Welcome, Katie. Tell us how much of yourself you write
into your characters.
I used to think I didn’t write much of myself into the
characters. I held firm to the thought that each character was its own person.
I still strive for this and work to make my characters well rounded and three-dimensional.
But! I have come to realize I definitely write a piece of myself into each of
them.
What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
This question?! Geez…I’m pretty boring. I do have quirky
things about me, though, so let’s see. I don’t actually like music. I prefer
silence much of the time. Also, I am a tiny bit obsessed with Disney—theme parks,
movies, history. I find it all so inspiring and enchanting! Also, characters
like Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh, and Alice In Wonderland are really good at
reminding me of the meanings of life (sadly, I’m not joking).
When did you first discover that you were a writer?
Being a writer is something I’ve always known about myself.
The first story I remember writing was penned sometime around age 7. I was
nearing the end of high school when I first began considering writing
seriously.
Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy
reading.
I read anything and everything. Any genre, any subject. My
parents used to joke that they thought I would read the dictionary if it was
all that was available. I want a good story, and I want to learn something I
didn’t know before. Give me those two things and I don’t necessarily care about
the genre of the book!
How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?
I have a few routines that keep me sane, certainly. I read
my Bible every morning, which is something I have done for roughly 20 years.
Have I missed a day here or there? Sure, but I have been very dedicated to my
quiet time. I know that I absolutely need it, so I fit it in above all else.
Besides that, I also love gardening. It’s hard work, and it’s
peaceful. I like that combination!
How do you choose your characters’ names?
My character names get chosen by a variety of ways.
Sometimes, out in the “real world” I hear a name and I KNOW that will be my
next character’s name! Other times, I have to search for it, depending on the
needs of the story.
What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
I’m going to be mushy and a bit cliché, but my answer is having
my children. I have three, and I cannot describe how I love them, or how
thankful I am to be their mother.
If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
A cat, because then people would mostly leave me alone. Ha!
What is your favorite food?
Ice cream!
What is the problem with writing that was your greatest
roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
Impatience has always been a problem for me, and that has definitely
leaked into my writing career! I get impatient in my manuscript when maybe I
should slow down and let things come to me. How do I overcome it? Well, I definitely
do NOT pray for patience!
Tell us about the featured book.
Whispering Tower is a YA time travel novel
with a hint of romance and a lot of action. It’s book 2 in my Beguiled Series,
and if you’d like to hear a secret…this book cover is my most favorite out of
all my books! I fell in love with it at first sight!
Here’s the description from the back of the book!
Stuck in London for one of her mom's work trips, Skye
Humphries can't help holding a grudge when she ends up roped into a summer tour
group with Philip-who-crushed-her-heart. But when Skye and Philip find
themselves barreling through time after unsuspectingly opening the veil between
the past and present, they're thrust into a world where Skye's very life is in
danger.
If Skye had known her choices were between summering with
Philip or being sacrificed to the god of the skies, she might have changed her
attitude. Now she must figure out what's most important to her—getting even for
the past or having a future.
Here is the cover of book one in the series, Shadowed Eden.
Please give us the first page of Whispering Tower.
Present Day
Skye
Skye stared at Big Ben in the distance, watched it tick away
the time, taking her life with it. A few blocks from her hotel window, the
London Eye Ferris wheel rose toward the sky. Tourists and locals mingled in the
streets around it, preparing to start their day. Too bad she wouldn’t be
starting hers down at the London Eye, instead of with breakfast in the hotel
restaurant.
“You’re not ready yet?” Mom’s impatient voice came from the
door between their plush hotel rooms. Skye kept her mouth shut. She hated these
trips, but she tried not to take it out on Mom. Most kids at school would kill
for a parent who travelled the world and took their teen along, but long hours
away from home, while Mom worked eighteen-hour days? Not fun. At least at home,
she had the soup kitchen where she volunteered and the people who volunteered
with her. The people who had become her friends. Here? She was on her own. Dad
had offered to let Skye stay with him, and she’d almost said yes. Almost.
“I’ll be ready.” She turned back to the window, her gaze
going back to Big Ben.
How can readers find you on the Internet?
My website is www.katieclarkwrites.com,
but to interact with me online I can be found on Instagram, Facebook, or
Twitter @KatieClarkBooks.
Thank you, Katie, for sharing these books with my blog
readers and me.
Readers,
here is a link to the book.
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