Kate Vriesema asked Katie McGarry:

My dream is to be an author. And when I read books like yours that dream is cemented. But I've been struggling lately. So how so you do it? How do you create a character that comes alive on the page? How do you come up with a love interest for that person that so perfectly complements them? How do you create a world in which their fears come to light?

Katie McGarry Hi Katie,

I'm so excited to hear you want to become an author. I'm living proof dreams do come true. :-)

Struggling with a story and the characters is part of the writing process. I'm on my second series and I still struggle with those things. :-)

Everyone comes to know their characters and stories differently. For me, I do a ton of research and through that (and interviewing my characters), I get to know my characters on a very deep level before I begin writing.

For me, I like to write love interests that challenge each other. I like that they can help each other start to see outside of the box that the other lives in. Because of that, there has to be conflicts/differences. But at the heart of my characters is something deep down in their soul that they have in common that bonds them. Take Me On for instance--both West and Rachel have this need to discover what home really means.

I hope this helps! Thank you for the question!

Katie

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