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Q. Did you always want to be a writer?
A. Not really. I went through about six different stages, turning to one thing and then another and until I found myself at the age of forty sitting on a stool in an electronics factory soldering transistors onto boards and tying wires into cables. However, I was always an avid reader, and was never far from a book, magazine or newspaper.
Q. When and why did you decide to become a writer?
A. After 20+ years on the line I developed back problems which forced an early retirement. During my convalesence I did a lot of reading, and one of the books I came across was titled "Maybe you Should Write a Book", and I thought "why not?"
Q. Was it as easy as you expected?
A. Yes and no. The writing was easy, getting it right was very hard at first. It took a long time before the words really began to "flow".
Q. Did you get any formal training as a writer?
A. No. My only writing experience was a few compositions I had to write in high school, and I had taken some television courses by sponsored by the local community college which required term papers. I started out with a few short stories and personal opinion essays, all of which were routinely rejected by every publisher I sent them to, though I did get a few letters-to-the-editor printed.
Q. Where do you get your ideas?
A. Sometimes it's something somebody says, or something I read in the paper. Sometimes an idea just pops into my head. Whatever the beginning, I have to let it "cook" for a while before I start to write anything down.
Q. How do you develop your characters and plots?
A. Actually, I don't. I start out with a basic character or plot idea, and just start writing. The characters drive the plot, and the plot develops the characters. Sometimes I have a vague idea of how I want it to end, but there is never a formal outline or plan, and frequently my characters turn out to be quite different from how I had originally envisioned them.
Q. At what point do you know how it's going to end?
A. Generally, about halfway through I have at least a vague idea of how it's going to come out, but sometimes I still get surprised.
Q. Are your characters based on people you know?
A. About half of them are composites of people I know. The rest are facets of my own personality.
Q. Doesn't that get a little boring?
A. Not really. I've been a lot of different people through the years.
Q. Why write a cat story?
A. The experts always say "write what you know", and what I know is cats.
Q. How did you come up with the idea for the story?
A. I started with a basic situation, a litter of kittens that "just happened", and let the story line develop naturally, trying to "think like a cat". I ended up chopping off the first chapter and most of the second, but the rest is substantially intact.
Q. How long did it take to write "Catwalk"?
A. About 2 years for the first draft, then another 3 years or so of editing and polishing. When I was ready to send the manuscript to Lightning Source, I pared it down a little more to keep my costs down.
Q. What is "Catwalk" about?
A. "Catwalk" tells the story of a young tabby cat who is cast adrift in the world and has to make her way against the odds. She takes whatever life throws at her, and just keeps going.
Q. "Catwalk" is written from the cat's point of view. How can you possibly know what a cat is thinking?
A. I've lived with cats nearly all my life, so I've had plenty of opportunities to observe feline behavior in many different situations. After a while it's fairly easy to predict what a cat would or wouldn't do in a given situation. Usually.
Q. Why did you choose to self-publish?
A. I didn't really chose to, but the publishing world tends to be very conservative, and it's extremely hard for a new writer to break in..
Q. What other books have you written?
A. I've written a science fiction novella entitled The Retro, which I am also publishing myself.
Q. How many drafts do you generally write?
A. I usually do three major drafts. The first one is in pencil on the back sides of scratch paper that I can afford to waste. Then I read it over and make the obvious changes. Next I copy it in ink into my notebook, making further changes as I go. The last draft is when I type into my computer and hit "save". Any changes after that are pretty minor.
Q. How do you research your work?
A. I read everything I can find on the subject, and if possible, talk to people who've "been there, done that". My husband was my main source for the two older hoboes in "Catwalk". A large portion of chapters nine through thirteen are based on his life experiences.
Q. Are there going to be any more stories about cats?
A: Not right away. Right now I'm working on a follow-up to Catwalk which expands on one of the main human characters and follows him before and after he meets Tiger.
Q. What are you favorite books besides the ones you have written?
A. I guess my all-time favorite would be To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Every time I read it I find something new. Other favorites would be The Incredible Journey and A Tale of Two Cities.
Q. What makes a book a good book?
A. Characters that you just have to care about, and a believable story line.
Q. What advice can you give to a beginning writer?
A. Read everything you can get you hands on, whether it's fiction or nonfiction. Pay attention to how the author writes, but don't try to copy anyone. When you're ready to write, don't show your work to anyone until it's as good as you can make it, then show it to everyone you know. Pay attention to what they tell you, especially if several people tell you the same thing.
Q. How can I get in touch with you?
A. Send an email to kathieSfreeman@att.net (without the "S") .
Have a question for me? See above address.
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