The interview - Part 1

	What did you first read? How did you begin to write? Who were the first to read what you wrote?   As a teen I began to seriously read the classics, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s House of the Seven Gables, The works of Guy de Maupassant, Dickens, Twain, and Daphne du Maurier, The Secret Garden, Walter Farley, historical books, etc. I kept a dictionary beside me at all times and whenever I came across a word I didn’t know I stopped to look it up. It was during junior high that I began writing stories. My best friends read my work and encouraged me to continue. As an adult I picked up the pen again in 2003 and haven’t stopped writing since.
	What is your favorite genre? Can you provide a link to a site where we can read some of your work or learn something about it?   Historical and modern romances are my favorite genres. I seem to have a flare for writing epic adventures.
	What is your creative process like? What happens before sitting down to write?   Creativity is a very strong gauge of who I am. It also reveals a bit of an eccentric personality. Before sitting down to write I have to seriously clear my head of all outside influences. From this point I get into character similar to an actor portraying their part.
	What type of reading inspires you to write?   Besides doing research, reading doesn’t really inspire me. I’m quite visual and hope to provide the reader with a feel of what I see through my words. Picturesque views of the Mediterranean motivated me to write Taylor Made. The same views stirred the creation of Adonis Mortale. That’s not to say reading can’t be inspiring. I used to read Sydney Sheldon and others to be whisked away to another place or time. There’s always Dan Brown with his awesome ability to move even a wooden totem pole. I do need to read books that challenge the mind with sub layered plots that twist and turn to better the quality of my work. Michael Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer” or John Hart’s “Iron House” were very good. Oh, and the Fifty Shades of Grey series – yes.
	What do you think are the basic ingredients of a story?   Trauma and drama. I like to take the reader on a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. I give and then take away until the characters are broken and demanding to be fixed. And of course with plenty of loving support from the love of their life. The stories are romances you know.
	What voice do you find most to your liking: first person or third person?   I’ve used third person for most of my work however I’m currently using first person for an epic adventure. With first person the reader can get up close and personal with the characters – more so than by third person. It also makes the background shadows mysterious with a nagging need to know or else find out.
	What well known writers do you admire most?   Well, the ones that have made a career out of writing. Dan Brown fascinates me with his deep intellect of history and cultures, and his ability to weave a tale, and his perception of mankind in general. I’m envious of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series. What a wonderful tale, and in first person. Nora Roberts pumps out books to bring in revenue although I prefer a more adult and complex storyline. I read Richard Castle’s Heat Wave a while back and got a kick out of his playful and knowledgeable style. Oh, and also, Kathleen Grissom’s The Kitchen House. Wow, now Ms. Grissom takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride. When the reader is begging to be soothed by good news she rolls out the powder keg only to blow everything up!
	What is required for a character to be believable? How do you create yours?   Characters are usually built from their foibles, their grief or desire to obtain something that’s currently out of reach. I try to paint their characteristics thoroughly through this mode. Yeah, sometimes I get stuck describing the typical blue eyed blondes, or brown eyed brunettes. At this point I look for their energy, their height, their mannerisms or their career to see what idiosyncrasies drive them.
	Are you equally good at telling stories orally?   I try. That is until my captive audience figures out I’m a show boater. I make a better listener – unless they’re an insufferable show boater. I enjoy listening to professor types and soak up knowledge like a sponge. I absolutely love to learn! Life moves too fast to focus on needless fluff. I’m a woman on a mission to write and publish books.
	Deep down inside, who do you write for?   I write for creative expression. And, for entertainment purposes. It has been said that writers are some of the craziest or loneliest people on earth. One of those isn’t true, but we do talk to ourselves and have discussions with people that aren’t actually there. I want to share my warped personality and dramatic scenarios with those that might appreciate following a good adventure.

The interview - Part 2

	Is writing a form of personal therapy? Are internal conflicts a creative force?   *With elbows on table and hands on face, I sigh.* Of course it is. Really. I tell a story for the sake of an interesting tale to tell. The characters dictate their tragedy, climax and reward. But, for the sake of psychology, yes, any writer uses what knowledge they’ve accumulated over the years to formulate a book. Words can be a reflection of oneself. Please, take me as I am – a writer.
	Does reader feed-back help you?   Most definitely. I need it, want it, but can’t seem to find much of it. Have you ever lived in a remote cabin in the middle of a vast and vacant frontier with the grocery store as your weekly outlet? Feedback is very difficult to find. However, now my sister is writing a book as well and promises to read my work as I do likewise to her story.
	Do you participate in competitions?   I have participated in several writing workshops over the years and received wonderful feedback. Authonomy being the most recent and most helpful with a complete editing of “Taylor Made”. The English ladies love the feisty and naughty nature of “The Enigma” and have spurred me on to finish it.
	Do you share rough drafts of your writings with someone whose opinion you trust?   Yes. Locally, a retired school teacher, a writer of children’s stories, has proofread some of my work, but alas, his genre is not the same as mine, and I prefer not shocking the dear fellow with my work.
	Do you believe you have already found "your voice" or is that something one is always searching for?   A voice is composed of poetic prose, the ability to make the words dance. I think I’ve found my voice however it changes with the seasons. Some days the singsong is there and other days I really need to work at it. Listening to classical music helps.
	What discipline do you impose on yourself regarding schedules, goals, etc.?   I push to keep going with fortitude, stubborn determination and a strong belief system. With two books finished I see hope.
	What do you surround yourself with in your work area in order to help your concentrate?   A clean work environment does wonders. Pictures of the Mediterranean, Native American scenes and photos associated with what I am working on at that moment. I make sure my research is up-to-date.
	Do you write on a computer? Do you print frequently? Do you correct on paper? What is your process?   Everything is on computer and saving devices. In one session I type on the story. I’ll come back at a later date and proofread, make corrections. I probably go over a book a hundred times, in a hundred different frames of mind, to polish things up.
	What sites do you frequent on-line to share experiences or information?   I have a blog site www.kathrynferrier.blogspot.com and use facebook as well. I am also on Authonomy.
	What has been your experience with publishers?   I don’t have any experience with publishers as of yet. Editors have been helpful and encouraging. Agents are the ones I would like to capture the attention of however they seem to be very elusive.
	What are you working on now?   I am working on an epic adventure which took an immeasurable amount of research. It is an interracial story of a Philadelphia debutant in the 1840’s. She builds a friendship with her uncles’ stable groom and together they run away. The pair travels the Underground Railway and crosses the vast western frontier on the Oregon Trail – all in search of the young man’s dream to own a ranch in California – and all before the Gold Rush. They eventually see their children growing up on the west coast. However situations from the east coast continue to haunt them up until the Civil War. I don’t want to give away too much. I’m also working on more than one contemporary romance.
	What do you recommend I do with all those things I wrote years ago but have never been able to bring myself to show anyone?   Keep them! Although I’ve burned the junk that was written as a teenager. In these past years of writing I’ve accumulated several books. Hopefully one day they can all be published – by a career author.