Ask the Author: Cat Jordan
Answered Questions (8)
Cat Jordan
If I were a picture book author, I think I would imagine my rescue dog's unknown backstory as a plot! She was a stray in a park and we have no idea where she came from or why she was on her own. I like to think she was not running away from something but TO something else! Maybe she fancied herself a star but in her home, she was just one of a whole litter!
Cat Jordan
Thanks for asking! I love all my characters so it’s hard to pick but I think writing Matty Jones in EIGHT DAYS ON PLANET EARTH was my favorite. I’d never written a teenage male POV but his voice was so strong in my head! He was also so much fun because he loved all the things I love: Star Trek and space and science and pizza too.
Cat Jordan
From classic lit, I have to go with Romeo & Juliet because I love their story, their spontaneous and wild characters, and the influence they've had on my own work, both in dance and writing.
But from current lit, specifically YA, I love Flora & Henry from Martha Brockenbrough's "The Game of Love and Death." Like R&J, they are kept apart; in this case, Flora is African American and Henry is white. But what keeps them apart are Love and Death, two immortal beings who pick sides in a game in which the players are innocents and completely unaware of the rules. Their love story is touching and romantic and heartbreaking. If you haven't read the book, you really should, especially if you're a romantic.
But from current lit, specifically YA, I love Flora & Henry from Martha Brockenbrough's "The Game of Love and Death." Like R&J, they are kept apart; in this case, Flora is African American and Henry is white. But what keeps them apart are Love and Death, two immortal beings who pick sides in a game in which the players are innocents and completely unaware of the rules. Their love story is touching and romantic and heartbreaking. If you haven't read the book, you really should, especially if you're a romantic.
Cat Jordan
One of the things I love most about writing is that it's changeable, malleable, constantly in flux. I can imagine a story, or a setting, or a character and twirl it around in my head, even write an entire chapter about it but it can always be changed. Sometimes I think, "Oh I spent a week on that chapter and it's terrible!" And then I'm relieved..."Oh I can change it! It's not real." Kind of a silly thing but when you realize there is so much in the world that you can't change, it's very powerful.
Cat Jordan
I go for a walk with my dog.
I take a shower (not as long as I used to because, you know, drought).
I read a great book.
I exercise.
I pretend I don't have it and see what words come out when I put my fingers on the keys.
I take a shower (not as long as I used to because, you know, drought).
I read a great book.
I exercise.
I pretend I don't have it and see what words come out when I put my fingers on the keys.
Cat Jordan
I've got a new book coming out next year but in the meantime I'm working on several projects - trying to figure out which will hold my interest for the many months (or longer) it will take to write.
Cat Jordan
I look at writing a book like running a marathon: you have to prepare yourself every day by always writing, always reading. I love to read really exceptional books by my favorite authors and I am thrilled when I discover a new one. They inspire me to get my feet out the door for the daily run but crossing the finish line requires the stamina of constant work. (Just writing that makes me tired...lol.)
Cat Jordan
"The Leaving Season" was actually an idea my editor had. Together we fleshed it out and brought life to the characters and setting. But I did bring much of my own personal experience in, although I'm reluctant to say which scenes were based on me and my exes.
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