Three Times A Charm with Kat M Hawthorne

Welcome to Three Times A Charm. I love to introduce readers to people involved in children’s publishing. Today we have Kat Hawthorne with us. She’s going to share a little about her newly released middle grade book, The Boatman. But first, Kat, can tell us a little about yourself?

Gah, the very first question is a difficult one!

I like to remain mysterious. I tend to lurk (somewhat menacingly) in the lesser-travelled corners of the literary world, or at least that’s the image I portray. In reality, I am a friendly little supernerd who only eats human flesh once per week…if that.

In addition to a smattering of published poetry, I have had several pieces of short fiction published in various literary magazines. These include Underneath the Juniper Tree, Shadows Express Magazine, and at The Rain, Party, & Disaster Society. As you may have guessed, most of my work is of the darker variety, though the genre shifts between young adult, middle grade, and picture books.

I love a good spooky story! So, tell us more about The Boatman.

Isabel Wixon is weird. Not only does she see dead things, but her list of friends consists of a talkative ventriloquist’s dummy and the gentlemanly spider that lives in her hair. Real friends? Too hard. Inventing friends is much easier. 

Inventing the Boatman—a terrible monster that lures kids into a strange sleeping sickness and never lets them go—probably wasn’t one of her better ideas though. 

I recommend my book to readers who like:
Neil Gaiman’s Coraline
Edward Carey’s Heap House
Elizabeth Cody Kimmel’s Paranorman
Or just about any movie by Tim Burton

Now it’s time for The 3’s. Give us the top three answers to the following questions to help us know you better.

  • Top 3 books you recommend reading and why you recommend them.
1)      Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot (particularly the version that was illustrated by Edward Gorey, released in 1982). Master Eliot’s writing is marvelous, of course, and I personally find it quite inspirational. I keep a thick tome (about as thick as my head) of his work on my desk at all times. He never fails to get the words flowing. And cats are practical. They just are.
2)      Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, by Patrick Suskind. Not only did this book inspire Kurt Cobain of Nirvana to write “Sentless Apprentice,” but this book is so lyrically written, it simply must be read. Oh, it’s a bit gory though. For adult audiences only.
3)      The Witches, by Roald Dahl. The master. The one I aspire to be like. Master Dahl is where it’s at all around.

  • Top 3 things you learned about the business after becoming a writer.

1)      Editors are ALWAYS right. Except sometimes when they’re wrong.
2)      Readers are ALWAYS right. Except sometimes when they eat while reading (jam and paper DO NOT MIX folks).
3)      However, It is perfectly fine for a writer to respond to the voices in his or her head. People don’t even look at you sideways, though they do sometimes run off screaming.

  • Top 3 snacks to munch on while working.

1)      Worms
2)      Crow’s toes
3)      Apples (the non-poisoned kind)

Lol. Where can our readers find you and your book online?

Website: http://www.katmhawthorne.com/ 
Twitter: @KatMHawthorne
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatMHawthorne
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7772294.Kat_Hawthorne 

Thanks for joining us, Kat. It’s been fun getting a peek inside the mind of a writer of dark fiction. Not just cobwebs in there [wink]. Many happy sales for The Boatman (pun intended!)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Susan Kaye Quinn, Author of Open Minds, Presents:

Image
Finding Time to Write the Sequel by Susan Kaye Quinn, author of Open Minds (Book One of the Mindjack Trilogy) Even before I decided to self-publish my new paranormal/SF novel Open Minds (Book One of the Mindjack Trilogy) , I knew it would be a trilogy. But once I had made the decision to publish, the need to get busy on the sequel(s) kicked into high gear. Except that I was also publishing a book. Most writers find it difficult to balance writing with all the other demands in life. Even people who are lucky enough to write full time (which I am, since I write while my kids are at school), there’s still a tug between writing time and all the other things that need to be done. Once you’re published, this all changes, and not for the better. Now, not only do you need to write and get the kids to school and get the laundry done, but you also need to market your book, which can mean everything from actually getting it published (edits, covers, websites, blogs)
Read more

Robot Writing - What It Is & How to Avoid It

Image
Many beginner writers fall into the habit of what I like to refer to as “robot writing.” It’s when you basically write your scenes like a grocery list. Ex: Marcy stood and walked across the room. Then she picked up the candle stick to inspect it. She blinked when she noticed the spot of dried blood. Marcy dropped the candlestick and ran from the room. I call it robot writing because when I'm reading it I tend to fall into a robotic pattern and start to sound like the robot from the old Lost In Space series. "Danger. Danger. Will Robinson." You may as well put numbers in front of each sentence: First Marcy stood and walked across the room. Second she picked up the candlestick to inspect it. Third she blinked when she noticed the spot of dried blood. Fourth she dropped the candlestick and ran from the room. Don’t get me wrong, robot writing is absolutely acceptable in your first draft, no matter your writing experience. Your first p
Read more

Don't Be Closed Minded. Read a Banned Book. #Giveaway

Image
On this list , compiled by the ALA, of the top 100 challenged books of the decades 1990-1999 and 2000-2009, I've read: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Adventure of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Blubber Crank The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time The Dead Zone The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things Fat Kid Rules the World The Giver Harry Potter (series) The Hunger Games (series) The Kite Runner The Lovely Bones Olive's Ocean Speak Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes That Was Then, This Is Now Thirteen Reasons Why Twilight (series) A Wrinkle In Time I would recommend any of them, but especially the titles I've linked. The thing with me and banned books is that I don't get it. The banning thing. Why would you ever feel the right to keep a book out of the hands of other readers? Why would you feel you have the authority to say what some can and cannot read? Do you have the right to voice your o
Read more