Our friend and author Cate Masters Stops By!
Deanna: Tell us a bit about
yourself that our readers might not
know.
Cate:
Thanks so much for having me as a guest, Deanna! I’m a pretty private
person, actually. I do post photos online of my dog Lily and once in awhile my
hubby, but never my grandkids.
Deanna: What do you do to relax?
Cate:
I love to sit on the deck under the stars with my hubby, especially now
that our pond frogs have returned to serenade us.
Deanna: As authors, we’ve sometimes been accused of being several people. How many personalities live in your mind?
Cate:
I’ve lost count! They tend to come and go as they please. For each book,
definitely those characters—sometimes as many as a dozen at a time.
Deanna: What type of hero do you like best?
Cate:
I love an intelligent hero who’s as brainy as he is brawny. To me, a
hero is selfless and doesn’t hesitate to throw himself into a situation to save
another, regardless of personal risk. In relationships, he’s giving and kind,
but strong enough to know his mind and challenge the heroine to be better.
Deanna: What are your favorite types of
heroines? Do you like the damsel in distress who needs saving or the kick-ass
variety? Why?
Cate: I love smart, feisty heroines. If
they kick ass for a good reason, then fantastic. No damsels in distress for me.
Deanna:
What do you have to have when you are writing?
Cate: Hot black tea keeps me going, though
I tend to switch to coffee at some point.
Deanna:
Do your books have a common theme or are they all different?
Cate:
Most encourage readers to empower themselves. To reach beyond the ordinary
to find where happiness lies, and not just plod through life but to make it
into the best life they’d always dreamed of.
Cate: After reading an article about
Marfa, a funky little town in the west Texas plains, I fell in love with it.
One of the great things about being a writer is that I can immerse myself in
research and virtually visit places I’d love to travel to. Marfa, Texas, is
home to cowboys and artists alike. A place where your soul can say ‘ahhh’ and
your heart can soar to the stars—which, in Marfa, appear much closer and so
much brighter that they hold Star Parties. Plus glider competitions, play
festivals, arts festivals, and another
festival to celebrate their Mystery Lights. A great background for a story
about two lost souls who find a home there, and in each other.
Deanna:
Your heroine has many different tattoos. Can you tell us about them?
Cate:
Clarissa carries a lot of pain inside, but the only outward evidence of
it is her tattoos. Japanese kanjis symbolizing Spirit, Wolf, and Eagle are on
her back and she draws strength from knowing they’re always behind her. On her
right ankle’s a wolf paw to symbolize the wolf always walking with her. On her
left wrist is large butterfly – symbol of the soul, but the tattoo also hides
the scars from when she cut herself. From waist to thigh, a Phoenix symbolizes
the struggles she’s been through, how she rises above. Most important is the
small feather on her right shoulder inscribed with Brat, her little brother’s
nickname. He died of leukemia in middle school and now he’s the angel on her
shoulder.
Deanna: Who would play these characters
in a movie version of your story?
Cate:
I love this, because as I’m writing, there’s already a movie version in
my head. I love to show readers who I imagined in these roles through my blog
series called Casting Call. You can see the actors for A Wedding At the Blue
Moon Cafe here: http://catemasters.blogspot.com/2014/01/casting-call-wedding-at-blue-moon-cafe.html
Deanna:
What genre do you love most?
Cate:
I’m an eclectic reader, anything from mainstream to speculative to
fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, contemporary, historical, you name it. So
it naturally carries over into my writing. If I have to choose just one, I’d
say paranormal/urban fantasy. I love it when a story surprises me.
Deanna: Do you
only work on one book at a time?
Cate: Do I start too many
projects at once? All too often. I usually have about two dozen stories in
various stages, from sketchy idea to outlines to a few chapters done.
Maddening! lol Do I concentrate on only one at a time? These days, mostly yes.
In the past, I often jumped from story to story because rather than diluting
the focus on each, it actually sharpened it because I had to return to it fresh
each time, especially if they were different genres.
Deanna: Where can readers find you
online?
Cate: I’d love to connect on any or all
of these sites:
Author
Newsletter: Sign up through my blog! Exclusive goodies for subscribers. :)
Amazon
Goodreads
You Tube
Great interview! Love learning about new authors to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for having me as a guest, Deanna!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Quilt Lady. Always great to meet new readers. :)
Enjoyed the interview. I love listening to those frogs at night too. I'm not surprised you can work on so many projects at once. You write so fast compared to me.
ReplyDeleteNot lately, Susan, it's been a slow go this year! Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview Cate. Sounds like a good read. Good luck with sales.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good wishes, and for visiting, JoAnne. :)
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