Author Interview - Kathryn Magendie

Kathryn Magendie is out and about on her Secret Graces Blog Tour and has kindly agreed to stop here for a visit! We've got Q & A,  and sneak peeks from Kat's two novels! 

Kat is a writer, editor; Co-Editor/Publisher of The Rose & Thorn Journal. Her short stories, essays, poetry, and photography have been published in online and print publications. Kat has done an excellent job creating a welcoming, personable, and up-to-date online presence through her official Kathryn Magendie author website and her Virginia Kate Sagas blog, so be sure to check those out!

Kat’s debut novel Tender Graces was published by Bell Bridge Books in April of 2009.                   

Secret Graces - the second novel in the Virginia Kate Sagas - will hit the bookshelves in April of 2010.  

Please join me in giving Kat a warm welcome. All together now... "Hi Kat"!

Welcome Kat and thank you for visiting with us today. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

--I don’t like people to put their bare feet on me, unless it is a wee babe then that’s okay.
--I love peaches but won’t eat them unless someone peels off that *shudder* hairy skin.
--I have fantastical chaotic and strange dreams.
--I once saw a “shadow man” – he was shadow-darker than the night was dark, and he was watching me one night as I slept on the couch. I woke, saw him; he had one ‘hand’ on the back of the couch—I wasn’t afraid. I told him he could “go home” and I don’t know if he did, but he hasn’t come back, although sometimes . . . sometimes I think I sense something or someone.
--I have two dogs, and one ghost dog who I still miss.
--I eat Cheerios several times a week for lunch, without milk, and sometimes put almonds in them and crunch crunch crunch my lunch. In fact, I’m eating dry Cheerios now . . . CRUNCH!
--Sometimes I snort when I laugh—more than sometimes.
--I am always paranoid, terrified, I will grow one of those menopausal mustaches but not be able to see it and everyone else will see it and they won’t be able to look away from it and I won’t know it’s there because I have 52-year-old eyes . . . and…and … what if it’s already there? Omg omg omg….eeeeeeekkkkkkkkkk!
--My novels are a lot “sweeter and poignant” than my short stories—sometimes my short stories can be depressing and dark, so therefore I guess I have a dark side.
--I was a little afraid of the dark, of my nightmares, until I moved to this cove at Killian Knob, and then, something happened—no more fear; I feel embraced and safe.
--I sometimes make impulsive decisions and then go, “Oh oh . . .” –though I am getting better about not doing this as I age.

Virginia Kate Carey is the main character in the Virginia Kate Sagas. How would Virginia Kate introduce herself?

She wouldn’t. She would tell you to set yourself down on the porch with her, have some sweet tea or some of Miss Darla’s “Special Tea,” or whatever drink you like (but she’d rather it not be booze, although she’d not tell you that) and then as you rocked with her, she’d let you do all the talking. She’d know all about you, and when you left that porch and went home, you’d later realize she is still a bit of an enigma, a complicated and fascinating woman.

As writers and aspiring writers, our responsibilities’ reach beyond the completed manuscript and the publishing contract. Can you give us any advice or pointers on how to attack, and survive, self-promotion?

I won’t lie to you: it can be rewarding, but it can be a LOT of work. And, if your personal inclination is to be a bit of a recluse, or are shy, or hate tootin’ your own horn, then it can be excruciating—however, at the same time, there is this pride in the accomplishment and there is the want to talk about it.

My general advice would be: Don’t take it all too seriously; remember the Joy. I was looking back at a photo of me the year before Tender Graces was published and in that photo I am glowing, I look rested. Then I looked at a recent photo and I look tired and peaked. So, I knew I needed to step back and remember how exciting and wonderful all this is, no matter what does or doesn’t happen in the details of it all. We must remember the delight—enjoy the beautiful moments, every little one, before we start looking towards The Next Thing without even have taken time to enjoy what we already have!

*Addendum to the above answer: I took my own advice and may live to regret it, but, for at least a while, it will be hard to take myself seriously*

To find out about Kat's brave new adventure check out her post here. Fun stuff!! Pssssst--there's a contest and copies of Secret Graces to be won!

You attended the Lousiana Book Festival in 2009. What was the high point of the festival for you?

It was all wonderful, but a cool moment was when Wally Lamb’s beautiful wife attended my reading while her husband was speaking—then afterward, during my book signing, she stopped by my table, called over Mr. Lamb, and said, “Here she is…” then, they bought my book and had me sign it. To have a “peer” – someone who I respect and admire-- buy my book, and maybe they are reading it or have read it or plan to read it—well, that made me smile. All the other “trappings” of the festival were wonderful, as well—but if I had to pick only one, I think that’s it.

What is the most useful piece of advice or criticism you have ever received?

Advice: “Don’t let this swallow you whole. Don’t forget why you are doing this . . . the real reason, not the reasons that begin to come up after you are published—the true reason.”

Criticism: “No one talks like that; I mean, who talks like that? . . .” – that was when I didn’t know how to write dialogue and hated writing it. During a critique, someone said that to me and the light came on. I began to practice practice practice writing dialogue –by just writing and writing it and then reading it and then re-writing it, and mostly cutting out words—now it comes ‘naturally,’ and I’m told it’s one of my strengths.

I had a flash of interviewer Barbara Walters addressing painful issues in interviews, and reducing her guests to tears. As I'm somewhat lacking in the hard-assitude department, I'll pass you over to Barb. Just kidding! Have any interviewers or readers ever asked you a question that made you uncomfortable or put you on the spot?

First, I love “hard-assitude” - *grin*

No one has ever asked me a question like that. Actually, the “tell me about yourself” question is the hardest for me (see above *laugh*)

What is the strangest or funniest thing that you encountered along the road to publication?

I left this for last and was going to tell about something or other; however, I do believe the strangest or funniest thing is going to have to be my decision to try to do promo suggestions by readers—including your suggestion of reading SG by bullhorn while leaning out my moonroof window and reading while nekkid (see above about being impulsive *laughing*)

Given the opportunity to trade places with another person or fictional character, for a limited time, who would you choose?

Fictional Character: Virginia Kate or Sweetie (readers haven’t met Sweetie yet): Virginia Kate because I just think she’s cool, and Sweetie so I could understand her better and get even deeper into her character and her affliction.

Person: Neil deGrasse Tyson –yeah, he’s a guy, but he’s smart and funny and knows all about black holes and string theory and all that cool science stuff that I absolutely love. But now I’m also thinking of Samantha Brown, who gets to travel everywhere and is so cute. Oh, wait, I could be Oprah and put my book on her Oprah club list! Or . . . I could name so many creative, smart, interesting people that I’d like a peek inside their minds, so I best just stop here.

You win an open airline voucher and can travel to any city or country in the world, where would you go?

Oh, this is hard. Because before little Norah Kathryn (my granddaughter) was born, I may have said Italy or Greece or Scotland, but now that she is born and I’ve only seen her once, I’d say Portland Oregon . . .hmmmm, maybe I can go to Italy or Greece or Scotland via Portland! That’s it!

Do you have any scheduled events or upcoming appearances that you’d like to mention?

I cut back on appearances while working on Secret Graces—I had “all the time in the world to write what would become Tender Graces, but only months to write SG. I do have a radio show where I’ll be doing that in person, in Tennessee, and there are a couple of book fairs coming up later and I’ll be posting about those as they come up. I’m sure when SG comes out, I’ll do a few bookstore signings.

Right now, I’m doing a blog tour, as this is, which is fun to do from the comfort of my jammies in my little log house!

Would you share one of your favourite passages from Tender Graces or Secret Graces with us?

This is always hard, so what I did was flip through TG & SG quickly until one caught my eye as a passage that held something cathartic for Virginia Kate—here in Tender Graces, VK is about twelve years old:

I sat in the tub of bubbles thinking about when I first came to Louisiana. How I washed off the West Virginia dirt and let it go down the drain. How Momma’s shirt was washed and it took away her smells. It felt like it happened a hundred and one years ago. My mountain floated in my head, losing its shape. Momma’s face was doing that, too. The house, the maple, the swing, my room with the iron bed and yellow walls—all fading away. After soaping my hair, I pulled the plug, and then rinsed under the faucet, letting the Louisiana dirt gurgle down the drain. I felt the suction pulling my hair down with it. I’d be sucked right down, too, right out into the Mississippi, except I was heavy enough to stay where I was. The water fell over my face and I opened my eyes, and then closed them.

And this one is from Secret Graces, and is another cathartic moment with VK; she’s in her twenties—it’s not only cathartic, but I think it’s sexy . . . teehee:

That night when the moon hid behind a cloud as we lay in bed, I climbed on Dylan and rode him all the way to my mountain. He was the bull from mythological stories, and hot steam blew from his nostrils. Higher and higher I took him, the sweat from my face gathering like the mountain’s mist around the trees. I urged him to the top, but he reared beneath me, anxious and impatient. I was wild, and needed to go all the way and to the other side and back again. I threw back my head and my hair fell heavy against my back. Up up up I went, higher and higher. Forest critters’ sounds flew from my tongue. I leaned down, put my tongue to his, gave him my sounds. I took in his taste and swallowed it down to mix with my marrow. I left him sweaty and wide-eyed and full up with himself. He pawed the ground, snorted, marked his land, and curled beside me. His cooling breath rustled the hairs on my neck as I panted, rolling the whites of my eyes. He turned me to him and said, “I love you.” He waited while the air stilled as if the entire world came to a stop in the second before everything could go one way or the other.

Will you keep writing books?

Yes. Until I can no longer put my fingers on the keys and type—and when that happens, it’s time for me to leave this old world; either that, or rock on the porch with my old gnarled hands and my sturdy but wrinkled legs—I’ll rock there and wait for Norah Kathryn to visit me; she’ll be the age I am now and we’ll talk about her books . . . Right now, I have this smile on my face, thinking of that image.

Thank you so much, Deb –this was fun and I had a good time with your questions.

Thanks so much for stopping by Kat!

Check out Kat's blog for her fabulous Nekkid Reading of Secret Graces!!