About Kaitlyn Davis:
Hi everyone! I’m a bestselling author who writes young adult fantasy novels under the name Kaitlyn Davis and contemporary romance novels under the name Kay Marie. My first series, Midnight Fire, is a paranormal romance that has sold over 175,000 copies worldwide! My other books include the A Dance of Dragons series, a YA epic fantasy, the Once Upon A Curse series, YA fairy tale retellings, and the Confessions series, a romantic comedy. I’m also proud to say I’ve been recommended by USA Today and my novel, Gathering Frost, was selected by their HEA Blog as a “must-read romance.”
Want to know more? Here’s my author bio! “Always blessed with an overactive imagination, Kaitlyn has been writing ever since she picked up her first crayon and is overjoyed to share her work with the world. When she’s not daydreaming, typing stories, or getting lost in fictional worlds, Kaitlyn can be found indulging in some puppy videos, watching a little too much television, or spending time with her family. If you have any questions for her–about her books, about scheduling an event, or just in general–you may contact her at: KaitlynDavisBooks@gmail.com”
What inspires you to write?
I’ve wanted to be an author for pretty much my entire life! When I was little, I would duct tape construction paper together and write my books in those bound pages. In high school, I worked on my first full-length novel (back then reaching 50k words seemed like an impossible task!). And after graduating college, I wrote the first book I would eventually self-publish, Ignite (Midnight Fire #1). The rest, as they say, is history! The Midnight Fire series sold more copies than I ever imagined, and turned this dream of mine into a reality. Now, I write full-time!
If you’re asking about the inspiration for my ideas, I get those from anywhere and everywhere! I have a running list of crazy ideas in the notes section of my cell phone, and I’m constantly updating it! For my young adult fantasy novels, a lot of my ideas come from dreams or quotes or artwork I’ve found online. But for my contemporary romances, many more of the ideas were inspired by my real life. My imagination tends to run wild! The ideas are the easy part. The hard part is deciding which ideas are worth pursuing and have the potential to become a good book or series!
Tell us about your writing process.
I like to think I do a little of both planning and pantsing, but on a whole I am definitely a planner! I always write a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline before I begin a novel (just using Microsoft Word). Within the outline, I list major plot developments and character developments, trying to balance action scenes with softer emotional scenes to develop a full complete story that holds a little bit of everything. I also put together different character sketches, interviewing them or just writing down different personality traits and quarks. Anything to give me a rounded view of each person, trying to make sure he or she hopefully won’t come across at flat within the novel!
However, as I write I like to be open to new ideas that come about as the story progresses. So usually, I update and adjust the outlines and sketches as I go, making room for new ideas and tossing any ideas that don’t work anymore. I’m too much of a planner to just start writing with no sense of direction, but I would also never want to limit the story just because I already outlined it a certain way.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Hm…I wouldn’t say I talk to my characters necessarily, it’s more like I try to become them during the writing process. More like role-playing! What does my heroine see? What does she feel? Smell? How would she react to the situation? If I can become the character while I write, and get completely lost in that character’s world, then I’d call it a successful writing session! I sort of think writers are like actors, but instead of playing pretend in front of a camera we’re doing it through our words.
What advice would you give other writers?
Never give up! The only end of the road is the one you create for yourself.
Along the same lines, trust in yourself and your fans. There will always be an agent who rejects you, a reviewer who gives you one star, or someone else out there to hurt you in some way. It’s up to the writer to believe in his or her work, to continue pushing forward, and eventually it will payoff. Anytime I get a bad rating, I think about the amazing fans who comment on my Facebook wall, tweet at me or email me, and I know that I’m doing something right. You have to believe in yourself. Doubt is probably the biggest problem I face as an author, and confidence is the only way to push through it.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
Honestly, there is no right answer to this question, which is one of the amazing things about publishing today! When I first published Ignite, I was actually working for a big five publisher in NYC. Being on the inside, I knew that paranormal romance was on the way out and that my book with a vampire storyline would never get picked up by an agent. Any query letter with the word vampire was pretty much an automatic no at the time. So, inspired by the success of Amanda Hocking, I decided to self-publish back in 2011. Based on the success I’ve had self-publishing, I’ve just continued with that route. However, I would eventually love to try traditional publishing with the right story at the right time. I’ll just have to work on my patience before that happens–I’m too used to the speed of self-publishing right now! I can hardly imagine waiting a full year or two before seeing a finished novel in the hands of my fans.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
It will be excellent! Self-publishing is becoming more and more prominent in the publishing world, which I think is a good thing. Gatekeepers have their place, but I love that the readers become the gatekeepers with self-publishing. If people enjoy a book, word of mouth will naturally make it rise to the top of the sales charts with or without a mega publishing house behind it. Giving authors more options can only be a great thing. Publishers aren’t going anywhere, nor should they! But they are no longer the be-all and end-all they used to be, and I owe my career to that fact!
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Teen & Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy Romance, Contemporary Romance
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Kaitlyn Davis Home Page Link
Link To Kaitlyn Davis Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit, to allow you, the reader, to hear the author in their own voice.
