As we gear up for this amazing event, I’ll be bringing you author interviews so you can get to know the attending authors in more detail! There are lots and lots of authors for you to discover, not to mention, hundreds if not thousands of books! Why not grab a cuppa and sit back and relax! All while hearing more about our writers and their writing lives, inspirations – and maybe even a secret or two!
What is the first thing people should know about you?
I’m really nosy, and I have a knack of getting things out of people without them realising, so be warned, if you tell me anything, it’ll probably end up in one of my books!
Tell me which genre or trope you are most well-known for writing.
Romance – contemporary and erotic.
What is one thing people don’t know about you?
I have a great memory for useless facts! I can even remember the phone number and car reg of the boy I had a crush on when I was 14! I think that may just make me weird though!
Name a book you’ve written that you wish more people had read, and why.
Ghosts of Summers Past because I used my actual teenage diaries to write it, so it’s a personal labour of love! Plus, the leading man is hot, brooding and looks amazing without his shirt on!!!!!
What is your favourite book (not your own), and why?
Rivals, Jilly Cooper. I love it! It’s the sequel to Riders but sooooooo much better!
Was there a book you wrote that broke you and made you feel like you’d never write again?
Imposter syndrome during the writing of Broken Ballads literally froze the words in my brain and I couldn’t get them out. I didn’t write for months and months and months. It felt like I had lost the part of me that makes me me. Then one day, I pulled up my big girl pants, straightened my crown and finished it. Then cried. And then I got a little drunk … (ok, a lot drunk!)
Are you one of those authors for whom music is EVERYTHING and without it you’d never write?
Sometimes. Sometimes I like everything completely silent and then others, I have to have the loudest cheesiest 80s rock music and the words come flying out!
Is your desk/writing space tidy or messy?
Always messy! I try to be tidy but… I never manage it. Although, I sit by the window looking out at the world and the window sill is always tidy, with plants and a candle. I’m Jekyll and Hyde of work spaces!!!
Who or what inspires you as a writer?
I find inspiration everywhere. Throwaway comments, conversations, someone walking down the street, a newspaper headline – life is the biggest inspiration.
Are you an introvert or extrovert? Or something else…?
I love my own space and the rare days at home alone are bliss, but I also love too many cocktails out with the girls. Since Covid I think I’ve lost the extroverted side of me, but I’m practising on getting that back!
The literary world moves fast, but what’s the one thing that never changes?
The solidarity amongst indie writers.
What is your advice to authors just starting out?
Just write. The first draft will never be perfect but the last draft will be.
Where is your favourite place to go on holiday?
I’m a nomad at heart and the best holidays have been the ones where we’ve hired a motorhome and travelled around.
If you could live inside any fictional world, where would that be?
Forks, Sunnydale or Mystic Falls – I am an embarrassing vampire groupie! My kids despair – or Asgard, because – Thor!!!!
Your favourite place to read and/or write?
I love writing in the downstairs window, looking out at the big green space opposite my house and watching the world go by, otherwise coffee shops because I get so much inspiration from the people who come and go.
When you’re as old as Gandalf the Grey, how many books do you think you might have written?
After a stressful few months I feel as old as Gandalf the Grey, so…. 9!
Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met?
I had a phase of meeting famous people everywhere I turned but I guess the most famous are Robbie Williams, Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffiths.
What did you always want to be when you were growing up?
A writer! Or a pop star but the record deal hasn’t made it my way yet, much to everyone’s relief.
If writing is your full-time job, have you ever been told to get a “proper job”?
No! Everyone I meet, or know, think it’s cool!
Who is your biggest cheerleader?
I have a few! Austin, my sister in law Beth, my Mum, my mother in law and my besties… I’m lucky like that, they all big me up!
BONUS Q. Tell me a secret about one of your books that nobody else knows yet!
I’m too much of an open book!!! Although, if you haven’t read any of my books yet, then there is a scene in Red that was inspired by Christian Bale in the rubber bat suit!
Thank you so much for your time, Katie! To keep in touch, visit….
Website www.katiejanenewman.co.uk
Insta katiejanenewmanwriter
tiktok katienewmanwriter
twitter KJNewmanAuthor
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If you want to meet Katie amongst others, click the graphic below! Authors at the Armouries is about inspiration for all!
Authors at the Armouries 