2016 Author Interview Series: Kate Locke's The Immortal Series

     As soon as I saw the new covers to this fun series, I knew I had to have them.  Then when I'd discovered the story was based in an alternate Britain, with a huge chunk of Steam Punk- I definitely had to have them!  Thanks to my reaching out to Kate Locke- I will soon have the chance.  Till then, I've been reading up on her and the series.  

     In today's interview, I got to ask a bit about how she put together such a story and   Check out her what she says!

Author Interview Series:
The Immortal Series-
Alyssa:  What made you decide to become an author?
Kate: "I was 8 years old. My teacher asked us all to write a short story. When we were done, she read them to the class. Everyone laughed and clapped at the end. I remember thinking that I wanted more of that. That was the day I started writing."​ Alyssa: What  Brought about the conception of your steampunk-styled, extreme paranormal world?
Kate: "I wanted to combine things I loved. I love the look and feel of steampunk, but I also love the paranormal and history, so it just seemed the perfect way to combine all my favorites." 

Alyssa:  Has the supernatural genre always been your thing?  What other genres have you written in and which is your fav, if there are more?
Kate: "Supernatural and thriller have been my two favorite genres since I was young. I bounce back and forth between them and historical for publishing. Right now I'm writing contemporary YA  under the name Kady Cross, Thrillers as Kate Kessler, and I am currently working on a supernatural/fantasy story that will either be published as Kady Cross or Kate Locke. I'm not sure which voice it fits better."

Alyssa:  How did you develop Xandra and was any of her personality from You?
Kate: "Xandra's love for her family is all me, but that's about it. She's the kind of person I'd like to hang out with, until she annoyed me too much! lol. She sort of jumped into my head fully formed, which was a real gift. I knew her world, and I knew that her sister would be in peril. It all came from that.

Alyssa:  In The Queen is Dead, how did you go about creating a world where Xandra was now the Goblin Queen?  
Kate: "In a lot of Urban Fantasy stories, the heroine ends up being 'the One', or something very special. I wanted to add a spin to that where the 'special' was actually something monstrous and reviled. The worst thing Xandra could be -- in her world -- is a Goblin. I really wanted to muck up her life and force her to make choices that would eventually lead to her being exactly what -- and who -- she's meant to be." 

Alyssa:  Was it fun writing about an alternate Britain?  Did you go about the city looking for areas or did you already know where the tale was taking place? 
Kate: "I started out writing Historical Romance, so I already knew a fair bit about Victorian London. I did look for areas to include in the story, but most of them were used because I'd found out about them in earlier research. I found out about Down Street Station while watching a documentary about Winston Churchill. And then, of course, I decided to use Churchill, or a twisted version of him, in my story. It really was so much fun to take things and twist them, or try to figure out what they'd be like if we were still stuck in the Victorian era."

Alyssa:  With Long Live the Queen and the other books, you have a lot of action taking place.  How did you go about setting your plots and arcs- was it frustrating or easy?
Kate:  "With the first book it was very easy to see the arc. The hard part was wrapping it all up, and figuring where I wanted Xandra to end up. When I finished the trilogy I thought I was truly done with the world. I had no more ideas of what to do with Xandra. I still don't, but I've been thinking about that world some. I might return to it some day, or maybe switch to another city... Anyway, I never find plotting frustrating. It's just like putting together a big puzzle. It only gets difficult when you try to put pieces in the wrong place! Sometimes the plot you craft is not the right one and you have to rework it, but when you fix the problem, it's so rewarding!"

Alyssa:   When you write, do you see everything playing out as a movie?  Is it easy to write?
Kate: "I do see it play out in my head, yes. Sometimes it plays out in front of me like I'm the character as well, which is really weird when I'm writing from a male perspective! lol. It's not always easy to write because I have to decide how much of what I'm seeing is actually important to the reader. Sometimes I get it right, and sometimes I miss the mark."

Alyssa:   What’s your discipline for writing?  So many words a day?  So many hours?
Kate:  "I'm trying to be more disciplined again. I am a fast writer, so I can get a lot done if I just sit down and do it. I let myself get distracted more than I ought, but I'm working on it! Normally, I work in pages or words. 10-20 pages is what I shoot for once the book gets rolling."

Alyssa:  What’s your next project and will there be more of the supernatural?
Kate:  "Right now I'm revising a Kate Kessler book, and then I'm working on a Kady Cross. I also have that fantasy project I mentioned that takes place in New York City -- but a strange New York (or should I say *stranger*? lol). I don't want to say much about it as it's in the planning stages. I also have an idea about Jack the Ripper and Lizzie Borden that I would like to do, but we'll see. There are only so many hours in the day..."
     Thank you so much, Kate and good luck in all your endeavors!