Interview with Catherine Rose
I met Catherine Rose about ten years ago. We had both chosen the same publisher to publish our books. I'd just published A Time to Tell, and she'd just published The Bone Cradle. We met at a marketing seminar in Brighton that was set up by our publisher. We later attended the London Book Fair together to promote our books. We've kept in touch ever since. She's a great friend and a talented writer. I enjoyed reading both of her books, The Bone Cradle and Grey Amber.
INTERVIEW WITH CATHERINE ROSE (pen name C.E. Trueman)
Hi Catherine! Welcome to my blog. Please introduce yourself
My name is Catherine Rose although my two children's novels are written under the pen name C.E. Trueman which is my maiden name. I also write poetry that has been published as both Catherine Rose and Catherine Trueman.
Tell us about your latest book.
I am currently working on a book of short stories. I had around seven finished stories dating back to when I completed a post graduate certificate in creative writing and I felt that they needed to be gathered together and taken out of the bottom drawer! I spent a week on a creative writing course in Turkey this May where I started finding common threads and began work on an eighth story. I have now mapped out the final one as my plan is to have a book of nine stories grouped into three sections. I still have to think of a title for the collection. Normally titles come to me quite easily, sometimes even before the story itself! But this time, although I have pages of brainstorming in my notebook, I haven't yet had the 'eureka' moment.
Titles can be hard! I often change my books' titles at least 3 or 4 times before I'm happy with them!
Are there any characters in your books that are based on real people?
I borrowed traits from a friend's daughter for the character of Carla in The Bone Cradle and Nat was based on my own daughter. Apart from that, I haven't yet used anyone else from real life in my books. The character of Matt in The Bone Cradle was very strong in my head from the beginning but although I have three sons, he wasn't really like any of them: he was his own person. On the creative writing course I attended, which was run by the lovely Philippa Pride, Steven King's UK editor, we talked about the dangers of using real people in fiction because if you portray someone in a damaging light and they can be recognised as a living person, you could be sued for libel, even if you change the character's name, hair colour etc. Nevertheless, there have definitely been one or two people in my life that I would like to use in a future novel!
Hahaha!
How long did it take you to write your last book?
I suppose you could say that my last book was my Master's thesis in Art History entitled "The Pre-Raphaelites: Northern Renaissance Product of a New Victorian Age?", a bound copy of which is in Buckingham University Library. It took me eighteen fascinating months to research and write. Before this, my last fiction book, Grey Amber, took about six months to write and then another year to publish. Because it was a sequel, I already had the foundations of the story so it didn't take as long to write as it could have done. I introduced a new character, Ollie, who I grew very fond of and he will definitely have a big role to play in the third book.
That's a great series. Nice to know there'll be a third book!
Do you do your own editing or use a professional? Anyone you’d recommend?
I am a writer and journalist by profession so I edit my own work. Having said that, both The Bone Cradle and Grey Amber also went through an independent edit by the publisher as part of the publication process. My editor was very accommodating as I didn't agree with many of her edits! However, I would always recommend that someone else looks at your manuscript as it is surprising how you can miss things, even after several read-throughs. I also offer freelance book editing and am currently working on an autobiography written by a Yugoslav author, Zdenko Ornig. I am always interested in taking on new work. I like to support other writers.
Do you have a preferred writing space?
My preferred writing space is my study. It was the children's playroom when they were growing up and still has most of their toys in the cupboards but otherwise, it has gone through a complete transformation and is definitely the only room in the house that is a complete reflection of me. With a background of soft yellows and greens, two cabinets stuffed with papers and books, and our old three piece suite that I had recovered, it has developed organically into a creative space containing my favourite photographs, knick knacks, and artwork that includes my mother's and my own. My desk was custom made by a carpenter friend and is based on a Swedish design I saw in a magazine that was a lot more expensive! I love it. The focus of the room is a log burner which is set into a wall of reclaimed brick over which I have hung a scarf printed with the photographer Man Ray's first ever colour photo of the model Geneca Anathasiou. Because the scarf is translucent and in similar shades to the bricks, it looks as though it is printed on them.
That sounds lovely!
What are some of the pros/cons of being an indie author?
There are lots of pros to being an indie author, the main one being that you are your own boss and can control almost everything about the publishing process. You can also get your book out there in a much shorter time frame than if you were going down the traditional route - having to write to agents, endlessly submitting your manuscript, stockpiling rejection letters and building increasing despondency. History has shown that agents and publishers are not infallible and sometimes, books that have gone on to become best sellers have been initially dismissed. I often think sadly of the rejection slips that will have prevented an amazing book from reaching an audience. Being an indie author means that you are not relying on any one person's opinion which, at the end of the day, is subjective and usually based on commercial values rather than the true merit of the work. As an indie author, it is your readers who judge your book.
The drawback of being an indie author is that there is still a stigma attached and many people look down their nose at a book that has been independently published, seeing it as somehow inferior to one that has been accepted by a publishing house. Unfortunately this isn't helped by the print quality of some of the indie books out there which can be dreadful using cheap paper, narrow margins with cramped text, and appalling cover design. I can't stress enough how important it is to present your book as professionally as possible. This is your hard work - it deserves to be a thing of beauty. Moreover, it is the first impression a reader will have.
What’s your favourite book, and why is it your favourite?
My favourite book to date (and I have quite a few) is The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. If a book makes me cry (and it did) then for me, the book has succeeded. Beyond that, this book marries a great story with the most beautiful and accomplished writing. That is not easy to achieve and you often find a well-written book with a poor storyline, or research and grammatical errors that poison your willing suspension of disbelief. Alternatively, you can get a great plot that has not been written with any particular love of or talent with words. I find stories that encompass both to be the most satisfying.
I've never read that one. Will have to check it out.
What are you currently reading?
I have just finished reading The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell. I usually have a store of unread books and this one has been in the 'waiting patiently' pile for a time. When I do start reading though, I can rattle through a book thanks to my English literature degree where we had a colossal reading list to get through every term. I managed to read The Bone Clocks on a week's holiday in Italy this month. At the moment, I am eagerly awaiting Amelia Gray's book of short stories, Gutshot, and am currently dipping in and out of The Anatomical Venus: Wax, God, Death & the Ecstatic by Joanna Ebenstein which is a sort of art history meets anatomy.
Do you have a pet?
We are a menagerie-loving household. Currently, we have an aged golden retriever called Jasper who spends a lot of his time spread out in doorways like a ubiquitous rug; a scruffy little Cavachon (cavalier king charles spaniel, bichon frise cross) called Bailey who is Jasper's best friend and always has his teddy bear nose in everything; a beautiful grey and peach Persian cat called Suki with very expressive amber eyes who believes she is queen of the household; a blue-black chicken called Dinah who was a foundling given to us by a friend and loves sneaking into the kitchen to pinch the dog food; and two adolescent Orpington chicks - Florence and Benedict - that we hatched from eggs.
That's a lot of pets! :)
Thank you, Catherine, for joining me here for a chat. It's been great to find out more about you. I'm looking forward to your new books!
**************************************
Author links:
Website: http://catherine-rose.strikingly.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CETrueman
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBoneCradl...
INTERVIEW WITH CATHERINE ROSE (pen name C.E. Trueman)
Hi Catherine! Welcome to my blog. Please introduce yourself
My name is Catherine Rose although my two children's novels are written under the pen name C.E. Trueman which is my maiden name. I also write poetry that has been published as both Catherine Rose and Catherine Trueman.
Tell us about your latest book.
I am currently working on a book of short stories. I had around seven finished stories dating back to when I completed a post graduate certificate in creative writing and I felt that they needed to be gathered together and taken out of the bottom drawer! I spent a week on a creative writing course in Turkey this May where I started finding common threads and began work on an eighth story. I have now mapped out the final one as my plan is to have a book of nine stories grouped into three sections. I still have to think of a title for the collection. Normally titles come to me quite easily, sometimes even before the story itself! But this time, although I have pages of brainstorming in my notebook, I haven't yet had the 'eureka' moment.
Titles can be hard! I often change my books' titles at least 3 or 4 times before I'm happy with them!
Are there any characters in your books that are based on real people?
I borrowed traits from a friend's daughter for the character of Carla in The Bone Cradle and Nat was based on my own daughter. Apart from that, I haven't yet used anyone else from real life in my books. The character of Matt in The Bone Cradle was very strong in my head from the beginning but although I have three sons, he wasn't really like any of them: he was his own person. On the creative writing course I attended, which was run by the lovely Philippa Pride, Steven King's UK editor, we talked about the dangers of using real people in fiction because if you portray someone in a damaging light and they can be recognised as a living person, you could be sued for libel, even if you change the character's name, hair colour etc. Nevertheless, there have definitely been one or two people in my life that I would like to use in a future novel!
Hahaha!
How long did it take you to write your last book?
I suppose you could say that my last book was my Master's thesis in Art History entitled "The Pre-Raphaelites: Northern Renaissance Product of a New Victorian Age?", a bound copy of which is in Buckingham University Library. It took me eighteen fascinating months to research and write. Before this, my last fiction book, Grey Amber, took about six months to write and then another year to publish. Because it was a sequel, I already had the foundations of the story so it didn't take as long to write as it could have done. I introduced a new character, Ollie, who I grew very fond of and he will definitely have a big role to play in the third book.
That's a great series. Nice to know there'll be a third book!
Do you do your own editing or use a professional? Anyone you’d recommend?
I am a writer and journalist by profession so I edit my own work. Having said that, both The Bone Cradle and Grey Amber also went through an independent edit by the publisher as part of the publication process. My editor was very accommodating as I didn't agree with many of her edits! However, I would always recommend that someone else looks at your manuscript as it is surprising how you can miss things, even after several read-throughs. I also offer freelance book editing and am currently working on an autobiography written by a Yugoslav author, Zdenko Ornig. I am always interested in taking on new work. I like to support other writers.
Do you have a preferred writing space?
My preferred writing space is my study. It was the children's playroom when they were growing up and still has most of their toys in the cupboards but otherwise, it has gone through a complete transformation and is definitely the only room in the house that is a complete reflection of me. With a background of soft yellows and greens, two cabinets stuffed with papers and books, and our old three piece suite that I had recovered, it has developed organically into a creative space containing my favourite photographs, knick knacks, and artwork that includes my mother's and my own. My desk was custom made by a carpenter friend and is based on a Swedish design I saw in a magazine that was a lot more expensive! I love it. The focus of the room is a log burner which is set into a wall of reclaimed brick over which I have hung a scarf printed with the photographer Man Ray's first ever colour photo of the model Geneca Anathasiou. Because the scarf is translucent and in similar shades to the bricks, it looks as though it is printed on them.
That sounds lovely!
What are some of the pros/cons of being an indie author?
There are lots of pros to being an indie author, the main one being that you are your own boss and can control almost everything about the publishing process. You can also get your book out there in a much shorter time frame than if you were going down the traditional route - having to write to agents, endlessly submitting your manuscript, stockpiling rejection letters and building increasing despondency. History has shown that agents and publishers are not infallible and sometimes, books that have gone on to become best sellers have been initially dismissed. I often think sadly of the rejection slips that will have prevented an amazing book from reaching an audience. Being an indie author means that you are not relying on any one person's opinion which, at the end of the day, is subjective and usually based on commercial values rather than the true merit of the work. As an indie author, it is your readers who judge your book.
The drawback of being an indie author is that there is still a stigma attached and many people look down their nose at a book that has been independently published, seeing it as somehow inferior to one that has been accepted by a publishing house. Unfortunately this isn't helped by the print quality of some of the indie books out there which can be dreadful using cheap paper, narrow margins with cramped text, and appalling cover design. I can't stress enough how important it is to present your book as professionally as possible. This is your hard work - it deserves to be a thing of beauty. Moreover, it is the first impression a reader will have.
What’s your favourite book, and why is it your favourite?
My favourite book to date (and I have quite a few) is The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. If a book makes me cry (and it did) then for me, the book has succeeded. Beyond that, this book marries a great story with the most beautiful and accomplished writing. That is not easy to achieve and you often find a well-written book with a poor storyline, or research and grammatical errors that poison your willing suspension of disbelief. Alternatively, you can get a great plot that has not been written with any particular love of or talent with words. I find stories that encompass both to be the most satisfying.
I've never read that one. Will have to check it out.
What are you currently reading?
I have just finished reading The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell. I usually have a store of unread books and this one has been in the 'waiting patiently' pile for a time. When I do start reading though, I can rattle through a book thanks to my English literature degree where we had a colossal reading list to get through every term. I managed to read The Bone Clocks on a week's holiday in Italy this month. At the moment, I am eagerly awaiting Amelia Gray's book of short stories, Gutshot, and am currently dipping in and out of The Anatomical Venus: Wax, God, Death & the Ecstatic by Joanna Ebenstein which is a sort of art history meets anatomy.
Do you have a pet?
We are a menagerie-loving household. Currently, we have an aged golden retriever called Jasper who spends a lot of his time spread out in doorways like a ubiquitous rug; a scruffy little Cavachon (cavalier king charles spaniel, bichon frise cross) called Bailey who is Jasper's best friend and always has his teddy bear nose in everything; a beautiful grey and peach Persian cat called Suki with very expressive amber eyes who believes she is queen of the household; a blue-black chicken called Dinah who was a foundling given to us by a friend and loves sneaking into the kitchen to pinch the dog food; and two adolescent Orpington chicks - Florence and Benedict - that we hatched from eggs.
That's a lot of pets! :)
Thank you, Catherine, for joining me here for a chat. It's been great to find out more about you. I'm looking forward to your new books!
**************************************
Author links:
Website: http://catherine-rose.strikingly.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CETrueman
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBoneCradl...
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