The Sphinx Project with Katherine Hawkings

So, essentially, I’m a total dick for not getting this out sooner. At first Katherine and I kept missing each other, and then life blew up and her interview was buried under a ton of emails.

So I’m hoping she can forgive the lateness here.

Katherine or Kate Hawkings is a sassy and quick-witted New Zealander fugitive making her way in the world of fiction. Certainly making her enterance with a ‘bang’, Hawking’s debut novel The Sphinx Project is a tale of action, sisterhood, adventure… oh, and the end of the world.

Our proganist ‘Michaela’ is much like any other teenage girl. She has dreams about boys, a guilty pleasure for ice cream and that stubborn insistence to run her own life the way she sees fit. Except unlike any other teenage girl, it isn’t parental rule that keeps her from those things–it’s being locked in a lab with her sister and friends. Being a test subject and a weapon is the only life Michaela has really ever known but when a devastating earthquake renders an opening to escape, all of that is about to change.

Except they aren’t the only test subjects to escape…

Kiri Callaghan: Have you always wanted to write a book?

Katherine Hawkins: In my earlier years I never really thought about it. One of my best friends, Joanne, was supposed to be the author. My future career changed every week. I did enjoy writing and making things up, but it wasn’t until much later that I realized you didn’t have to be a member of some secret society to actually write a book.

KC: What outside influences contributed to The Sphinx Project?

KH: The things that influenced me most in the early days were definitely the news articles. There has been a lot of talk over the years about the ethics involved in the use of chimaeras in science. At the time the debates were primarily related to legislation dictating the rules for their creation and destruction.

KC: Did you find yourself having to delve deep into any kind of research?

KH: No, not really. There were bits and pieces that I wanted to make sure I got right, but the cause of the heaviest research was never included in the final story.

KC: Did you have any prior interest in the Mayan mythologies or was it the 2012 hype that sort of sparked the idea?

KH: I’ve always loved mythology. When I was younger I had two children’s encyclopaedias that I read over and over again. One was about the history of the British monarchy, and the other was a huge round-up of mythology from around the world. I’ve always preferred Greek and Roman mythology, but I’ll take anything, really. The fact that there’s been quite a bit of hype about it recently definitely brought the idea to the forefront of my mind though.

KC: Who would you say is your target audience?

KH: Now that’s a tough one. It is a young adult book, but I’d like to think people of all ages would enjoy it. The thing with young adult books is they’re quite fast paced, to keep the readers interested. But you find a lot of adults like this quality in their reading too. If you were to look at the insights for my Facebook page you’d see that only a small fraction of the people who like it are actually in the ‘young adult’ age range.

KC: The book seems to have a very cinematic feel to it. Did you ever attribute cinematic qualities to it during your writing process? (Casting ideas, soundtracks, etc etc)

KH: I did look at pictures of actors when I was writing, but it was simply to inspire description. I find it easier to talk about something I can see in front of me. I also keep calendars with striking landscapes to help me set scenes. As for the soundtrack, I did listen to music as I wrote, but I never actually thought of a soundtrack.

KC: Without divulging any spoilers, what would be your favorite part of this process?

KH: Probably the first draft writing. It’s a time where I can cut loose and just type whatever daft ideas flow out of my brain without actually worrying about whether it makes sense or not.

KC: Something you encountered during the process that you weren’t expecting?

KH: The sheer amount of time it took to do things. The actual writing of the book only took a fraction of the time. It was the editing and revising that took the majority of the work.

KC: Any mishaps you encountered along the way?

KH: Hmmm… I’m sure there was, but off the top of my head I can’t pick one out… There was the whole ‘GAHHH!!!! I JUST DELETED 10,000 WORDS OF MY MANUSCRIPT’ panic in the early stages, but I think it actually helped make the story stronger when I rewrote it… well… I like to think it did… sob

KC: Any great strikes of luck?

KH: I had originally planned on having someone else edit the book, but came across Rhonda quite by accident. Without her I don’t think The Sphinx Project would have ended up anywhere near as good.

KC: Have you always wanted to self-publish?

KH: No. Self-publishing was a decision I came to after a lot of thought and debate. It was a really difficult choice to make, and even now I wonder if I chose right.

KC: Your advice to others who may want to self-publish:

KH: Research all your options. I don’t care who you are, there’s more you need to learn. And send out some queries. I regret not at least doing that. I’m proud of what I’ve done, but I’ll always wonder if the other path would have worked too.

 

You can find Katherine on Twitter, Facebook, her blog and Goodreads.

If you’re interested in buying The Sphinx Project, you can check it out on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com.