Have you ever considered writing under a pseudonym, and why or why not?
Writing for children is my brand. They match my silly, so it made sense to write for them under my real name.
I am branching into adult romance, and those books will be under a pseudonym because they won’t match the brand I have been building around Katie Spina.
What is your “go-to” method for working through or around writer’s block?
I’ve recently started a sort of journal/dialogue/freewrite process. I write down a question related to why I’m stumped. It focuses on the main character and how they most likely would react to what’s happening.
By focusing on my main character’s reactions to the situation, I can see either where it’s going or where I’ve gone wrong. Like, this person would never have put themselves into this situation! I’ve got to back up and fix that issue or none of this will make sense.
From your perspective, what are the most important elements of good writing?
Good writing focuses on the rhythm of the sentences and not just the words. It balances the right word choices and sets expectations for readers, so when a pattern is broken, it has real impact. Good writing leads the reader not just with an entertaining story and characters we care about, but with an attention to the structure. A series of short sentences makes us read faster, creating tension and building to something. Long, wandering sentences makes a reader take their time as the characters lounge by the lake on a sunny spring day.
Good writing recognizes it’s not just the story you’re telling that entrances a reader. It’s how you weave that tale that invites them into your world.
What comes first – the location, the plot, or the characters – and why?
Every book is different. The Adventures in Gaeldor series came from the location. I was walking on Paint Creek Trail, and I kept seeing all these magical things hiding in the woods. It sparked my creativity, and a story evolved from bringing a kid from the real world into this magical place.
I have a book I’m writing later this year that came from a joke with my nephew. My son was obsessed with the word anatidaephobia which is the irrational fear that somehow, somewhere you are being watched by a duck. My nephew and I talked about who this guy would be and what if he was right? What if he really was being watched by a duck? And from that joke, I worked backward to create a world where he could exist and now I’m weaving a plot to support that world and his existence.
What are your least favorite and most favorite things about publishing a book?
I hate marketing. I try to be organized and create a plan, but marketing makes me feel like a phony. I love doing author events and talking to people about my books, but promoting online is so hard!
My favorite part about publishing is once the story is finalized, putting it together in its final format. My space opera, Swim the Stars, has in-between chapter bits that require a frame around the text to show it’s being read online. It’s fun to watch it all come together from a document of words into the final vision with the art.
What is a significant way your book changed from the first to the final draft?
The first draft of The Wolf and The Wind was a mess. It jumped in age range from chapter book to middle grade. It was too long, and it was missing a purpose for the visit to Gaeldor.
My editor and I discussed it, and we agreed it worked best as a chapter book. I completely rewrote it. I removed an entire section and character. By refining the purpose and simplifying the language, the lesson of “Bullies don’t always win” came out clearly. I didn’t plan on starting from scratch to get to the next draft, but it was the best decision I made.
What was the inspiration for your most recent book?
Book 2 of The Adventures in Gaeldor is coming out this year. The Mighty Floof and The Unicorn is inspired by our cat, The Darkness. She is a fluffy black cat, and her favorite hobby is stealing socks and robe ties and carrying them upstairs. We joked as a family that she is a cotton-hoarding dragon, and the story came from there.
What is a “darling” you’ve killed in a book that you’d like to resurrect in a future book?
In The Wolf and The Wind, I had a giant dog that was a rock mountain. His story had to be cut, but he was a really fun character that answered the question: How do you make friends, if you can’t move from where you are? I like that idea, and I’m sure it will come into another book.
Where are your most productive writing spaces, and what elements are important about that space to keep you focused on writing.
I love writing at the bookstore. My local Barnes & Noble on Adams Rd. is like a second home. It’s light and airy, and I’m surrounded by books for inspiration. I have a home office that I’ve decorated every spare inch of with inspiration, but sometimes it’s hard to write there because of all family and home obligations. Thankfully, I have an online writing group that helps me focus on writing and ignore everything else.
If you were to give one of your side characters a novella of their own, who would it be, and why do you think they need their own story?
It would have to be Lord Meowregard and Lord Baffington from Gaeldor. They are two fifth-graders who have had many adventures in Gaeldor prior to meeting the main-character Paige. I think their adventures would be interesting because they go as a pair. How does the quest change when it’s two kids with different personalities? Why does Gaeldor bring them in?
What risks have you taken with your writing that made the book better?
I’ve been thinking on this question for 20 minutes now, and I can’t think of any risks I’ve taken and known they were a risk. Now I want to challenge myself to take a big swing on a project.
What’s the best monetary investment you’ve ever made with regard to your writing practice?
At the end of last year, I bought a digital notebook, the reMarkable Pro. I’d been researching it for a year and decided with 100 day money-back guarantee, I would give it a try. I was trying to replace the print out manuscript, the additional notebook, notecards with the outline, and the book bible. I expected to hate it, but I absolutely love it.
I use it for marking up edits on a manuscript. I use it for freewriting notes. I read for peer review with it. I can still use a notebook a pen, type up whatever I need, and then drop it onto the reMarkable.
When you first began writing, what was a common procrastination trap you encountered, and how did you overcome it?
I would get obsessed with everything I wrote had to be good. It would paralyze me, and I found any excuse not to write when I had time. The transition of writing for fun to writing to publish changed something in my brain. The best thing that I read was a Terry Pratchett quote, “The first draft is telling yourself the story.” No matter what the piece is going to become, that first draft is just for me. It’s for me to figure out the story. It’s not going to be great. It will be exactly what it needs to be, even if that’s garbage. Setting myself free of the need for good, made it easy to sit down and write.
What is your writing software of choice, and what is its best feature?
I use LibreOffice. It’s a free alternative to Microsoft Office. I like that it’s a word processing program that allows me to store my files locally.
The way I build a book is a book bible with characters, settings, and other world-building pieces; an outline with the story plan; and then I write.
Do character's names come immediately to you? Do you add them in a final draft? Where do you find names, and how do you make a final decision about the names you’ll use?
I like to have names for characters. Sometimes they change, like the main character in Swim the Stars was Eza for many drafts until I found I hated the name, and Ryan worked much better.
Most often, I picture a character and an adjective that describes them. Depending on the type of book, I will look up names meaning X or I go through synonyms for that word until I find something that sounds like it could be a name.
I like a name to tell the reader something about the character. Smartacus is a racoon in a sweater vest. He’s very smart, but he’s also grumpy and quick to start an argument.
Tell us one of your favorite novels, and why this book is a favorite.
I absolutely love The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. It’s a beautiful love story about falling in love with someone for the aspects of their soul rather than meeting them first. It’s about shaping your magic not only for your own ends, but to bring joy to someone you love and through them yourself. It’s rising to a challenge when it gets harder instead of letting it overwhelm you. I reread it every couple years, and it delights me every time.
Think of the title of a hugely popular novel. What is one major thing you would change about the book?
The thing I hated about Twilight was that the characters’ motivations made no sense. Bella loved Edward because he was beautiful. Edward loved Bella because she smelled delicious and irresistible.
I would rewrite these characters to give Bella a personality and wants outside of getting a boyfriend. I would make Edward be drawn to her because she is interesting as a person. I would also make her in her early thirties, and he looks to be in his twenties. By giving her more life experience and a personality, it makes their relationship and lifelong partnership less gross.
What are you reading right now?
I’m reading The City in Glass by Nghi Vo about a demon who loves a city and that city is destroyed by a group of angels.
I’m listening to The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins on audiobook. I’ve just started, but I love a good family secrets mystery.
If you could take on the identity of a character in one of your favorite books for twenty-four hours and retain the memory of that experience, which character would you choose? Tell us the title, author, character name, and why you would want to be that character.
I would want to be Matilda from Matilda by Roald Dahl. She loves to read as I did when I was young. I could fall into books and read an entire Fear Street novel in an hour. The way she can control things with her mind gives her more power over her environment, and I always wanted to have tea with Miss Honey.
If you could save five books from being destroyed in the apocalypse, what books would you choose, and why?
The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglass Adams This book taught me that sci-fi can be humorous and irreverent. It can push the boundary line between sci-fi and fantasy and be enjoyed by readers.
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut This book reminds me that science without ethics can lead to the end of the world. Religions based on lies can be a comfort when the world is bleak. Even when you know they’re lies.
That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberley Lemming Strong-willed women who know themselves and what they want in life deserve powerful romances that make their hearts leap too.
Desdemona and the Deep by C.S.E. Cooney Dark deals made for the right reasons are always worth the price to be paid.
First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones This book has the most perfect first page I’ve ever read. I’ve recommended it to so many people because it gives you everything you need to fall into the world and immediately fall in love with the main character.
Tell us a little something about your current WIP. When do you expect it to be released?
Swim the Soul is the sequel to Swim the Stars that came out in 2023. It digs deeper into the Oracle, the being who brought the kids together on the Sunfish to begin with. As Ryan learns more about the threads that connect all lives in the universe, her friends back at the Academy aren’t doing well. Something is making them sick, and it’s up to the Sunfish crew to figure out what it is, and how to fix them.
What are the titles and genres of each book you’ve written?
Dig It Out is a picture book story about a groundhog who’s lost her favorite sweater.
Swim the Stars is a YA Space Opera adventure.
The Wolf and The Wind is a portal fantasy chapter book.
Building Your Big Top is a workbook to get writers from the beginning of an idea to the first draft of a novel.
Writing Prompts for Kids is a book of writing prompts for younger kids who want to practice writing stories both real and fantastical.
How can readers find you? Website, social media, amazon author page… share all the links!
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