Ask the Author: Kate Sparkes
Answered Questions (10)
Kate Sparkes
Hi, Miranda!
I'm so glad you like the Bound audiobook! At this time I don't actually have any way to produce audiobook versions of Torn or Sworn. I sold the audio rights for Bound, but at this time continuing the series with that company isn't an option. And though I'd actually love to buy those rights back and have the series done by some of the amazing people working through Amazon's ACX audiobook program, it's not open to Canadian authors at this time. I do have my fingers crossed, hoping that this will change in the near future, but for now I'm afraid I'm a bit stuck.
It's not that I don't want to, it's just that it's tricky right now. But we'll get there!
I'm so glad you like the Bound audiobook! At this time I don't actually have any way to produce audiobook versions of Torn or Sworn. I sold the audio rights for Bound, but at this time continuing the series with that company isn't an option. And though I'd actually love to buy those rights back and have the series done by some of the amazing people working through Amazon's ACX audiobook program, it's not open to Canadian authors at this time. I do have my fingers crossed, hoping that this will change in the near future, but for now I'm afraid I'm a bit stuck.
It's not that I don't want to, it's just that it's tricky right now. But we'll get there!
Kate Sparkes
Hi, Rachelann! I'm so glad you enjoyed Bound. I do sell signed copies, but I only have one available at the moment. I'm in the process of re-formatting, so I'm holding off on ordering. If you'd like details (or for me to let you know when I get the new ones in), you can email me at kate.sparkes (at) live.ca and we'll talk. :)
Shipping from Canada can be a bit expensive, so if you'd prefer to have me send you a signed sticker you can slap in an Amazon copy, we can discuss that, too.
Shipping from Canada can be a bit expensive, so if you'd prefer to have me send you a signed sticker you can slap in an Amazon copy, we can discuss that, too.
Kate Sparkes
Thanks for your question, Maddy!
I have a good idea, but no firm date set. Edits are scheduled for early August, so I'll have a firm release date for you by September, barring editorial delays.
I'd like to say it will be out by the end of the year, but after extreme pressure following my setting a firm date for book two, I'm holding off on the announcement until I'm sure that's feasible. I'd rather give myself time to give readers the best possible book rather than rushing to have something acceptable out by a date I set too early.
If it helps, the book is already going into the third draft stage. There is absolutely no chance that it won't get done.
And it's my favourite part of the story so far. :)
I have a good idea, but no firm date set. Edits are scheduled for early August, so I'll have a firm release date for you by September, barring editorial delays.
I'd like to say it will be out by the end of the year, but after extreme pressure following my setting a firm date for book two, I'm holding off on the announcement until I'm sure that's feasible. I'd rather give myself time to give readers the best possible book rather than rushing to have something acceptable out by a date I set too early.
If it helps, the book is already going into the third draft stage. There is absolutely no chance that it won't get done.
And it's my favourite part of the story so far. :)
Kate Sparkes
Right now I'm revising Torn, book two in the Bound trilogy. It's been a challenge, but I'm excited about where the story is headed. Lots of surprises (a few that eagle-eyed readers might have guessed at during book one), a new voice, bigger adventure and tougher challenges for the characters AND for me.
This one will be out in February or March. Lots of work to do before then, and a third book to work on.
This one will be out in February or March. Lots of work to do before then, and a third book to work on.
Kate Sparkes
I sit down and I write. If I only wrote when I felt inspired, I would never have finished a book. The inspiration comes once I start working, but I find it ridiculously hard to get started most days.
In terms of story inspiration, that usually comes when I'm out walking or driving. Little plot pieces fall into place and new ideas pop up when my mind is focused on something non-story related, and then it starts to wander. But don't worry, I always pay attention to the road. :)
In terms of story inspiration, that usually comes when I'm out walking or driving. Little plot pieces fall into place and new ideas pop up when my mind is focused on something non-story related, and then it starts to wander. But don't worry, I always pay attention to the road. :)
Kate Sparkes
Hope you enjoy it!
Kate Sparkes
Write.
I know that sounds obvious, but for years, I didn't write much. True, I had depression and headaches and babies, and those things do tend to get in the way. But even before that, I tended to start and then abandon projects when my first drafts weren't perfect. I had been told I had talent, and when that didn't make everything easy, I gave up.
Ridiculous, I know. But no one had told me about the work.
I thought that being a good writer meant getting it right the first time, and criticism would mean I had failed. I never got beyond the first chapter of anything. I just re-wrote, looking for perfection, becoming more frustrated with each pass, until I gave up.
Don't do that. Write. Write a whole story, stick it in a drawer, and write something else. And then another thing, maybe a longer one. You don't have to show any of this to the world, and there's always the magic of revision later. It doesn't have to be great the first time, but it does need to be finished.
So do it.
Write.
(And read a lot-- in the genre you're working in to see what others are doing, and outside of it to stretch your mind and your imagination.)
I know that sounds obvious, but for years, I didn't write much. True, I had depression and headaches and babies, and those things do tend to get in the way. But even before that, I tended to start and then abandon projects when my first drafts weren't perfect. I had been told I had talent, and when that didn't make everything easy, I gave up.
Ridiculous, I know. But no one had told me about the work.
I thought that being a good writer meant getting it right the first time, and criticism would mean I had failed. I never got beyond the first chapter of anything. I just re-wrote, looking for perfection, becoming more frustrated with each pass, until I gave up.
Don't do that. Write. Write a whole story, stick it in a drawer, and write something else. And then another thing, maybe a longer one. You don't have to show any of this to the world, and there's always the magic of revision later. It doesn't have to be great the first time, but it does need to be finished.
So do it.
Write.
(And read a lot-- in the genre you're working in to see what others are doing, and outside of it to stretch your mind and your imagination.)
Kate Sparkes
I'm not sure I can choose just one. Maybe it's that feeling I get when I finally figure out the answer to a big plot or character problem that's been driving me crazy. Seeing everything come together in a final draft feels like nothing short of magic. Those moments make all of the struggle worth it, and they're the reason I don't give up when a scene is just "good enough." I know that moment is there somewhere, waiting for me to find the answers.
Even if no one ever read my work, I would still write just to get that feeling.
Even if no one ever read my work, I would still write just to get that feeling.
Kate Sparkes
Good question! I was inspired by the mythologies I grew up with: fairy tales, folk tales, the Greek and Roman legends I found in big books at my grandparents' house. My dragons have their roots in our world (specifically European legends), though I had some of my own ideas about why they might act the way people say they do. Other creatures in the books have more distant connections to our legends, or to animals that exist here. Any time I use a familiar creature, I try to look at it in a fresh way and find a new way of understanding it.
As for the merfolk, it's bothered me for a long time that they're always depicted as half-fish. Half cold-blooded. Not that there's anything wrong with that idea, I just always thought it made more sense for them to be warm-blooded, with tails more like dolphins. As for their culture, they kind of brought that with them, and I uncovered it gradually as I wrote. There's a lot more to tell, some day.
As for the merfolk, it's bothered me for a long time that they're always depicted as half-fish. Half cold-blooded. Not that there's anything wrong with that idea, I just always thought it made more sense for them to be warm-blooded, with tails more like dolphins. As for their culture, they kind of brought that with them, and I uncovered it gradually as I wrote. There's a lot more to tell, some day.
Kate Sparkes
I deal with writer's block (which I define as the ability to spend hours in front of the computer while accomplishing nothing) by figuring out what's causing it. If I'm too tired, I'll try again after I sleep. If I'm distracted, I'll block whatever websites are doing it, or retreat to my office instead of trying to work in the kitchen.
If I just don't know what to write, then I need to dig deeper. Is the problem that I don't know the character and his/her motivations well enough, so I don't know how s/he would act in this situation I've tossed out there? Then I need to go back and work that out. Is the scene boring me? Then it will probably bore the reader, and something needs to change. Am I just burned out? Then maybe I need a day off to read, live life, and recharge.
The one thing I never do is wait around for inspiration to strike. My muse (or whatever you want to call him) usually shows up if I sit down and start working.
Even if it takes me an hour to get started...
If I just don't know what to write, then I need to dig deeper. Is the problem that I don't know the character and his/her motivations well enough, so I don't know how s/he would act in this situation I've tossed out there? Then I need to go back and work that out. Is the scene boring me? Then it will probably bore the reader, and something needs to change. Am I just burned out? Then maybe I need a day off to read, live life, and recharge.
The one thing I never do is wait around for inspiration to strike. My muse (or whatever you want to call him) usually shows up if I sit down and start working.
Even if it takes me an hour to get started...
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