Kate grew up in Salem, Massachusetts surrounded by ghost stories and witch tales. As a microbiologist, she studies the tiny worlds of bacteria, viruses and antibodies. As a writer, she creates magical worlds of her own. Kate now lives just outside of Boston with her husband, son, dog, and cat.
1. What did you like to write and read as a kid?
As a kid, I devoured all of Roald Dahl’s books. I also liked dystopian novels like Lois Lowry’s The Giver and Margaret Peterson Haddix’s Shadow Children series. As for writing, I kept a dream journal in the hopes I could make stories from my dreams. But, for the most part, my dreams were just really weird!
2. If you could spend a day with another popular author, who would you choose?
Now that I’m thinking about the Shadow Children series, I remembered Maragaret Peterson Haddix also wrote one of my other favorite books, Running Out of Time. And I recently read one of her newer books in The Greystone Secrets series. I would love to pick her brain about idea generation and learn more about how she writes stories that kids love.
3. What’s your favorite genre to write?
I love middle grade fantasy because I get to be silly, dramatic, adventurous and imaginative all at once.
4. How do you come up with titles for your books?
For my debut novel, I was pretty sure I wanted the main character’s name featured, similar to Amari and the Night Brothers or Percy Jackson and the Olympians. From there, I brainstormed what could come after the “and”. Fiona and the First Octave, Fiona and the Psychic Sisters, and Fiona and the Charcoal City were some options on my list. But those titles only captured pieces of the book. Fiona and the Forgotten Piano seemed to fit best with the story as a whole.
5. Would you and your main character get along?
Totally. Fiona starts out very much like me at eleven years old. She’s a nervous rule-follower and a bit of a people pleaser. She's more curious and questioning than I was. And I didn’t have the benefit of going on otherworldly adventures to bring me out of my shell the way she does.
6. Do you play music while you write — and, if so, what’s your favorite?
I wish I could! With the musical theme in Fiona and the Forgotten Piano, it feels like I should listen to music while I write. Unfortunately, I have a hard time focusing with music in the background. I just want to dance and sing along!
7. Have pets ever gotten in the way of your writing?
My pets have helped my writing! My dog Nasa served as the inspiration for the character Nori in my debut novel. It was great to watch Nasa’s antics and then write those actions into Nori’s character. Maybe my cat Guinness will make it into the next novel.
8. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
I can’t remember where I first heard it, but I love the advice, “Let other people tell you no.” To me, it means don’t stop yourself from trying. Enter contests, submit stories, write that weird book. If I had decided my manuscript wasn’t good enough to query, I wouldn’t have a publishing contract. So don’t say no to yourself!
9. Would you share something about yourself that your readers don’t know (yet)?
I was an Irish dancer for twelve years. I competed in the North American Championships, the All Irelands and the World Championships (when they were in Philadelphia). I still remember many of my steps!
10. Do you write more than one thing at a time?
I can write poems and short stories at the same time, but I can only seem to write one novel at a time. Although I have premises for future novels saved, I worry I’ll forget the world I’m currently writing about if I bop around too much. But that just gives my future novel ideas time to simmer.
Kate, thank you for the insight into your writing process and the wonderful advice for our readers! Follow Kate on her social media accounts and keep an eye out for her debut novel, Fiona and the Forgotten Piano, releasing in January 2025! Keep shining!
Twitter/X: https://x.com/k8demaiowrites
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