Interview with Kathy Ree
Hi Kathy it is so good to meet you… Kathy Tell me about yourself where were you born and explain the town etc. And where do you live now?”
Hi Debbie
I grew up south of San Francisco, in a town (Santa Clara) that grew with me. I remember the orchards and the agriculture before the high-tech companies came in. It really was beautiful. It’s not a bad city even now, but it’s a CITY. I now live south of Portland, Oregon, and my town is just the right size. I can walk it from end to end (it’s about 8 miles square), and I don’t feel as if I’m walking in anyone’s shadow here.
Kathy….tell me about your writing, why do you like it so much?”
Debbie…
OK, my own writing, or writing in general? My own writing: I like that it makes an impact on others, and that they like it. Writing in general: it’s like making a movie on paper. I love the creation and crafting of words, and how they relate to each other to create a story.
Kathy….“where do you get your inspiration from?”
Debbie….
A couple of nightmares spawned the books I’ve written, but the guidance of God turned them into messages of encouragement and comfort in the end. This fourth book that I am working on is kind of a side trip that occurred when I was writing the second book. (By the way, the first book I wrote is the second book in the series. The second one I wrote got split into two books—one takes place before the first book I wrote, and the other is a sequel.)
Wow Kathy that sounds great…who inspires you, who are your favorite authors?”
Debbie….
There are a lot of good authors out there. I just finished a couple of books by Mary Ting, and they were wonderful. I will be searching out her third book when I get a chance. As far as well-known authors—well, of course there’s the Bible (Paul is my favorite), but I enjoy humor (Terry Pratchett) and mystery (Shirley Rousseau Murphy), and a lot of other genres.
Kathy…Have you written any books? If you have, tell us all about it.”
Yes Debbie…
“Be Not Afraid” was my first book; as stated above, it originated from a nightmare. (Ah, but this part is hard to write…) In it, I was attacked by a vampire, and I experienced it with every one of my senses. And it was awful. To this day, I am terrified of the idea of vampires. Which makes the title of the book ironic, doesn’t it? But I digress.
When I woke up, the dream didn’t go away; instead, it continued in another part of the story, and from there it just got bigger and bigger. In fact, my thoughts were occupied every waking moment as that story looped continuously through my head. It would not go away until I wrote it down.
Once this book was published, I had several people ask if I was going to write another one. I had given it some half-hearted consideration, but a nightmare that I had had years ago made its memory known, and I knew that would be the backbone of the next story. I had read myths of various Biblical characters having been cursed with the fate of the undead, and so I incorporated those into the next book.
I kept writing and writing, wondering if I’d ever see the end of the book. It got to be over 100,000 words, so author friends advised that I should split it into two books. It was easy enough to put the Biblical part (entitled “UnHoly Trinity”) before “Be Not Afraid”, and then let the rest of it (entitled “Resurgence: The Rise of Judas”) be what happens next to the protagonist of “BNA” and her family. The fourth book is centered around a young man who, as a two-year-old in the third book, possesses powers and wisdom beyond his years—or anyone’s, for that matter. It is called “Enoch’s Return”.
Wow Kathy.. That is amazing. I can’t wait to red your book.. I am scared of vampires too.
Kathy.. tell me about your writing style.”
Debbie…..Since God gave me this talent, I always ask Him to help—especially since He is in these books so much. In my walks, I am always conferring with Him as to where the story should go. I get some plot twists sometimes that can really throw me for a loop. One time, it was clear as day—one of my characters had to die. I didn’t see the purpose, but it turned out to be a really important part of the book.
I write it all first, filling up an incredible number of notebook pages. I don’t keyboard right away, since my fingers seem to speak a language all their own. It’s very distracting to have to go back and fix typos every couple of minutes.
Editing is done at least three times per chapter. I am blessed with an obsession for correct grammar and sentence structure, so I do my own editing. No, I don’t catch everything—and I have had a lot of help from a friend who guided me away from the use of exclamation points (“only if someone’s dying”) and em dashes, which I seem to really like. My current publisher’s editor is looking over my work now—I will probably be royally surprised at the errors he catches!!
I write the way I talk, and how my family interacts with each other, so anyone who knows me can recognize the characters in the book as my family right away.
Kathy that is wonderful.. Give some advice to new writers!”
Debbie…. Never give up. Seek support. Give and take criticism fairly. GET AN EDITOR! They aren’t expensive, and the benefits of a well-written book far outweigh costs. Even if you are a Rhodes Scholar and have never misspelled a word in your life, get an editor. Impartial eyes will catch not only spelling and grammatical errors, they can tell you before publishing if your book has good continuity, or if the timeline is not quite correct.
Kathy….tell me about something personal about you.”
Debbie…..I have been married for 27 years, and we have two children. Our son is 23, and is currently living in Brazil, working towards his master’s degree in biotechnology. Our daughter, 21, who created my book cover, is studying art closer to home, and is in her third year in college. She is also drawing the cover for my third book, and working with my cousin on the picture for Book 1. I write book reviews and do author interviews on my blog; other interests are gardening and taking really long walks.
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/be-not-afraid-k-r-morrison/1100084495?ean=9781462852222
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Be-Not-Afraid-R-Morrison/dp/1462852211/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350615909&sr=1-1&keywords=be+not+afraid+morrison
Powells Books: http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-9781462852215-1
Xlibris: http://bookstore.xlibris.com/Products/SKU-0096815003/Be-Not-Afraid.aspx
(being replaced—thankfully—by Mountain Springs House Publishing)
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/K-R.-Morrison/e/B009RBRJ0C/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
FB author page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/K-R-Morrison/316522281747349
Kitty Muse Book Reviews: https://www.facebook.com/KittyMuseBookReviews
Every Crooked Nanny Editing: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Every-Crooked-Nanny-Editing/587888887903846
Blog: http://kathyree.wordpress.com/
Goodreads is https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10617101-k-r-morrison
Twitter is https://twitter.com/KathyRee1.
tel me about your book
I’ll give you the blurb: War is imminent. Evil has overtaken the world, although the world does not know it. God must intervene on the behalf of those who love Him, and a war is brewing that will decide supremacy.
God’s plan unfolds, and His subjects must retain their faith in the midst of every evil the Father of Lies can throw at them. Lydia, because of her strong faith, is particularly seized upon by Vlad, a demonic vampire. He brings her to the brink of despair, unknowingly causing her to cling even harder to her Lord and Savior. When she is miraculously saved, Vlad finds and then harasses her friends and family, unaware of the angels and saints who are on the brink of attack against him and his minions.
The faithful are tested to the ends of their abilities. Will they be able to stand fast against the power of Death, remembering that God is with them? Or will the Father of Lies rise triumphant?
