Katherine Easer Interview

1. The characters Maddy and Agnes are very interesting and captured my attention. How did you come up with them?


I started with a listof positive and negative traits that I thought would be intriguing (and frightening) to have in a character. Then I asked myself what each of the girls wanted.  Initially this helped to drive the plot, but I still didn’t have a clear idea of who Maddy and Agnes were.  After I’d put them through a variety of stressful situations, they sprang to life.  They started saying and doing things that were not part of the plan.  Since I was curious to see what they would do next, I didn’t rein them in too much.

 
2. Can you relate to any of the characters?


Well, I can certainly empathize with all of them, even though they’re very troubled girls, but what was fun about writing this novel was that I was able to work with characters who were so different from me.  I feel very fortunate that my childhood was a happy one and that I had parents who loved and understood me, but I’ve often wondered what my teen years would have been like had my childhood been marked by abandonment and loss.  Would I have been out-of-control?  Desperate to fit in?  Through Sarah I was able to explore these questions.

 
3. The road to publication is a long journey. How was your road?


Long and difficult.  Vicious Little Darlings was my first attempt at writing a novel, but prior to that I’d written countless short stories that were rejected by every literary journal I queried.  VLD was rejected 24 times before my agent,Rachel Orr, agreed to represent me.  Eventually I learned that rejection is just part of the process.  If it doesn’t kill your love for writing, then you know you’re on the right path.

 
4. Vicious Little Darlings was an amazing book that kept me on the edge of my seat, do you plan to write anymore books? Can you give us a little hint?


Thanks, Anastasia. :)  Yes, I’m planning to write more books.  I’m currently finishing up another psychological thriller.  I can’t say much at this point, but I will say that it’s dark, twisted, and very different from VLD.

 
5. What advice would you give to author's to be?


Never give up.  Keep writing, even if publication doesn’t comeright away.  Attend workshops and conferences, work on your craft, revise.  Remember: Authors are just writers who didn’t give up.

 
6. Can you describe yourself in five words?



Curious
Quirky
Observant
Procrastinator
Daydreamer