My website
facebook.com/writingwinters
twitter.com/writingwinters
pinterest.com/writingwinters
plus.google.com/+writingwinters
And the buy links:
BLACK (Josephine Book 1)
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Josephine-Book-Catherine-Winters-ebook/dp/B00M6V9OOY
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-catherine-winters/1112040557
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/black/id898317404
Catherine: Working in my pajamas. :) Seriously, it's getting to live with my characters. That's also my least-favorite part, but, you know. Only when they don't want to do what I tell them.
Me: I think most authors could sympathize with you there! In my novella, Intrigue In The Summer Court, my characters wanted to debate Machiavelli when I wanted them to be getting it on! Stubborn things! ;-) Do you have a day job as well?
Catherine: I have three, actually. I work two days a week as a receptionist for Intelligent Office; I work one day a week as a courier for a property management company; and I work weekends as the principal mezzo-soprano for the choir at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver.
Me: Busy lady!! What are the hardest and easiest parts about being a writer?
Catherine: The hardest part is making a career out of writing. All the marketing and designing and pushing the books out there is something that's difficult to get right, and you have to just keep trying and trying again until you find something that works well for you and for your books. I'm still not sure what that is, but I'm trying! The easiest part is listening to my characters. They tell me what they want me to know, what story they want told. I just have to sift through it and find the truth.
Me: I think marketing is a challenge for many authors. :-) What genre do you place your book in?
Catherine: The Imperial Vampires books are Urban Fantasy. MADNESS, my other novel, is somewhere between commercial fiction and literary fiction.
Me: I love Urban Fantasy!!! :-) Anything else you'd like to tell your readers?
Catherine: I love, love, LOVE talking with readers and fans - of me, sure, but fans of general vampire stuff and geekery, too. My Facebook page is a lot of grammar jokes and puns and Star Trek memes, and it absolutely thrills me to no end when I get a comment on things. Talking to people about stuff we have in common is just absolutely the best, IMO, and they should never be hesitant to reach out to me. I'm also more than happy to help out fellow writers. I know a lot of readers are also writers, and I really believe in the power of the community to raise us all up. If people have links for me to share or stories they need beta read or edited, I am totally here for that. I believe in giving back to my community - and I'm lucky enough that my community is all over the world and doing amazing things with storycraft and publishing these days.
Me: I couldn't agree more, there are so many "kindred spirits" (as one of my favorite literary characters might say) out there, and it's always a pleasure to talk with them about our mutual obsessions. ;-) So all these fine folks can find your amazing stories, are there any links you'd like me to post?
Catherine: I'd love it if you could post my general social media stuff:
writingwinters.com - My website
facebook.com/writingwinters
twitter.com/writingwinters
pinterest.com/writingwinters
plus.google.com/+writingwinters
BLACK (Josephine Book 1)
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Josephine-Book-Catherine-Winters-ebook/dp/B00M6V9OOY
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-catherine-winters/1112040557
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/black/id898317404
Me: Perfect!! Thank you for sharing your work with us today, Catherine, it was a lot of fun to learn more about your work. Thank you everyone else for joining us, and don't forget to stay tuned for more of Mistral Dawn's Musings!! :-)
Thank you so much for having me! It really was a pleasure.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Best of luck with your books, they sound great! :-)
Delete