8 December 2014

Author Q&A Session #8: With Kate Scott

Hello Friends,
After quite a long time, I got another opportunity to feature the upcoming YA author, Kate Scott, for an interview session.Kate Scott is the author of Counting to D and The Evolution of Emily. Her books are ruling the best-seller list now and Kate Scott is very popular among her YA readers fan circle. So without wasting any more second, let's start asking her all about her books, life and beyond!
Read the review of:
Me: Hello and welcome to my blog, Kate. Congratulations on your new book, The Evolution of Emily. Can please tell us briefly about the story behind The Evolution of Emily?

Kate: The Evolution of Emily is about a teenage girl named Emily who runs away from her old life in search of a new one. Emily's mother is mentally ill and has been homeschooling Emily and her younger sister since they were young. Emily wants something new and chooses to break out of her mothers protective shell and start attending public high school. Once Emily gets to school, she makes friends and falls in love for the first time. While this book tackles a lot of serious issues, at it's core it is a fun high school romance.

Me: How will you describe your journey as a writer so far?


Kate: When I wrote my first book, Counting to D, I knew it was better than everything I'd ever written before. Yes, I do have a drawer full of old manuscripts, and no, nobody can ever read them. Trust me, you don't want to. When I finished C2D, I wondered if I'd ever be able to write anything else as good as Counting to D. Then I wrote The Evolution of Emily

Every single person who has read both books has told me they like EoE better than C2D. I think that means I'm still growing. I'm still learning. And hopefully, my third book will be even better. So in answer to your question, my writer journey is just beginning. Yes, I've published two books, but there are a lot more stories inside of me, and I know my writing can still improve as my characters tackle new challenges.

Me: In your first book, Counting to D, Sam was your protagonist. How were you inspired to create a character like Sam? And similarly, in The Evolution of Emily, who/what inspired you to create a character like Emily?
 

Kate: Sam is dyslexic, smart, and complex. I am also dyslexic. I like to think of myself as smart. And I know my learning disability is only one small part of who I am. I have always wanted to write a smart honest dyslexia story and Counting to D was that book. While the events of the story are all fiction, the personality of Sam is completely me. Writing a character so similar to myself made for very easy narration, so it was a "simple" first novel to undertake.

Emily on the other hand is nothing like me. She's painfully shy, and she loves to run. I am a total blabber mouth and I hate running. Finding Emily's voice was very hard for me, but I think the challenge is what pushed me to grow as a writer and create a story that readers can connect with, even if they aren't shy and hate running too.

Me: Name one trait of each Sam and Emily that intrigue you the most.

Kate: That's a hard question, because Sam and Emily are both fully formed complex beings. Yes, they were born in my imagination, but they feel bigger than that. I can't name one thing about Sam and Emily that intrigues me, because they are both far more than one thing. And intrigue to get to know these characters is what motivated me to write these books.

Me: What do you expect your readers to draw away from the climax of your books?
 

Kate: People are complicated and rarely live up to stereotypical assumptions. Diversity is good, and striving to be yourself is always a virtue. That's the main theme of both of these books, and will likely be the main theme of most of my future books. So I hope that's what readers take away.

Me: Does Kennedy High School hold a special meaning for you? In both the books, you've spun your stories around Kennedy High School.

Kate: Kennedy High is nothing more than a fictional high school located near where I went to high school and still live. The building doesn't hold any real significance, but the fact that both of my books are set there (and my third book will also be placed in the Kennedy world) isn't an accident. Counting to D is about a girl named Sam. The Evolution of Emily is about a girl named Emily. My third book, Fragments of Life, will be about a girl named Sophie. Sam, Emily, and Sophie are all interesting people with interesting stories to tell. Everyone is interesting. Everyone has a story to tell. Even characters that only move in the background and are never named in one book are still interesting people. That's why I'm writing more books, because I want to tell those characters stories too.

Me: Since your days are so full of writing, so how do you unwind yourself from the stress?

Kate: Writing is actually what I do to unwind from everything else going on in my life. I do also enjoy reading, and spending time outdoors.

Me: Is writing your sole profession? What are your other passions apart from writing?

Kate: I am a licensed civil engineer and until recently engineering was my primary profession and writing was more of a hobby turned second career. Last summer, I adopted two young children. I'm taking time off from my engineering job to bond with my kids, and trying to squeeze in writing when ever I can. Even though writing is currently my only source of income, it still feels very much like a secondary position to the all consuming job known as motherhood.

Me: What will be your one true favorite book that helped you a lot in your teenage period?

Kate: I loved all the Ramona books (by Beverly Cleary) when I was little. There isn't really one title form my teen years that jumps out as a favorite in my mind though. I read (or actually listened) a lot as a teen, but never came back to one title over and over again. There are so many great stories in the world, I still almost never re-read books because I'd rather spend my reading time discovering something new.

Me: Than you so much for sparing time to have this interview session with me for my blog. I can only wish you luck in all your future endeavors.

Kate: Thanks for having me.
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Kate's Bio:
Kate Scott lives in the suburbs outside Portland, Oregon with her husband Warren. Kate was diagnosed with dyslexia as a young child but somehow managed to fall in love with stories anyway. COUNTING TO D is her first novel. When Kate isn't writing, she enjoys listening to audiobooks, camping, and spending time with her friends and family. Kate also spends a lot of time doing math and science things and is a licensed professional engineer.



Connect With Kate On:  Facebook | Twitter | Email

1 comment:

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