Author Interview for Katie Hughart by Holly Hood
I would like to welcome author Katie Hughart to our blog today. She has recently released her first book, Panic. And I am happy to introduce her to all of you. If I had to pick a few words that described Katie's writing style those would be, gripping, real and heartfelt. Katie takes the reader along for the ride, within her book is a world of emotion and moments that really build the story. You feel what the characters do, every move they make creates even more life in the story.
Enjoy the interview!
1) Who are you? What do you do?
2) What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine?
4) What motivates you to write?
My name is Katie Hughart, and I’m a mother, wife, writer and self proclaimed creative mastermind. I’m currently a student at a local college and I’m working on my second full length novel. Panic is my first novel and it is in the suspense / romance genre. When any writer puts a story on paper they leave an essence of themselves on the page. I believe with Panic I left a piece of my very being there for the world to experience. In my next series I am delving into the world of Paranormal Romance / Sci-fi, it was unexpected, but after Panic, a completely main stream book, my mind took a few turns into other dimensions and I haven’t returned since. (lol)
2) What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine?
At any moment I’m writing 10 books at a time, but I’m always focusing on one. I will get idea after idea for new books, or ideas for the books that I’ve started. I will jot these idea’s down and come back to them later. I have more idea’s for books than I could ever write! I get these thoughts randomly by hearing a song, seeing a picture, or just seeing a person that inspires me. I don’t have a regular routine, my routine is to write as much as possible— every day when it’s feasible.
3) What are the most important elements of good writing? According to you, what tools are must-haves for writers?
3) What are the most important elements of good writing? According to you, what tools are must-haves for writers?
This question made me think, because I don’t usually think about the must haves that I need, I simply write; but once I gave it some thought, I rely heavily on my laptop, printer, paper, ink, pencils pens, resource for publication, etc. If I was left in a room with nothing but a piece of paper and pencil, the only thing that I would really need would be the creativity that God has blessed me with. If I didn’t have that there would be no need for any of the other stuff. I believe the most important element of a good story is a GOOD STORY! I don’t want a dry boring story from start to finish—no one does. Start telling me a story and then let it unfold, and if the story doesn’t make me smile, laugh, cry, or slam it down in a heated display of frustration because the protagonist is being downright irrational, then why write it? Why read it?
4) What motivates you to write?
Life motivates me to write, nature, beauty, death, joy, sorrow, sex, magic, all of these things inspire me. A picture, a song, a breath, if someone truly feels life they are motivated by life itself. Everything that sustains my life inspires me to create. If I didn’t create, I would wither and die, so my motivation for creating is life.
5) Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
5) Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
I do suffer from writer’s block and I get frustrated with my flow at times. Sometimes it feels like the story is flowing through air and I can hardly type fast enough to get the words on the page before they’re gone, but sometimes I feel that it flows through mud, and I have tug and pull and yank my thoughts out and when I finally get them I have to wash them off and make them clean again.
6) Do you have any advice for other writers?
6) Do you have any advice for other writers?
My only advice to other writers would be to write and never stop. I read once that a child who creates an art project looks at that project and is happy regardless of the outcome. The project is special because the child created it. So love your creations and grow, so that you can one day develop into what you were truly meant to be without the expectations of the world on your shoulders.
7) What is the message in your book? What are your readers’ reactions to it?
7) What is the message in your book? What are your readers’ reactions to it?
I wrote Panic after my dad died. Sometimes I feel that my dad’s spirit was guiding me to my purpose in life. The message behind Panic is that life sucks and sometimes you get a happy ending and sometime s you don’t, and sometimes you are stuck somewhere in between. The only way to survive the blows life throws at you is to take them and keep getting up again, and to never give up, even when you don’t see the rainbow at the end of the storm, trust that it is there.
8) Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
8) Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I learned so much from Panic that I wouldn’t even know where to start. One thing I learned from Panic is that I am a writer. Now and forever I have found my place in life and very few lessons can rival the lesson that brings you your destiny.
9) What are your current / future projects?
9) What are your current / future projects?
Now that Panic is finished I will be working on the first book in my upcoming Wilderness Series, Wolf’s Run. It is a paranormal/ romance about a girl who falls in love with two wolf spirits from another dimension. I’m running free with this one and the sky is the limit on creativity. I am also working on a YA novel about a head strong girl, who uncovers a secret that she never expected, and ends up involved with the very guy running the whole operation. I’m working on a sequel for Panic and that’s about all I can fit in my schedule right now. I will have my hands full developing these idea’s into amazing books that will hopefully take a lot of readers and suck them in.
10) What book(s) / author(s) have influenced your life and writing?
10) What book(s) / author(s) have influenced your life and writing?
I started reading Helen Keller in the third grade and it was the first book that I couldn’t put down; and right before junior high I was hooked on the fear street series by R.L. Stine. As time went on and my reading taste matured, I read V.C. Andrews, and then Nora Roberts, Danielle Steel and Stephanie Meyer.
E-mail katehughart@yahoo.com
Twitter @ khughart
Examiner.com articles: http://www.examiner.com/user-katehughart
Katie's first book, Panic, is available on Amazon.com. Get your copy today.
I’d also like to share my favorite quote because I feel the person took the words right out of my mouth.
"The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally inhumanly sensitive. To him a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create - so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not really alive unless he is creating." ~Pearl S. Buck
"The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally inhumanly sensitive. To him a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create - so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not really alive unless he is creating." ~Pearl S. Buck
Interview with Author Katie Hughart by Jennifer Lafferty
Author Katie Hughart’s suspense thrillers offer more than chills down the spine. Readers are given entree to the challenging and drama-filled lives of her multidimensional characters; learning along the way what it really means to be a survivor.
So, let’s find out what Katie, has to say about her books and writing itself.
Q: Two of your books, “Midnight Masquerade” and “Panic”, center on characters who are dealing the grief and trauma associated with the murder of loved ones. What draws you to write about this particular subject matter?
A: I like to write about all sorts of different things. I could write about real life or I could write about something that's not realistic at all.
Midnight Masquerade, is a young adult book that I wrote with Holly Hood and Brandi Salazar (two of my favorite writers!) and together we decided that we would give her hard issues to deal with. Being a teenager is hard and some of the issues you are faced with are fiercely traumatizing and sometimes the decision is what dress to wear to the prom. So while writing Midnight Masquerade we kept both of those things in mind.
Panic, on the other hand is solely my story. It is a full length, adult novel, in the suspense/romance genre. Cara, the MC, is a little further into life than Laurel is, and faces many road blocks in the area's of love, and family relationships. She is faced with all of the difficulties that both life and death can throw at her.
My inspiration for writing about murder, trauma, and death, simply steam from life itself. I haven't had to experience the murder of someone close to me, but I have lost people that I care about suddenly and unexpectedly. You have to keep pushing through, even though sometimes it seems like it's all just too much to handle.
Q: Do you identify more closely with Laurel in “Midnight Masquerade” or Cara in “Panic”?
A: I definitely identify more with Cara, not only are we both red heads, but I too lost my father. I also admire her choice in men, I mean that Sean is quite the hunk! ;)
Q: You named V. C. Andrews and Nora Roberts as your greatest influences. Which one, do you think, has had the greatest impact on you?
A: I started reading V.C. Andrews when I was sixteen and by the time I was seventeen I had read all of her books (before the ghostwriter), so her books have had the greatest impact on me. From Heaven to Rain to Ruby I found a piece of myself in her characters and admired their courage to push through adversity. She didn't inspire me to become a writer as much as her books sparked something in me that grew until one day long after I had finished reading her stories that I picked up a pen and began writing my own.
Q: Do you write continually or just when you come upon a particularly compelling idea?
A: Both! I have a constant stream of compelling ideas, more than I can ever have the time to write about. I keep them all filed under lock and key (or maybe I'm just getting a little carried away...lol) but I have lots and lots of stories on the back burner and I find myself coming up with new ideas to add to the list on a regular basis.
Q: Some writers say they feel like the characters are in charge and they are just along for the ride. How carefully do you plan your stories. Do they ever go in a different direction than you originally intended?
A: Yes, yes the characters are in charge...blah, blah, blah, I'm just the vessel, blah - they're all on a power trip if you ask me. I mean I gave them their looks, their personalities, put them in shifty scenarios and made sure (most of the time) that they end up with their true love and how do the repay me...I'm really kidding around, but my stories rarely turn out the way that I plan. When I started writing Panic in a notebook, what seems like forever ago, the pen flew across the page as I watched in awe. There was this story in my head and I attempted to ignore it for six months, and it refused to leave me be until I gave it life, and that's how it all started. As time goes on I find myself planning out more and more of my stories, but Panic was a fly by the seat of my pants possession that came as it wished.
Q: You’ve also written a book of poetry, “Words in Black and White: a book of poems”. Which do you prefer as a writer, poetry or suspense thrillers?
A: As long as I'm creatively expressing myself with words, I'm happy. I started with poetry. I wrote poetry as a teenager, but never imagined in a million years that I'd ever be a writer. Most of those poems are long gone, but God blessed me with this beautiful thing called creativity and poems as well as fictional stories both have equally important places in my life. I couldn't see doing without either one; though, I do spend more time creating stories then I do poetry. When I'm on the poetry train it takes me over for a period of time and only let's me up after I have twenty to thirty some poems to show for it.
Q: Laurel, in “Midnight Masquerade”, is a teenager dealing with several different problems at the same time: her parents’ murder, boy trouble, the difficulties of living with her sister’s family. Although this is an extreme set of circumstances, do you think this scenario speaks to teenagers who are overwhelmed with stress at school and at home?
A: Yes, the teen years are a whirlwind of dramas that fly by at lightening speed until one day you're an adult and look around wondering what happened. So many teens feel trapped, so many feel abandoned, sad, or insufficient. Being a teen is one of the hardest things in the world to do, but it's also temporary. A lot of the things that push us to our limits, also develop the character that we need as adults to push through hard times. I think Jewel did a beautiful job of speaking to the teenage heart with the lyrics from her song "What You Are" I posted my favorite part below.
http://asidefromwriting.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/katie-hughart/
So, let’s find out what Katie, has to say about her books and writing itself.
Q: Two of your books, “Midnight Masquerade” and “Panic”, center on characters who are dealing the grief and trauma associated with the murder of loved ones. What draws you to write about this particular subject matter?
A: I like to write about all sorts of different things. I could write about real life or I could write about something that's not realistic at all.
Midnight Masquerade, is a young adult book that I wrote with Holly Hood and Brandi Salazar (two of my favorite writers!) and together we decided that we would give her hard issues to deal with. Being a teenager is hard and some of the issues you are faced with are fiercely traumatizing and sometimes the decision is what dress to wear to the prom. So while writing Midnight Masquerade we kept both of those things in mind.
Panic, on the other hand is solely my story. It is a full length, adult novel, in the suspense/romance genre. Cara, the MC, is a little further into life than Laurel is, and faces many road blocks in the area's of love, and family relationships. She is faced with all of the difficulties that both life and death can throw at her.
My inspiration for writing about murder, trauma, and death, simply steam from life itself. I haven't had to experience the murder of someone close to me, but I have lost people that I care about suddenly and unexpectedly. You have to keep pushing through, even though sometimes it seems like it's all just too much to handle.
Q: Do you identify more closely with Laurel in “Midnight Masquerade” or Cara in “Panic”?
A: I definitely identify more with Cara, not only are we both red heads, but I too lost my father. I also admire her choice in men, I mean that Sean is quite the hunk! ;)
Q: You named V. C. Andrews and Nora Roberts as your greatest influences. Which one, do you think, has had the greatest impact on you?
A: I started reading V.C. Andrews when I was sixteen and by the time I was seventeen I had read all of her books (before the ghostwriter), so her books have had the greatest impact on me. From Heaven to Rain to Ruby I found a piece of myself in her characters and admired their courage to push through adversity. She didn't inspire me to become a writer as much as her books sparked something in me that grew until one day long after I had finished reading her stories that I picked up a pen and began writing my own.
Q: Do you write continually or just when you come upon a particularly compelling idea?
A: Both! I have a constant stream of compelling ideas, more than I can ever have the time to write about. I keep them all filed under lock and key (or maybe I'm just getting a little carried away...lol) but I have lots and lots of stories on the back burner and I find myself coming up with new ideas to add to the list on a regular basis.
Q: Some writers say they feel like the characters are in charge and they are just along for the ride. How carefully do you plan your stories. Do they ever go in a different direction than you originally intended?
A: Yes, yes the characters are in charge...blah, blah, blah, I'm just the vessel, blah - they're all on a power trip if you ask me. I mean I gave them their looks, their personalities, put them in shifty scenarios and made sure (most of the time) that they end up with their true love and how do the repay me...I'm really kidding around, but my stories rarely turn out the way that I plan. When I started writing Panic in a notebook, what seems like forever ago, the pen flew across the page as I watched in awe. There was this story in my head and I attempted to ignore it for six months, and it refused to leave me be until I gave it life, and that's how it all started. As time goes on I find myself planning out more and more of my stories, but Panic was a fly by the seat of my pants possession that came as it wished.
Q: You’ve also written a book of poetry, “Words in Black and White: a book of poems”. Which do you prefer as a writer, poetry or suspense thrillers?
A: As long as I'm creatively expressing myself with words, I'm happy. I started with poetry. I wrote poetry as a teenager, but never imagined in a million years that I'd ever be a writer. Most of those poems are long gone, but God blessed me with this beautiful thing called creativity and poems as well as fictional stories both have equally important places in my life. I couldn't see doing without either one; though, I do spend more time creating stories then I do poetry. When I'm on the poetry train it takes me over for a period of time and only let's me up after I have twenty to thirty some poems to show for it.
Q: Laurel, in “Midnight Masquerade”, is a teenager dealing with several different problems at the same time: her parents’ murder, boy trouble, the difficulties of living with her sister’s family. Although this is an extreme set of circumstances, do you think this scenario speaks to teenagers who are overwhelmed with stress at school and at home?
A: Yes, the teen years are a whirlwind of dramas that fly by at lightening speed until one day you're an adult and look around wondering what happened. So many teens feel trapped, so many feel abandoned, sad, or insufficient. Being a teen is one of the hardest things in the world to do, but it's also temporary. A lot of the things that push us to our limits, also develop the character that we need as adults to push through hard times. I think Jewel did a beautiful job of speaking to the teenage heart with the lyrics from her song "What You Are" I posted my favorite part below.
Indie Author Spotlight…Katie Hughart
Indie Authors Spotlight is a weekly meme that will be held on every SATURDAY in the month. It is hosted by Beckie @Bittersweet Enchantment & CYP @A Bookalicious Story.
————————————
This week’s spotlighted author is Katie Hughart aka Kate Rice…
About the Author - Wife, mother, and writer, Katie Hughart (aka Kate Rice) is pursuing her dream with the support of her family, friends and readers. Growing up in Toledo, Ohio Kate has always pushed the boundaries of normal. Now embracing that creative energy she is launching it into her books, one word at a time.
Kate has been married for nine years to Tommy Hughart Jr. who is a devoted football fanatic, but she loves him anyways. She has an amazing little boy who’s rambunctious and bright with a promising future ahead of him. “He is the breath God has given me,” Katie says.
With many more book ideas burning under the surface, Katie is excited to share this chapter of her life with you, and hopes that you will read, love and read again.
———————————-
Quick Author Q&A
1. If you could be a superhero and have any superpower, what would you choose?
I have thought about this a lot; in fact, I’ve probably thought about this more than most normal people, but I’d have to say that my super power would be the ability to tell the future. Sometimes I have weird dreams that come true, so the way I figure it, I’m already half way there! I also have a tendency to write more towards the paranormal genre. Even though my book, Panic, is a mainstream novel, my new projects are Fantasy and Sci-fi driven.
2. Any other books in the works for 2012? Other goals for future projects?
I currently have three books out right now. One book I did with two other talented writers, the book is a YA Suspense Novelette titled, Midnight Masquerade. I have Panic, which is a full-legnth, suspense/romance, and a book of poetry titled Words in Black and White: a book of poems, but I have so many new projects brewing, it’s crazy!
The first one I’m working on is a YA fantasy titled, Wolf’s Run. Wolf’s Run is going to be the first of three books that will be part of, The Wilderness Series. This project has been so much fun! It has wolf spirits from other realms, fairies, curses, and a counsel that keeps their thumb on the happenings of the Wilderness. This book has been the most gratifying and yet the most challenging! I’m expecting to release it in early 2013.
I am also working on a YA Sci-fi titled Club X! The main character is a headstrong girl who falls for a dark and mysterious guy named X, it just so happens that dark and mysterious doesn’t begin to cover him, since he doesn’t come from this planet. Club X is also coming out in 2013, but probably later in the year. I also have my hands full with some romance novella’s that I plan to release this year, and sequels that I plan to release in 2013/2014, so as you can see I’ve been keeping myself pretty busy! You can find all of my published books and reviews if you type my name (Katie Hughart) into the amazon store! 
3. If you could jump into the pages of any book and live in that world…which would it be?
The great thing is I don’t have to pick just one, I do it everyday! I’m in the stories I write 100 percent. I’ve been to different dimensions, and fell in love, had my heart broken, and been to new places and planets time and time again!
4. If you could be one of the Greek Gods, which would it be and why?
I am currently working on a romance novella staring Zeus, so with that in mind I wouldn’t be one of them. Fictionally speaking, I would choose to be their item of affection. I think that’s a much better gig!
5. How did you know you should (or wanted to) become an author?
I didn’t have great grades in school, some years were better than others, but I always did well in English, so naturally I went into Accounting. *slams on break, screeching tires* That’s right I started in accounting, and it was only years later, after my father died, that I had a story that wouldn’t go away. It was stuck in my head like chewed bubble gum stuck to the bottom of your Nike’s on 100 degree day, and it stayed that way for six months. I started writing the story in a notebook and decided that it was a good way to handle the trama I felt from my dad’s passing, but then like I’m sure a lot of other writers can attest to, the story didn’t simply trickle off. It grew into a 400 page novel that today is known as Panic. It didn’t stop there either, new idea’s sprung to life and now I’m sitting on about 30 stories all pulling and tugging for my attention like small children. Go figure! What a way to find out you’re a writer!
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Midnight MasqueradeLaurel Adams was a normal teenager with dreams, aspirations and a bright future ahead of her…until the night her parents were brutally murdered. And she saw it all. With no promising leads, the killer is still out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike again. Now Laurel’s life has been turned upside down. Haunted by reoccurring nightmares and forced to live in a cramped apartment with her screwed up sister and her sister’s two kids, depression is her constant companion. That is, until the boy she’s been pining after all year finally notices her. Suddenly Laurel’s future is looking brighter than ever, everything she could have hoped for is coming true. She has the attention of the hottest guy in school, a date to Prom, and the only thing standing in the way of her happiness is his girlfriend, Amanda Price, the queen of her daddy’s checkbook…and Laurel’s mortal enemy. Worse yet, the mysterious killer seems to have turned up again. And his sights are set on Laurel.——————————————-Want to know more? Check out the links!Avaliable on Kindle: by typing in keyword Katie Hughart into your Kindle store or at amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Masquerade-ebook/dp/B005OA2E28/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1338517749&sr=8-4
http://asidefromwriting.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/katie-hughart/
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