Welcome, Kathryn. Tell
us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
Quite a bit, actually. There’s a common adage, “Write what
you know,” so I usually do. For example, my debut novel, Angel Beneath My Wheels, was inspired by my own daughter,
Rachel, who was fourteen and had recently attended a “Silver Ring Thing” event with
a girlfriend when I started writing the story. I grew up working on cars with
my father and even helped my husband build a Cobra sports car while we dated so,
like my character in the story, I know quite a bit more about cars than the
average female.
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
Not sure if this is exactly quirky—might simply be bold, stupid,
or outright rude, depending on how you look at it—but I once let myself be
talked into crashing a birthday party for John Mellencamp. I was young and, of
course, we got caught, but John’s wife was super sweet and invited us to stay.
We sang happy birthday, ate cake, and overall it was a really great time. I was
a huge fan, still am!
When did you first
discover you were a writer?
A few years ago, with two children entering their teens, my
husband and I became frustrated by the lack of family appropriate movies. Our
children were too old for Disney and Pixar and they definitely weren’t ready—in
our minds anyway—for PG-rated films. Sadly, we simply stopped going to the
movies.
Later that same year, my mother-in-law, whom I absolutely
adore, recommended a book to me. I read it and, while it was a good story, the
writing was downright lame. And it was published by one of the major publishing
houses. I thought, Heck, I could write
better than that. So I gave it a shot and fast-forward three years and my first
novel, Angel Beneath My Wheels,
was published.
My hope is that it will be made into a movie one day. Set on
a backdrop of auto racing, it has plenty of action for the male audience but
more importantly, it has a subtle but profound message for young women: you’re
worth waiting for.
Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I’ll read just about anything if it’s well written but I tend
to avoid dark storylines and excessive violence. I like stories that are
uplifting or at least have a positive message. Unspeakable violence should
remain, well, unspoken.
My favorite novels are those that reach down deep, wrap up
my whole heart and soul, make me laugh, and cry. And those are the types of
stories I want to write. I want to touch people’s lives. I want my reader
to feel better, be better, love better, because they read my words and took
them to heart. I want to inspire, to comfort, and to breathe faith and hope
into anyone who may despair that they’re alone in this world.
I especially love Nicholas Sparks’ earlier works, before he
went all commercial. I enjoy the really tight, easy to read, writing with the
“Oh, wow!” moments of depth, insightfulness, and resonance. The Notebook is one of my all-time
favorites.
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
It’s all a matter of priorities, really, isn’t it? When I
feel overwhelmed with too much going on, I make a list, put it in order, start
at the top, and check them off. I always put my family first and the rest somehow
falls into place. I don’t always have as much time to write as I would like—who
does?—but I’m incredibly blessed to have an amazing and supportive husband.
How do you choose
your characters’ names?
I keep a list on my phone of names that I like and I usually
add a word or two that indicates the impression I had of the name when I heard
it. For example, strong, gentle, hero, bossy, vile, etc.
What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of?
I certainly can’t take all of the credit—that goes to God, my
husband, and my community—but I am so proud of my children and the young adults
they’ve grown into. I love the saying, “I may not always have been the best
mother but being a mother is the best thing I will ever do.”
If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?
I love dogs, horses and eagles although, honestly, I’m not
sure I’d want to be any of them. How would I write?
What is your favorite
food?
I adore fresh ripe strawberries! They remind of my
grandmother’s garden and the smell of her kitchen when we’d visit every June.
What is the problem
with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
Even though I’ve always been a prolific reader, I didn’t
realize how much there was to know about fiction writing and writing well. But for me, books have always held the knowledge of the world. Whenever I
want to learn about anything, I read about it. So, since I decided to
write, I’ve been reading at least one book a month on the craft of writing. And
I have to say that, with each story I write, the edits are smaller and my
writing is noticeably improving. I read something from my second novel, Forgotten Love, at a new writer’s group I
joined last weekend and more than one person said, “Wow! That’s beautiful.”
That’s when you know you hit the mark.
Tell us about the
featured book.
When I initially sat down to decide what to write, I kept
two things in mind. It had to be a story my whole family would enjoy, and it
had to be something that would make a great movie.
I decided on a love story because every good movie contains
a great romance, but I wanted it to be one my husband would enjoy. So when my
brother described an interesting film called Gas Hole, an eye-opening documentary that alleged a massive cover
up by oil companies, it sounded like the makings of an intriguing story and one
with a definite modern-day interest, given the volatility of gas prices.
According to the documentary, “Big Oil” has been suppressing innovations in
fuel efficiencies for years, even going so far as to murder at least one very
bright young inventor who had the idea for an engine that ran on vapor.
Like many men, my husband and son are into cars. Coupled
with my above-average-for-a-woman knowledge of engines, mechanics, and
chemistry in general, I came up with the idea of a young woman who, like me,
grew up working on cars with her father. My husband and son love NASCAR too so
I thought that would provide an exciting backdrop as well as tie in nicely with
the idea of fuel efficiency. And who doesn’t love to learn something new while
reading a good story?
Finally, above all, I wanted it to be wholesome and family
friendly, with a meaningful message for young people. So my heroine is a young
woman of faith who’s made a commitment to save her virtue for marriage. She
wears a purity ring and the story explores how difficult it can be for a young
woman to retain those ideals in our modern culture.
I really expected it to take more than a couple of tries to
get it right, but my beta readers encouraged me to submit Angel Beneath My Wheels,
assuring me it’s a great story and well written. Six months and forty-nine
query letters later, I landed an agent who then helped me find a publisher
and fast-forward another fourteen months and my first book released on February
29th, 2016!
Please give us the
first page of the book.
Is it possible for me to imagine the person I want to be,
and make myself over to be that man? Or am I forever bound by experience and
upbringing?
It’s well before dawn as I park my pickup at the clearing
and turn off the engine. My stomach growls, and I can’t remember the last time
I’ve eaten. With nothing but a heart full of hope, I set off on foot across the
meadow beneath a moonless sky, then enter the pitch-black woods beyond. I can’t
see squat, but I know the way like a duck knows south.
I make it to my spot, lean against a tree, and stare toward
the willow twenty-some yards away. The silent night is broken only by the
resonant chirp of crickets and the occasional deep-throated croak of a bullfrog
near the creek.
Will she ever return here? A voice within whispers. She will. The possibility keeps drawing
me back.
Like every story, ours has a beginning and, for me, it
started right here where I first saw her, curled up asleep on the soft grass
beneath the willow, her hands palm to palm beneath her cheek as if in prayer.
At the time, I thought she’d been sent from heaven above.
I still do.
I’m hopeful we’re still in the early part of our story,
somewhere nearer to boy-meets-girl than happily-ever-after—or, worse, the
tragic end. I can’t bear the thought our story could be over. For me, it’s
begun.
I knew when I stole that first kiss I wasn’t just going to
fall in love with her; I would love her forever. And if she ever comes back
I’ll tell her. I should have told her right then. Fact is, there are a lot of
things I should have told her. I reckon if I had, she’d know how much I love
her, she’d know she can trust me, and she wouldn’t be running from me.
What a hook. I’m
eager to read the rest. How can readers find you on the Internet?
I’m active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads and LinkedIn, and maintain a website at KathrynSueMoore.com,
where I share monthly short stories about people who inspire others. I invite
you and your readers to join my email list. I only post once per month so I
promise not to overwhelm your inbox. And you’ll be the first to know about my
next book release.
Thank you, Kathryn,
for sharing your debut novel with us. Mine arrived yesterday, so it is going on
the top of my to-be-read pile. I’ll start it as soon as I finish what I’m
reading now.
Readers,
here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this
blog.
Angel Beneath My Wheels - PaperbackAngel Beneath My Wheels: Maybe she was his good luck charm ... an angel beneath his wheels. - Kindle
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6 comments:
Interesting premise. I'm sure now you've started you're not going to stop writing stories.
SOunds good. north platte nebraska.
Thanks for sharing this first page. It sounds like a great book!
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
Enter me!!
Conway SC.
Oh, my! What a beginning! Would love to win this!
Pam in OH
Loving the start of the book thanks.
Lourdes in Long Island, NY
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