1. What is your
name and where do you call home?
My name’s Kate
Harrison and I live by the seaside down in Brighton – though I’ve also lived in
Bristol, Birmingham and Barcelona (and lots of other places beginning with B).
2. What is the name
of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less words, what
would you say?
My latest book
is Soul Fire, the second in the Soul Beach trilogy. Alice Forster tries
to solve the mystery of her sister's murder in order to free her from Soul
Beach - a virtual paradise populated only by the young, the beautiful and the
dead!
3. Do you have
plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
I’m currently
working on the third and final Soul Beach
book in which Alice finally faces her sister’s killer – and her worst
fears. It’ll be published next summer!
4. What or who
inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been writing?
I was inspired as
a child by reading books by authors like Noel Streatfeild and Roald Dahl – I
began writing my own stories pretty much as soon as I could hold a pen. In
fact, before that – there are some tapes of me as a very small girl nattering
away about imaginary characters.
5. Who designed the
cover of your book?
The fantastic
team at Indigo, which is Orion’s young adult publishing brand, designed the
look – I think they’re so vivid and gorgeous. The back cover of Soul Fire is as beautiful as a poster.
They sum up the glamour and the drama to me.
6. Which is your
favourite cover of all the books you have written?
I think it’s
actually the South Korean version of Soul
Beach – it’s so dramatic and enigmatic! It’s always exciting to see how
foreign editions turn out. I also really like the cover of my new comedy, The Boot Camp – I love the silhouette
effect and there’s a subtle sheen on the jacket.
7. How did you come
up with the title for your book?
Well, we did
debate using a single word, like Vigil or
Trilogy. But Soul Beach is the place
where everything happens so that seems to fit! In the second book, fire plays a
huge part in the story – and in the third, well… you’ll have to wait and see.
8. Is there
anything you would change about your book? And why?
Nothing major –
because I’ve written the trilogy over three years, there’ve been a few details
here and there that I’d have liked to have made slightly different, but overall
I still love Alice, my central character, and am fascinated by the killer…
9. Do you have a
book trailer? And what are your thoughts on book trailers?
Yes, it’s here: the team at Orion made it and I love it. I think book trailers are a
fun way to get across the mood of a book. I think there are loads of exciting
ways of engaging readers – trailers are just one, some of them haven’t even
been invented yet. Exciting times!
10. Do you prefer
e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or audiobooks?
I like a mixture
– I love sampling new books on my Kindle, like paperbacks for their durability,
and hardbacks for the specialness. Audiobooks are great, but I must admit my
attention sometimes wanders when I’m listening to one so I tend to stick to
reading.
11. Have you ever
read a book just based on its cover?
It’s really hard
to pinpoint exactly why I’ve chosen a book – a lovely design will make me pick
it up in a shop, but the description on the back, and the title, and the first
page also play a part.
12. What is your
favourite film based on a book?
The Commitments was originally a book by Roddy Doyle – I
must admit I haven’t actually read the book but the movie is one of my
favourites.
13. What is your
favourite book genre at the moment?
I really tend to
read around lots of genres: commercial fiction, thrillers, comedies. But I
think young adult publishing is really exciting as there’s such a lot of
variety.
14. What books have
made it onto your wish list recently? And why?
My Kindle
to-be-read list is SO long. I’ve got The
Fault in our Stars by John Green, Before
I Met You by Lisa Jewell, The Summer
of Living Dangerously by Julie Cohen and about another 20 titles. Exciting
but daunting as I am not planning a ‘proper’ holiday – pretty much my best time
for reading, normally.
15. What book are
you reading at the moment? And in what format?
I’m actually
reading two – When I Fall in Love by
Miranda Dickinson (I’ve been sent a preview on the Kindle, very lucky!) and Sanctus by Simon Toyne, who is an author
I know in Brighton: that’s a signed paperback.
16. If you could
invite any four celebrities (alive or dead) to your dinner party, who would you
invite and why?
Ooh, I was
talking about this only the other day: Queen Elizabeth the First, John Lennon,
Oscar Wilde and George Clooney. I think the sparks might fly. Could be a long
dinner party…
17. Do you have any
advice for other writers? And what’s the best advice that you have been given
when it comes to writing?
I’ve got lots of
advice on my website – kate-harrison.com/for-writers – but if I had to pick
just one, it’d be to play around with writing, trying out all the genres you
love to read. If you want to have your work published, then readers like to
know what to expect from you, so make sure you want to write similar books to
your debut, to help build the ‘brand.’
And the best
advice I’ve had is not to get too preoccupied with what everyone else is
writing – simply to focus on my next project and make it the best book I can
write.
18. Do you have any
hobbies that aren’t related to reading & writing?
I love baking,
and I’m also learning to make my own clothes – even though I hated sewing at
school. But there are such funky fabric shops here in
Brighton, really inspiring!
19. Where can your
readers follow you?
Blog: via my news
page, kate-harrison.com/news
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/KateHarrisonAuthorpage
Twitter: @katewritesbooks
Thank you so
much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into
your writing world!
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