Spotlight Interview with Author Catherine Green

Q1: Thanks for participating in our Authors.com Spotlight Interview series Catherine! Please introduce yourself and your book to help our readers get to know you. 
A: My name is Catherine Green (real name!), and my debut novel is Love Hurts. It's a paranormal romance about a human businesswoman who falls in love with a vampire and his identical twin werewolf brother. Set in coastal Cornwall, UK, it is wild, rugged and romantic with just the right amount of horror and drama. It is also the first in a series based on my fictional town of Redcliffe.



Q2: Please explain how you came to be a writer, what inspired you to write your book(s) and how long it took. 
A: I always dreamed of being an author. I loved books from a young age and would visit my small local library every Saturday with my mum and younger brother. It was my childhood authors Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl that inspired me to write, and this was further compounded as I got older and the stories refused to stay in my head. My debut novel festered for around 10 years, growing and changing, but when I actually knuckled down to some serious writing, it took only 2 years to complete.

Q3: What did you enjoy most about creating this book? 
A. The fact that I have created a legacy, a permanent reminder of me and what I believe in. This will now be in the world for eternity, and my children will be proud. 


Q4: What facets of your life, both personal and professional, are woven into your book, if any? 
A. My heroine is a loose caricature of myself in an alternative life, but taller and more attractive! There are memories of past and current relationships in the book, and experiences that have shaped who I am now. It is about life, love and friendship with a paranormal element.


Q5. How did you get published? 
A. I was accepted by a small independent publisher after they used one of my short stories in an anthology. Mirador are a partnership publisher. They contribute some of the costs, and the author contributes a portion, we work together to promote and sell. They also want to encourage women writers to come forward, since we are apparently still under-represented in the industry.



Q6: Did you have any surprises or hiccups along the way during the book writing and/or publishing process? 
A. I was surprised to find that the book was only the length of a novella when I first wrote it. Then I realised that my university training in newspaper writing was reigning me in. Once I got round  that I managed to flesh out the story, knowing that I had no maximum word limit. It was difficult to keep the text relevant, as I didn't want readers to get bored part-way in.


Q7: What one thing did you wish you'd known before you started this project? 
A. I wish I had known how easy it was to actually get published, I could have written this several years ago and be well established by now! But I don't take the easy route.


Q8: You're a fly on the wall when readers are discussing your book. What would you hope to hear them say about it? 
A. It is the British answer to Twilight/True Blood. Finally a paranormal romance that is for adults rather than teenagers. Perfect now that I have read Twilight and am looking for more exciting books.


Q9: Tell us one thing about you that most people don't know or would surprise them. 
A. I used to dance and sing with children's TV characters the Tweenies at Alton Towers theme park when I worked there!


Q10: What single piece of advice would you give new authors? 
A. Just go for it. If you have a story that must be written and published, then do it, you will be surprised at the positive response you receive from other people.


Q11: Share a short summary of a typical day in your life with us please. 
A. I wake up, breastfeed my baby daughter, we have breakfast, I do household chores, try to jump on the computer and catch up with emails over lunch. We play, sing, dance, take the dog for a walk. Some days we attend mother and baby groups for activities such as baby massage and baby yoga. We shop for groceries, have dinner, I put the baby to bed and spend the night working on the computer. Some nights I watch TV with my husband or read my books, but less often these days.


Q12: Describe where you do most of your writing. What would I see if I was sitting beside you? 
A. I alternate between our home computer in a corner of the dining room, and our laptop usually on the dining room table. Occasionally I will use the laptop on my knee on the sofa in our living room, but I tend to get backache and must sit properly. From the dining room table you can see our turtles in their tank to my left, near the window. To my right will be the open plan living room
where my daughter will be on her playmat and the dog will be on the sofa.


Q13: What's your motto or favorite quote you like to live by? 
A. If you don't try, you'll never achieve anything. Do what feels natural, and be proud.



Q14: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us in closing such as your website, an imminent book launch or what you're working on presently? 
A. Yes my website is www.catherine-green.co.uk and my blog is www.catherinegreenauthor.blogspot.com I am currently writing a sequel to Love Hurts, and a separate novel called The Darkness of Love which tells how my vampire character Marcus Scott came to be immortal. It has elements of steampunk and is fairly raunchy, though not quite erotic.

Authors.com profile: http://www.authors.com/profile/CatherineGreen

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