Ask the Author: Kate E. Dyer-Seeley
Answered Questions (6)
Kate E. Dyer-Seeley
I create playlists that help define the character for me. With Meg, she’s twenty-three but is really into vintage fashion and loves the 1950s, so I listen to a lot of Frank Sinatra and other big band music when I’m writing. But then, she’s twenty-three so I also listen to Taylor Swift and Portland bands, like The Decemberists since the book is set here.
I usually transform the white board and one wall in my office to inspire me while I write. For example, since Scene of the Climb is set in the Columbia River Gorge so I put up photos and posters of local hikes and climbs. Meg’s a fan of the color pink and vintage fashion, so I had lots of retro pictures up. She loves beer and coffee, so I clipped magazines to make a visual collage of some of what she’d be eating and drinking.
I usually transform the white board and one wall in my office to inspire me while I write. For example, since Scene of the Climb is set in the Columbia River Gorge so I put up photos and posters of local hikes and climbs. Meg’s a fan of the color pink and vintage fashion, so I had lots of retro pictures up. She loves beer and coffee, so I clipped magazines to make a visual collage of some of what she’d be eating and drinking.
Kate E. Dyer-Seeley
I get to explore all of the places featured in the series! The Pacific Northwest is nothing short of stunning. We have mountains, beaches, the high desert, and wild forests all within a few hours drive. I love getting to connect readers with this part of the world. I feel like writing this series is like writing a love letter to the Pacific Northwest.
Kate E. Dyer-Seeley
Do it! Stop talking about it, stop dreaming about it, stop telling your friends about it. Start writing this moment, one word on the page, then another and soon you’ll have a draft. Likely it will be a flawed draft, but you’ll have a draft! And from there you’ll edit, tinker, get feedback, and ultimately end up with a book.
Kate E. Dyer-Seeley
I try to get outside everyday. I find that my best ideas and breakthroughs tend to happen when I'm walking, hiking, or swimming versus staring at a blank screen. There's something about physically moving that seems to help move the creative process too.
Kate E. Dyer-Seeley
The next book in the series, Slayed on the Slopes comes out on April 7, 2015. Poor Meg. She can’t catch a break. After her less than stellar outdoor performance in Scene of the Climb, she spent the summer immersed in “outdoor school.” Just as she’s starting to feel a bit more confident with her new skill set, Northwest Extreme, the adventure magazine where she works as a reporter, sends her up to Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood to cover a new high altitude mountain guiding team, the Ridge Rangers. When Meg arrives at the historic lodge she learns that the Ridge Rangers are actually bunking at the Silcox Hut which is located a thousand vertical feet above Timberline and reachable only by ski lift or snowcat.
After a bumpy ride up the mountain, Meg envisions spending the weekend inside by the Silcox Hut’s cheery fireplace with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. However the Ridge Rangers have other ideas. They’re all extreme skiers and snow boarders and can’t wait to get out on the slope. Meg’s terrified that she won’t be able to keep up. A winter storm descends, saving Meg from having to snap on a pair of skis, but also stranding her outside in middle of a raging blizzard. She’s convinced that she hears gunshots over the sound of the thundering storm. No one inside believes her until one of the Ridge Ranger’s body is discovered in a pool of frozen blood. From there things just get worse for Meg.
I’m working on Meg’s third adventure as we speak. She’ll be heading out to Hood River to cover a windsurfing competition, where she’s going to be in over her head again.
After a bumpy ride up the mountain, Meg envisions spending the weekend inside by the Silcox Hut’s cheery fireplace with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. However the Ridge Rangers have other ideas. They’re all extreme skiers and snow boarders and can’t wait to get out on the slope. Meg’s terrified that she won’t be able to keep up. A winter storm descends, saving Meg from having to snap on a pair of skis, but also stranding her outside in middle of a raging blizzard. She’s convinced that she hears gunshots over the sound of the thundering storm. No one inside believes her until one of the Ridge Ranger’s body is discovered in a pool of frozen blood. From there things just get worse for Meg.
I’m working on Meg’s third adventure as we speak. She’ll be heading out to Hood River to cover a windsurfing competition, where she’s going to be in over her head again.
Kate E. Dyer-Seeley
I’ve always enjoyed reading mysteries. It’s escapism at its best—taking readers on a quest to figure out whodunit, with a dash of romance and plenty of page-turning twists. I’d had a sketch of Meg in my head for a while. I knew I wanted to write a young character, someone who was learning to navigate her way in the adult world. One weekend I was out hiking in the gorge with my family and I saw a woman in her early twenties with pink hiking boots on the trail, and I thought, “That’s Meg!”
I really enjoy writing for new adults. It’s such a transitional and transformative time in our lives. I’m glad to see that it’s becoming a more defined genre. It deserves its own shelf space. That new adult period in our lives is equally exciting and terrifying. We’re striking out on our own and forming our identity outside of our family. It’s a time of firsts—first job, apartment, serious relationship. That makes for great material when writing characters. It gives them such an opportunity for growth. I can’t wait to see how Meg evolves over the series.
I also spent a semester in college in New Zealand and Australia on an eco-tourism trip. We did a ton of hiking, climbing, rafting and rappelling. It was kind of like “Race the States” only none of us were competing and there was no million dollar prize. I love the outdoors, but I’m klutzy. For example I went waterskiing and skied all afternoon perfectly, but then slipped when I was getting off the boat and broke my wrist. That’s very Meg-like.
I really enjoy writing for new adults. It’s such a transitional and transformative time in our lives. I’m glad to see that it’s becoming a more defined genre. It deserves its own shelf space. That new adult period in our lives is equally exciting and terrifying. We’re striking out on our own and forming our identity outside of our family. It’s a time of firsts—first job, apartment, serious relationship. That makes for great material when writing characters. It gives them such an opportunity for growth. I can’t wait to see how Meg evolves over the series.
I also spent a semester in college in New Zealand and Australia on an eco-tourism trip. We did a ton of hiking, climbing, rafting and rappelling. It was kind of like “Race the States” only none of us were competing and there was no million dollar prize. I love the outdoors, but I’m klutzy. For example I went waterskiing and skied all afternoon perfectly, but then slipped when I was getting off the boat and broke my wrist. That’s very Meg-like.
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