Greetings, Humans!
My human has allowed me to post my interview with the lovely and talented Caitlin Kittredge, even though my punishment continues...hopefully I'll be back to regular blogging next week. Guess that's what I get for showing off my kitty strength, heh heh heh.
But in the meantime....
Today my guest is the lovely and talented YA/Adult UF author, Caitlin Kittredge! She has a new adult UF novel coming out next Tuesday (Devil's Business, Black London series - see photo above) For those of you who aren’t familiar with her, here’s a bit about Caitlin:
Caitlin started writing novels at age 13. Her first was a Star Wars tie-in. Fortunately, she branched out from there and after a few years trying to be a screenwriter, a comic book writer and the author of copious amounts of fanfiction, she tried to write a novel again. Her epic dark fantasy (thankfully) never saw the light of day but while she was struggling with elves and sorcerers she got the idea of writing a story about a werewolf who fought crime.
Two years and many, many drafts later, she pitched Night Life to a bevy of agents and one of them sold the series to St. Martin's. Since then she’s written a plethora of other novels, including THE ICARUS PROJECT series with Jackie Kessler; THE IRON THORN, a steampunk YA UF series, and her latest book, DEVIL’S BUSINESS, in her BLACK LONDON series, is available in print and e-book August 30.
When not writing, Caitlin collects comic books, print books, vintage clothes, and bad habits. She loves tea, loud music, the color black (especially mixed with the color pink) and ghost stories. She can drive a stick shift, play the violin and knows more English curses than American ones.
And now…CAITLIN IN MY HOTSEAT!
R: Hello, Caitlin and Welcome!
CK: Thank you, Rocco.
R:Tell us a bit about yourself and your books
CK I can't remember a time I wasn't writing (okay, I remember a time in kindergarten when we had to keep a daily diary and I didn't want to, because I'd just made a bow and arrow and wanted to go outside and try to shoot at things), but I only got serious after college. I finished my first novel and queried it, and the rest is history. As for my books—I write what I describe as dark fiction, and what my marketing departments describe as either urban fantasy or steampunk fantasy, depending on the series. I love stories about the dark side of the paranormal, and of the real world too, so I think it's natural that's what I ended up writing. I finished my first series, the Nocturne City books, which are about werewolves, and I also write the Black London series, about a secret, supernatural London and now I'm in the middle of writing a YA trilogy, the Iron Codex, which is steampunk with a dash of Lovecraft.
R: The paranormal genre has grown in the past 5 years. Why did you decide to write within this genre and how do you think your books stand out?
CK: I try to inject humanity into all of my stories, even the ones about completely inhuman characters. I think the point of connection for readers is the most important thing. We use fantasy to understand the real world, to talk about social issues, to escape. Fantasy fiction can be used for so many things, but I think so many authors limit themselves to what's safe and comfortable. I always try to push mine and the reader's comfort zones, and to keep my characters as true to life as possible, even if they're ghosts or demons or werewolves.
R: Other than paranormal, what’s your favorite genre to write in/read?
CK: Definitely mystery fiction—the more hardboiled and noir the better. I love a good unhappy-ending noir novel, or books like Jeff Lindsay's Dexter, where the main character might be evil, but he's also the most competent and coolheaded—the monster you'd want on your side. I also love comics—usually independent books or Vertigo titles, but I love Batman, the Avengers, and big flashy superhero stories too.
R: Where do you find your inspiration for your novels?
CK: Everywhere. I've been inspired by songs, by dreams I've had, by mythology and folklore, and also by real-life history and true crime stories. I could never point to just one source. A good writer is open to all influences for inspiration.
R: What do you find is the biggest challenger to you as an author?
CK: Time. I never have enough hours in the day for all the stories I want to write.
R: What do you love the most about your work?
CK: That I get to make stuff up for a living.
R: Can you still find time to read yourself? If so, what is one book on your TBR list you cannot wait to read?
CK I do make time to read, and I have literally probably 200 books on my TBR list. I don't have a stack—I have an entire bookshelf. I can't wait to read all of them!
R: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
CK I've never jumped out of a plane or anything extreme in that sense. I think the craziest thing ever was probably quitting my well-paying game design job to write full time. I had only one contract at that point, but I knew I had to devote more time to writing or I'd never be able to land more deals and enable myself to make a living off of my novels. It was terrifying, but I'm so glad I did.
R: What advice do you have for writers just starting out?
CK: Develop a routine and stick to it. It could be writing every day, it could be writing only one day a week, but learning to write consistently is the hardest part for most new authors.
R: What would your readers be most surprised to learn about you?
CK I'm an avid runner even though I'm fundamentally lazy, and I've competed in several 5k and 10k races. It was hard to get off the sofa initially, but now I'm sort of addicted.
Just for Fun:
R: Day or Night person?
CK: Night person, for sure. I fear daylight.
R: Cat or Dog? (heh heh)
CK: Cats, (R: GOOD ANSWER) but I love dogs, rabbits, or anything else with fur that has the potential to destroy my furniture.
R: Fantastic Four or Justice League?
CK: Justice League
R: Batman or Green Lantern?
CK: Batman. I don't see how that's even a question.
R: Favorite Drink?
CK: Tea, closely followed by diet Coke, coffee and anything else that will keep me from passing out on my keyboard
R: Favorite TV Show?
CK:Burn Notice
R: Favorite Movie?
CK: The Big Lebowski
R: Favorite Author (other than yourself )
CK: Too many to count, and I'd hate to leave someone out!
Meow, Thank you, Caitlin!
Folks, to keep up with Caitlin’s works and appearances, visit her website:
http://www.caitlinkittredge.com/
and now I must slink off into the night, trying my best to be a good boy, so I can return to my blogging!
My human has allowed me to post my interview with the lovely and talented Caitlin Kittredge, even though my punishment continues...hopefully I'll be back to regular blogging next week. Guess that's what I get for showing off my kitty strength, heh heh heh.
But in the meantime....
Today my guest is the lovely and talented YA/Adult UF author, Caitlin Kittredge! She has a new adult UF novel coming out next Tuesday (Devil's Business, Black London series - see photo above) For those of you who aren’t familiar with her, here’s a bit about Caitlin:
Caitlin started writing novels at age 13. Her first was a Star Wars tie-in. Fortunately, she branched out from there and after a few years trying to be a screenwriter, a comic book writer and the author of copious amounts of fanfiction, she tried to write a novel again. Her epic dark fantasy (thankfully) never saw the light of day but while she was struggling with elves and sorcerers she got the idea of writing a story about a werewolf who fought crime.
Two years and many, many drafts later, she pitched Night Life to a bevy of agents and one of them sold the series to St. Martin's. Since then she’s written a plethora of other novels, including THE ICARUS PROJECT series with Jackie Kessler; THE IRON THORN, a steampunk YA UF series, and her latest book, DEVIL’S BUSINESS, in her BLACK LONDON series, is available in print and e-book August 30.
When not writing, Caitlin collects comic books, print books, vintage clothes, and bad habits. She loves tea, loud music, the color black (especially mixed with the color pink) and ghost stories. She can drive a stick shift, play the violin and knows more English curses than American ones.
And now…CAITLIN IN MY HOTSEAT!
R: Hello, Caitlin and Welcome!
CK: Thank you, Rocco.
R:Tell us a bit about yourself and your books
CK I can't remember a time I wasn't writing (okay, I remember a time in kindergarten when we had to keep a daily diary and I didn't want to, because I'd just made a bow and arrow and wanted to go outside and try to shoot at things), but I only got serious after college. I finished my first novel and queried it, and the rest is history. As for my books—I write what I describe as dark fiction, and what my marketing departments describe as either urban fantasy or steampunk fantasy, depending on the series. I love stories about the dark side of the paranormal, and of the real world too, so I think it's natural that's what I ended up writing. I finished my first series, the Nocturne City books, which are about werewolves, and I also write the Black London series, about a secret, supernatural London and now I'm in the middle of writing a YA trilogy, the Iron Codex, which is steampunk with a dash of Lovecraft.
R: The paranormal genre has grown in the past 5 years. Why did you decide to write within this genre and how do you think your books stand out?
CK: I try to inject humanity into all of my stories, even the ones about completely inhuman characters. I think the point of connection for readers is the most important thing. We use fantasy to understand the real world, to talk about social issues, to escape. Fantasy fiction can be used for so many things, but I think so many authors limit themselves to what's safe and comfortable. I always try to push mine and the reader's comfort zones, and to keep my characters as true to life as possible, even if they're ghosts or demons or werewolves.
R: Other than paranormal, what’s your favorite genre to write in/read?
CK: Definitely mystery fiction—the more hardboiled and noir the better. I love a good unhappy-ending noir novel, or books like Jeff Lindsay's Dexter, where the main character might be evil, but he's also the most competent and coolheaded—the monster you'd want on your side. I also love comics—usually independent books or Vertigo titles, but I love Batman, the Avengers, and big flashy superhero stories too.
R: Where do you find your inspiration for your novels?
CK: Everywhere. I've been inspired by songs, by dreams I've had, by mythology and folklore, and also by real-life history and true crime stories. I could never point to just one source. A good writer is open to all influences for inspiration.
R: What do you find is the biggest challenger to you as an author?
CK: Time. I never have enough hours in the day for all the stories I want to write.
R: What do you love the most about your work?
CK: That I get to make stuff up for a living.
R: Can you still find time to read yourself? If so, what is one book on your TBR list you cannot wait to read?
CK I do make time to read, and I have literally probably 200 books on my TBR list. I don't have a stack—I have an entire bookshelf. I can't wait to read all of them!
R: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
CK I've never jumped out of a plane or anything extreme in that sense. I think the craziest thing ever was probably quitting my well-paying game design job to write full time. I had only one contract at that point, but I knew I had to devote more time to writing or I'd never be able to land more deals and enable myself to make a living off of my novels. It was terrifying, but I'm so glad I did.
R: What advice do you have for writers just starting out?
CK: Develop a routine and stick to it. It could be writing every day, it could be writing only one day a week, but learning to write consistently is the hardest part for most new authors.
R: What would your readers be most surprised to learn about you?
CK I'm an avid runner even though I'm fundamentally lazy, and I've competed in several 5k and 10k races. It was hard to get off the sofa initially, but now I'm sort of addicted.
Just for Fun:
R: Day or Night person?
CK: Night person, for sure. I fear daylight.
R: Cat or Dog? (heh heh)
CK: Cats, (R: GOOD ANSWER) but I love dogs, rabbits, or anything else with fur that has the potential to destroy my furniture.
R: Fantastic Four or Justice League?
CK: Justice League
R: Batman or Green Lantern?
CK: Batman. I don't see how that's even a question.
R: Favorite Drink?
CK: Tea, closely followed by diet Coke, coffee and anything else that will keep me from passing out on my keyboard
R: Favorite TV Show?
CK:Burn Notice
R: Favorite Movie?
CK: The Big Lebowski
R: Favorite Author (other than yourself )
CK: Too many to count, and I'd hate to leave someone out!
Meow, Thank you, Caitlin!
Folks, to keep up with Caitlin’s works and appearances, visit her website:
http://www.caitlinkittredge.com/
and now I must slink off into the night, trying my best to be a good boy, so I can return to my blogging!
Everyone, write to THE HUMAN and tell her I must return!
Meowingly yours,
ROCCO
SCI FI BLOGGING CAT
ROCCO
SCI FI BLOGGING CAT
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