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Kata Čuić
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Kata Čuić Q&A
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How do you get inspiration for your books?How long does it take you to write one of your novels?
What music do you listen to while you're writing? Do you have any underrated book recommendations?
What are your favorite books?
What are your favorite tropes to read and to write about?
Good morning! Happy Monday! It's been forever since I used a group feature on GR, so forgive me if I mess something up! Every time I click the reply button, I just get a box with a bunch of HTML :PI'll try to answer everything so far.
Jennifer, I get inspiration from anywhere and everywhere. From news articles to stuff that happens in my hometown to ideas about "what if?" My debut novel, First and Goal, took me two years to write. One of my more recent books, Homebound, took me ten days.
Elizabeth, most of the time I need silence to write, which is a hot commodity in my house with the husband and three teens having been home for a full year now during the pandemic. Sometimes, if a particular song sparks a specific scene, I'll listen to that song on repeat at very low volume, so that it becomes background noise. The past few days I've been writing with This is Gospel by Panic! at the Disco in the background.
Nicole, I'm currently writing the 6th book in the Moving the Chains series, Personal Foul. I'm aiming for a summer release.
Katherine, my favorite tropes are friends-to-lovers, second-chance, and my guilty pleasure is secret baby.
Ashley, no I've never written erotica. Honestly, I wish I could. The sex scenes that I write are always the hardest for me though, pun intended. ;)
Ana, I could never pick a favorite! That would be like picking a favorite child of mine! They're all little pieces of me, and I love them all. <3
Will Alex get his own love story?
Dumpsterdogbooks, yes! I'm writing that book now! :)
Who are some of your favorite authors?
Gladys, my fave authors change in waves, if that makes any sense. Right now, I'm really into Roxie Noir. I love her writing style.
I ❤️The 2 first books of the Moving the Chains series.My question: how se you feel when you read all the positive reviews? Are you discouraged if you see that your books don’t receive the reception you expect?
Greetings from Spain.
Yoneidis, gracias! ¡Me alegra que hayas disfrutado de los libros! I don't usually read reviews for my books. Reviews are for readers, not authors. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and not every book is for every reader. As a reader myself, I've read extremely popular books that most everyone loves, but I...hated them. The reverse has also been true.
One of the first things I tell aspiring authors if they ask me for advice: if you can walk away, then you should. Writers aren't writers because they need glowing reviews or to be popular. We write because we can't NOT write, if that makes sense. If an author is only in this business for good reviews or to be loved by every reader, then this is probably not the job for them. This is an extremely difficult industry to thrive in, but at the end of the day, authors keep publishing because they love the work. They love the writing. They do not feel whole unless they are putting stories down on a page, day after day.
That being said, if a reader messages me privately about a book, I always listen. Sometimes, they find typos or plot-holes, and I appreciate them reaching out because I always try to make every book better than the last. I truly appreciate constructive criticism. It helps me learn and grow.
Some of the best private messages I have received from readers, I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and they are better than any review. A reader from Australia confided in me that my books helped her get through chemotherapy treatment for cancer. Another reader from the States who had also experienced sexual assault thanked me for portraying the aftermath in a realistic way instead of sugar-coating it and turning it into a fantasy.
There is no monetary value or popularity contest that means more to me than those heartfelt messages. To have touched even a single other person on this planet in such a way is not only extremely humbling, but also supremely gratifying.
On the days that the writing feels too hard, or when I feel like giving up (every writer has those days), it's not the bad reviews that I'm thinking about. It's private messages like the ones above that remind me I'm already someone's favorite author. That keeps me at my desk until I fall in love with the writing again. <3
What comes first for you — the plot or the characters?
Suzana, that's a really great question! I'm sure it's different for every author, but for me, it's usually the characters who come first. Rob and Evie were alive inside my head for months before I even attempted to write them onto a page. It took a full year to give them a story that felt right. The only exception I can think of is Keep the Beat. I knew the plot before I knew that Jimmy was going to end up being Alex Fossoway's younger brother, for example.
What is your absolute favorite thing to do when you are not writing or reading?
Megan, my favorite things to do are reading and writing. LOLI also love hanging out with my 3 teens. They are legit my favorite ppl on the planet, and they always make me laugh!
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New Adult Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
First and Goal (other topics)Homebound (other topics)
Revenge Love (other topics)
Kata Čuić takes on the NABC hot seat and is ready to answer all your questions - no matter how odd.
She is the author of First and Goal, Homebound, Revenge Love and many many more.
Leave those questions below for her now!