I'm chatting about Howl today at Romance Under Moonlight. Don't you love that title? Steph Burkhart was a guest on Saturday Shifters last week and she graciously invited me to visit her blog. Hope to see you there!
Today Cate Masters talks about her May 7th release, Fever Dreams . Welcome Cate! Tell us about yourself. How long have you been writing? Poetry was an early passion, from about age ten, because I had a somewhat solitary upbringing. We lived in the country, and though I had three brothers and three sisters (I was lucky number seven), they were all older and considered me a pest. :) Although I didn’t realize at the time how lucky I was, I grew up in a very artsy community, and my friends were all artists and poets. From grade school on, we nurtured each other and are still close friends. In my twenties, I mostly set writing aside while my kids were young but once they needed me less, went back to it. Who are your writing role models? Wow. So many. For their incredible imagination and excellent writing, T.C. Boyle, Margaret Atwood and Michael Chabon are definitely my top three. Neil Gaiman and Alice Hoffman follow close on their heels. For jaw-dropping writing, Charles D’Ambro...
What inspired you to become a writer? After my son was born, Handsome and I were shopping in a Half Price bookstore and I told him I was looking for Dick Francis mysteries. He asked why I liked them so, and I blurted out, “Because I wish I could write like him.” But I didn’t try to write for a long time. A friend prompted me to do so. My mind had really expanded in writing and I love it! Who are your favorite romance characters (besides your own?) I’ve always been drawn to curious heroines, particularly those in mysteries. I cut my teeth on Nancy and Trixie. Oh how I wanted to be them and have their adventures. As a teenager, my mom lent me her Emilie Loring romances. The women where strong and looked for someone to match them. They were willing to try new things and go new places. Eventually, I discovered stories by Mary Stewart who weaved intriguing suspense into her romances. Tell me what inspired this story. (see question 1) My friend suggested writing the open...
I had the good fortune to meet Regina Duke at a gathering of local romance writers and I’m thrilled to have her as a guest today. Regina Duke also writes dog books as Linda White. What inspired you to become a writer? As a child I read constantly. I have a memory dating back before kindergarten of copying the print off a page onto a piece of paper. I did not know what the page said at that time, but I felt compelled to write those symbols on paper. I was writing! My first trip to the library at five years old was memorable because they would only allow us to check out four children’s books at a time, and I read all four in the car on the way home. There were never enough stories! So I began writing my own as soon as I had access to pens and paper. I shared with girl friends at school. Ironically, although my writing skills always earned As in school, my male English teachers never enjoyed my creative efforts! Not masculine enough, I guess. Who are your favorite romance cha...