Let’s Get To know Katherine MacDonald

Author Interview

Another author I had the fortune of meeting on Twitter and reading one of her books so far is Katherine McDonald. She is a real great lady and author who is ready to help when you need it and passionate about her writing and life. I reached out to her and I am so glad she agreed to do the interview with me. So come with me and let me introduce you to Katherine, or Kate, McDonald.

1. What sparked your interest in writing?

Reading. I love reading. I love being swallowed up by a story. I think it’s only natural for me to want to create my own. I write what I would like to read and by happy coincidence lots of people seem to like that!

2. Has anyone in your life inspired you to write?

My little sister. She was my first fan. I used to tell her stories when we were growing up. She’d just listen to me for HOURS going, “and then what happened??” and while it’s always best to believe in oneself, a little encouragement from others goes a long way. 

3. When did you decide to publish?

I published August 2019, one year after my son was born. I figured if I could survive motherhood, sleepless nights and returning to full-time work, I could do absolutely anything. 

4. Are you an Indie Author or Traditional Author? Why did you choose the path you did?

I chose Indie because I’d not receive many bites querying and while I completely understand why agents can’t give individual feedback, I couldn’t just completely give up and I needed to find out if I was actually any good. Querying is disheartening and I was going through a really rough year, becoming a new mum and slowly realising that my marriage was ending. I wasn’t determined to keep going so grabbed the bull by the horns and self published. 

5. What is your first published book?

“The Rose and the Thorn” is my debut, a slow-burn Gothic Beauty and the Beast retelling.

6. Are you happy with how your books are coming out? Would you change anything?

I’m really happy with the way things are progressing, but if I could change anything I would have had my work beta read by others BEFORE I published for the first time. I didn’t even know it was an option until I joined the Writing Community. I feel I’ve learnt so much since then. 

7. Will you continue to publish books for many years to come?

I’ll still be writing when I’m an old woman. I have so many stories in me. I have at least 30 ideas at present and I’m sure I’ll keep adding to them!

8. What genres inspire you to write?

Obviously, I love fantasy, romance and fairy tales. My first book is a fairy tale retelling because I LOVE that feeling and aesthetic but hate the misogynistic overtones. 

9. What is your favorite genre to write?

What is your least favorite genre to write?Fantasy romance is my favourite. I love a good romance and the magical edge gives it a timeless quality. I’m not a huge fan of writing sci-fi for the opposite reason– it’s very easily dated.

10. What challenges have you faced publishing?

Mostly the whole querying-with-no-feedback thing, but I’ll be honest and say I didn’t try half as hard as some others. 

11. What challenges have you faced in writing?

I make a lot of grammatical mistakes which is embarrassing as an English teacher! My main challenge used to be finding the time/energy, but since having my son I’ve learned to grab every spare snippet of time I can get and just WRITE.

12. Where do your ideas for your books come from? Where do you keep those ideas?

My ideas tend to start with a character dynamic which I then match up to a premise when I find that too. I’ll be watching/reading something and think, “damn I need some love/hate somewhere” or “I love the found family situation here” and then I write it up on my laptop and stick it in a folder for when I find the story those characters are right for.

13. Are you also a bookworm and does reading other works help inspire your own writing?

Yes and YES. My first job was in a bookshop and honestly spent almost all of my wages on books. Reading is the best thing you can do to develop as a writer. 

14. Do you have a website where we can follow you?

I do! Here it is: https://katemac89.wixsite.com/katemacauthor

15. What is the link for your books so others may look and possibly purchase them from?

Here you go! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kate-Macdonald/e/B07Z2VJJNZ?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000

Thank you for reading and getting to know another great author. I hope that you follow her links and take a look at her books.