Monday, April 21, 2014

Cate Masters hops by to say Hello!

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.

Deanna: Why did you choose Marfa, Texas, as the setting for your story?

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:

 BLOG

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Amazon
Goodreads
You Tube
Twitter

6 comments:

  1. Great interview! Love learning about new authors to me.

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  2. Thanks so much for having me as a guest, Deanna!

    Thanks for stopping by, Quilt Lady. Always great to meet new readers. :)

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  3. 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.

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  4. Not lately, Susan, it's been a slow go this year! Thanks for stopping by.

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  5. Great interview Cate. Sounds like a good read. Good luck with sales.

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    1. Thanks for the good wishes, and for visiting, JoAnne. :)

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