Author Interview - Katie Zaber

2) Describe your desk/writing space.

 

I sit in front of a walnut-stained secretary desk with a hutch holding an array of keepsakes. Albums, picture frames, my Snoopy collection, souvenirs, and nostalgic knickknacks line the shelves of the hutch.

 

My workspace is a wonderland of post-it notes in three different colors: pink, neon yellow, and green. On the right corner of my desk, shoved between the monitor and notary stamp, is a yellow mini-spiral notebook that contains book outlines, plots, and ideas. Little sticker tabs separate the notebook into different sections. The tabs not in use are floating on the surface of pamphlets and lists of login information to accounts I hardly visit.

 

A leather bounded diary with nautical embellishments, complete with anchor bookmark, holds random thoughts and sketches. A mechanical pencil can be spotted, hiding between the yellow notebook and leather diary. Its extra parts–erasers & extra graphite–are strewn about the entire desk.

 

Between the post-it notes there are three hacky sacks. There’s also a rectangular leather box with a brass kaleidoscope made to look like it was used on a whimsical pirate ship.

 

It’s a happy mess.

 

 

3) Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired?

 

I try to stick to a schedule, but that normally doesn’t happen, and I end up writing when inspired.

 

 

4) How do you come up with the title to your books?

 

When I write a book, I usually have a broad idea of what I want to call it, but I usually decide when I’ve finished the first draft. Almost like a parent meeting their newborn; they might have an idea of what they want to name the child while pregnant, but that can change when they see the baby face to face and realize he isn’t a Jim, he’s a Stephen. Kind of like that.

 

 

5) What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?

 

Intimate scenes. They are my weak spot. I feel like I can never get them exactly right.

 

My favorite ones are when I’m describing something for the first time. When I introduce the reader to a new environment, object, or food, my goal is for the reader to feel the mist and sun on their skin. I want them to see in minute details what the character is looking at and taste the juice running down their cheeks as the character bites into fruit.

 

 

6) What inspired your book/series?

 

My fantasy series, Dalya, was inspired by the song “Lord of the Dance.” Somehow, it was stuck in my head and my imagination took over. I pictured a king singing the song—a much more sinister version—while destroying a village of people who disobeyed him. At first, the story was going to be about him and how his reign ends, but I didn’t want to tell it from his perspective. That’s where Megan comes in.

 

My other series, DNA Demons N Angels, was inspired by a recurring nightmare. It’s weird, I know. But I kept having a dream that out of the blue I was pregnant and that it was a demon. One day, I played around with the idea of what it would be like to be the mother of something different. The story grew from there.

 

 

7) What are you working on next?

 

Relaxing! Well, not really, but I’m taking a moment to prepare for book signings this fall and promoting my newest book Raising Hell – How to Survive the Terrible Twos. I have a secret WIP in progress but won’t reveal too much about that until this fall. The only hint I’ll leave you with is dinosaurs.

 

 

8) What authors or books have influenced your writing?

 

There’s a few. I’d say Margaret Atwood, J.R.R. Tolkien, John Conroe, Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Karen Marie Morning, Jennifer Estep, Laini Taylor, and Chuck Palahniuk are some of the biggest influencers. However, I’d like to think I’ve absorbed a little bit from every book I’ve read.

 

 

9) If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live?

 

I’d love to live on a winery in southern Italy. The architecture is breath-taking, and I love the small villages with cobblestone streets, knowing your local artisans by name and buying locally from them. There’s something really romantic and peaceful about that small village lifestyle that I hope to one day experience.

 

If I got to live in a fantasy world, it would be made of chocolate, and it wouldn’t be frowned upon if I ate everything.

 

 

10) What is your favorite meal?

 

I’m a steak and potatoes kind of lady, but the steak needs a decadent brandy cream sauce and buttery garlic whipped potatoes.

 

 

11) Coffee or tea? Wine or beer?

 

A good cup of black tea with a little bit of sugar and milk is my go-to in the morning. If I drink coffee, it’s half milk, and I don’t count how much sugar.

 

I love sweet, fruity wines.

 

 

12) Describe yourself in three words.

 

Curious, Spaz, Sensible