1. What is your
name and where do you call home?
My name is Kat
Kruger and I live primarily in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Sometimes I still
call Toronto home.
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 most recent
book is the second book in The Magdeburg Trilogy. It's a series about
werewolves, mad science and teen angst set against the backdrop of Paris.
3. Do you have
plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
Yes, I'm
currently working on the final book in the series. After that I plan on moving
on to other genres but may revisit this world in the form of graphic novel prequels.
My hope is to write a standalone book next. I haven't decided which of two
ideas I'll be pursuing yet.
4. What or who
inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been writing?
So many writers
have inspired me along the way. As a young adult I read a lot of fantasy and
science fiction from authors like Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury and David
Eddings. More recently I've been inspired by the writings of Maggie Stiefvater
and Kenneth Oppel. I've been writing since a very young age. My sister and I
used to produce "newspapers" (print run: 1) in elementary school. At
around grade three I started writing 1-act plays that I got to perform for
younger grades. Then I went through a phase of writing really bad poetry in
junior high. Eventually I pursued a career as a freelance writer. All the while
I tried writing books but was only published recently.
5. Do you gift
books to readers for book reviews?
My publishers
handle publicity for my books so review copies are requested through them.
6. How did you
come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your book?
In Canada, the
cover designer who was hired is Angela Goddard. She's worked for a number of
the bigger publishing houses but is now a freelancer. I didn't have any
particular idea for the covers myself but she reads the books and then delivers
a few ideas from which I can choose and provide feedback on until we come to a
final cover that we're satisfied with.
7. Which is your
favourite cover of all the books you have written?
I've only
written two books so far but I think the latest cover for The Night Has Claws
is my fave. It really captures the essence of the book, right down to the metal
railing on the lower half of the cover which doesn't come into play until the
last chapter.
8. Is there
anything you would change about your book covers?
Not at all. The
designer is brilliant. I've received such positive feedback on both covers that
I really have no complaints. I think both stand out as different and
eye-catching but they capture the essence of the story. I even like the details
on the spine of the books!
9. Do you have
a playlist in mind for any of your books?
I always write
with a playlist that changes as I go through revisions.
Here's my
playlist for The Night Has Teeth: http://grooveshark.com/#!/playlist/The+Night+Has+Teeth/51588693
And here's my
playlist for The Night Has Claws: http://grooveshark.com/#!/playlist/The+Night+Has+Claws/77866509
10. Did you
listen to any particular songs whilst writing your books?
Music definitely
has a big influence on my writing. Thus, the playlists. For the most part, I'll
listen to the same songs while writing a book but as I go through different
drafts the songs may change. This series generally speaking had a lot of Muse,
Green Day, Linkin Park, The Black Keys.
11. Would you
have different book covers for different countries?
Translation
rights to The Magdeburg Trilogy were sold to Cbj Verlag/Random House Germany
and U.S. rights to The Night Has Teeth were acquired by Month9Books. As far as
I know both will be using different covers which is cool. I'm looking forward
to seeing the different interpretations.
12. How did you
come up with the title for your book?
In doing my
research on werewolves I stumbled across a story called the Wolf of Magdeburg.
In it there's a line which I used as the epigraph to the first book in the
series. "The night has teeth. The night has claws, and I have found
them." The phrase really struck me right away as an excellent title.
13. Is there
anything you would change about your book? And why?
Not at all. My
first book went through nine drafts before I sent it off to my editor! Two
rounds of revisions later I was very happy with the way things worked out.
14. Do you have
a book trailer? And what are your thoughts on book trailers?
There's a book
trailer for The Night Has Teeth here: http://youtu.be/kYeVS1aWQnQ
I think when
they're well-done, book trailers are a fantastic tool for an author. I've
definitely bought books because of their trailers. That said, there are others
that make me kind of cringe, honestly.
15. Do you have
a “Dreamcast” in mind for any of your books?
Sort of. Aidan Turner as Arden LaTène because I
thought he was absolutely brilliant as John Mitchell in BBC's Being Human and
feel he could bring the right balance of broody yet lovable to this character.
Gerard Butler as Rodolfus de Aquila partly for my sister but because he
has both the right look and ability to be both charming and commanding. I think
for the teens in my book, I'd want to see relative unknowns in the roles.
16. What is your
opinion of ARCs?
ARCs are
fantastic! I love getting early reader feedback. It feels almost like cheating
when you get a positive review before the book is released.
17. Do you
prefer e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or audiobooks?
It depends on
what I'm reading. Audiobooks are awesome when the voice actors bring the
characters to life. For books that I know I'm going to read and re-read, I
prefer hardcovers for the durability. Paperbacks and ebooks are interchangeable
to me.
18. Are you a
self-published / Indie author?
Yes, I'm
published through Fierce Ink Press. They're a micropress based on the East
Coast of Canada.
19. Have you
ever read a book more than once? And if so what was it?
There are a
handful of books that I keep going back to such as: Bitten by Kelley Armstrong,
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood, the
Shiver Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater.
20. Have you
ever bought a specific edition of a book because of it’s cover? (For example a
UK, US or Canadian version)
Occasionally if
a literary classic comes out with a new cover, I'm lured in to buy a different
edition. Otherwise, I don't really seek out different versions online.
21. What is your
opinion of novellas?
Novellas are a
length that I don't think I could write myself but I do like reading them. It's
not quite a short story, not quite a full-length novel but you still get the
satisfaction of having read a complete story.
22. Have you
ever read a book just based on it’s cover?
Not that I
recall. Most of the books I pick up are based on recommendations from friends.
23. Has the
quality of the cover of a book ever put you off of reading it?
Yes. Covers mean
a lot. If something looks unprofessional, I won't bother reading the blurb let
alone the book.
24. What is your
favourite film based on a book?
Blade Runner
which is based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick. I've
watched every, single re-issue of that movie and just really admire how the
world was brought to life by Ridley Scott.
25. What is your
favourite book genre at the moment?
Dystopian but I
think it's been a long-time fave (that explains the answer to the last
question!).
26. What books
have made it onto your wishlist recently? And why?
The Raven Boys
because it's Maggie Stiefvater's latest. I've also added a bunch of werewolf
bunch to my wishlist. I wasn't reading any of the genre while I was writing it
for fear of overlapping ideas but I'm really looking forward to checking out
what others have done in the genre such as Kathleen Peacock, Anne Rice, Jackson
Pearce and Nancy Holder. And Emily Pohl-Weary's Not Your Ordinary Wolf Girl.
I'm also toying around with the idea of my next book being steampunk so I've
added The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade and The Friday Society
by Adrienne Kress.
27. What book
are you reading at the moment? And in what format?
I'm reading The
Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley in paperback.
28. If you could
invite any four celebrities (alive or dead) to your dinner party, who would you
invite and why?
In case I
haven't fan-girled enough, I'd invite Maggie Stiefvater. She seems like a cool,
quirky writer and I have hella-respect for her writing. Zooey Deschanel for the
extra quirk factor but also to talk about her site Hello Giggles which is SUCH
a positive site for girls and women. Joseph Gordon Levitt because I'm so
fascinated by his collaborative production company hitRECord. And, let's face
it, that smile. Last but not least, Aidan Turner who is my grown-up crush.
29. Do you have
any advice for other writers? And what’s the best advice that you have been
given when it comes to writing?
My advice is to
embrace change. You won't grow as a writer if you can't accept constructive
criticism. Your first, second, even third draft of your first book isn't going
to be the book that makes it to print. And it shouldn't. Embrace the process,
the feedback you get from beta readers, the revisions your editor hands you.
That's not to say you can't disagree. I just think it's important to have your
baseline set to being receptive instead of defensive. As for the best advice
I've ever received: get it done. I used to sort of languish in editing while writing
during the first draft. Besides the fact that these are two very different
skills, achieving perfection is not what that draft is for so just get it done
and fix it later.
30. Do you have
any hobbies that aren’t related to reading & writing?
I used to paint.
Writing has kind of consumed my life lately. Hiking is something that I've been
doing more of lately. Living primarily in Halifax gives me lots of access to
some great trails.
31. Where can your readers follow you?
Blog: http://katkruger.com/
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6453832.Kat_Kruger
Twitter: https://twitter.com/katkruger
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