About Kathleen Andrews Davis:
I live in the mountains of Central Pennsylvania with my husband and a horde of deer who insist on annihilating any attempts at gardening. We are empty-nesters with two grown daughters and two beautiful grandchildren.
During my long and varied working life I did business writing including everything from press releases to policy and procedure manuals. I served as managing editor of an in-house newspaper where I enjoyed every aspect of production including writing, photography, and even dummy layout. From there, I moved into marketing pieces and business plans.
My favorite venture, however, was fourteen years in the Bed & Breakfast industry. This was my passion. When we left our lovely old Victorian, it left a hole in my heart and I found myself with an indistinguishable yearning to be more and do more. The little wheels in my head started turning and it dawned on me, if I liked commercial writing, why won’t I like creative writing?
Becoming a grandmother was the fuel that fed the fire, and I decided to leave my grandchildren a legacy of words that would outlast any other inheritance I could give.
Writing has brought back all the memories of how much I loved reading from an early age and titles from those years long ago keep floating across my brain. My hope is that my work will encourage people of all ages to read, and if they learn something along the way that’s an extra bonus!
My first two books in the Emerson’s Attic series, for middle-grade and young teen readers, were so much fun that I decided to give an adult novel a try. I love stories about smart, mature women and the characters of Windward Secrets invaded my brain when I least expected it. And so, I have found a new adventure and hope to learn and grow as an author.
The knitting needles have slowed, the flower beds (or what’s left of them) have weeds, my fishing rod leans lonely in a corner of the garage, and I can’t get enough of my grandchildren.
What inspires you to write?
My inspiration comes simply from trying to be a good story teller. I love investigating the possibility of “what if.” This curiosity always leads to research and learning wonderful things I didn’t know before starting a new book.
Tell us about your writing process.
The process of writing, for me, begins with a sign…they come from anywhere when I least expect it! It can be a picture, a line in a song or something that catches my eye on TV (as with the hat in The Blue Velvet). Once I have a story in mind, I jot down notes in a notebook so I don’t forget them. I leave lots of space between each item so that I can fill more in as they come and where I think they belong in the story. I do not do a formal outline. When I start writing, it usually comes very easily because of the prior thought I have put into the story and the notes are reminders. I usually write in the evening and only until I get tired. If I run into a dry spell, I let subconscious take over and it never fails to give me an answer. My favorite parts of writing is character development and the dialogue between characters. I proof read each chapter many times before going on to the next, and then the whole book when it is finished. I rarely have to go back and make major changes.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
All the time!!! Feeling like you are part of the story makes the characters real and takes me on the journey with them. It’s fun when I change something about a character because it feels like the character tells me what they would say, how they would react in certain situations, or I have drifted too far from their personality.
What advice would you give other writers?
Write for the fun of it and don’t let anyone or anything make you feel pressured to write. Every writer has different ways of working through the process and telling their story.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
My first two books are self-published because that was the fastest and easiest way to get published…certainly not the most economical way. My third book, Windward Secrets, was picked up by a publishing company and I have to say, I have learned a lot and enjoy working with them. It also takes most of the pressure off the process.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I love that today’s readers have so many options…hard cover, paperbacks, e-books, libraries, bookstores, etc. I ask people all the time which they prefer and love that everyone has a favorite way to read. I think the diversity in availability is great and all forms will continue to grow. I would like to see the cost of books come down a bit because not everyone has an E-reader or can get to a library on a regular basis.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: middle-grade, young teens, mystery, suspense, time travel, historical fiction, chick lit
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Kathleen Andrews Davis Home Page Link
Link To Kathleen Andrews Davis Page On Amazon
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.
