Kate Morris's Blog
May 25, 2014
Interview with Fantacize.com for The McClane Apocalypse
1.)What's the premise or plot summary of your novel? (Give us a teaser) Reagan McClane is a prodigy med school student on the brink of a brilliant career when the world as she knows it collapses in social and economic turmoil following nuclear war overseas. She and her family, along with sexy Army Rangers, will struggle to survive at any cost on their family farm in Tennessee. And Reagan will find that her hardened heart will need to be guarded against one Ranger, Sgt. John Harrison, in particular as he tries to invade it. Filled with action, romance and battle sequences, The McClane Apocalypse does not disappoint.
2.) Is this a part of a series? If so, how many books are you planning to write? This is part one of the trilogy, and I have already started on the next generation which will continue on in books 4-6.
3.) What's the genre or subgenre of this book? Sci-Fi, post-apocalyptic fiction. It also easily slips into Thriller/Suspense because of the nerve-wracking, sometimes heart-stopping action sequences.
4.) What inspired you to write this book? This is probably the world’s cheesiest answer, but it came to me in a dream, actually a horrific nightmare. It left me at 4 a.m. sitting in my living-room with all of the lights on. It came again a week later and then again... and again. I dreamed the first four chapters and could not get it out of my mind. I became a woman possessed and found myself thinking about these characters throughout my day and having a hard time concentrating on much else. So I thought if I wrote it down, maybe it’d leave me alone. Fat chance that! I wrote nearly 1200 pages in three months (not smart on my part because then I spent the next 8 months in editing).
5.) Name some authors who have influenced your writing style: I love many different genres including Horror, Thriller, Sci-Fi and Romance. Dean Koontz & John Saul would be who I grew up on. Nancy Thayer, Jodi Picoult, Judith McNaught and Kristin Hannah are a few of my favorite chic-lit authors. I also like Richard Matheson and Jeff Lindsay. I’ll pretty much read anything you throw at me.
6.) Tell us about an interesting character or group of characters in your novel. I like the dynamic of the McClane family and their interactions and unconditional love they have for each other. They can be rough around the edges, like Reagan who is bitter and hard because of what happens as she is trying to make her escape from her college to get home at the beginning of the book. I also like Kelly, the huge Army Ranger, because he is a tortured soul.
7.) Tell us about the world of your novel. How did you develop this setting? I live on a small farm, though I knew I didn’t want to set it in Ohio. The idea of setting this in a city would never have worked for me. I live out in the sticks. It’s what I know. This is how I see myself and my family surviving if something horrible happened. Even though the book moves about in destroyed city settings, the family always has the safe-haven of the farm to come home to.
8.) What's the most challenging part of writing this book? Finding more time! I am a mom who homeschools, so making the time to sit and do hours of unending writing is sometimes difficult.
9.) If there's any interesting fact about your novel that you'd like to share to the people, please let us know. In another week, the website for the book will be done where fans can connect with more information about the characters, recipes from the book and my blog.
2.) Is this a part of a series? If so, how many books are you planning to write? This is part one of the trilogy, and I have already started on the next generation which will continue on in books 4-6.
3.) What's the genre or subgenre of this book? Sci-Fi, post-apocalyptic fiction. It also easily slips into Thriller/Suspense because of the nerve-wracking, sometimes heart-stopping action sequences.
4.) What inspired you to write this book? This is probably the world’s cheesiest answer, but it came to me in a dream, actually a horrific nightmare. It left me at 4 a.m. sitting in my living-room with all of the lights on. It came again a week later and then again... and again. I dreamed the first four chapters and could not get it out of my mind. I became a woman possessed and found myself thinking about these characters throughout my day and having a hard time concentrating on much else. So I thought if I wrote it down, maybe it’d leave me alone. Fat chance that! I wrote nearly 1200 pages in three months (not smart on my part because then I spent the next 8 months in editing).
5.) Name some authors who have influenced your writing style: I love many different genres including Horror, Thriller, Sci-Fi and Romance. Dean Koontz & John Saul would be who I grew up on. Nancy Thayer, Jodi Picoult, Judith McNaught and Kristin Hannah are a few of my favorite chic-lit authors. I also like Richard Matheson and Jeff Lindsay. I’ll pretty much read anything you throw at me.
6.) Tell us about an interesting character or group of characters in your novel. I like the dynamic of the McClane family and their interactions and unconditional love they have for each other. They can be rough around the edges, like Reagan who is bitter and hard because of what happens as she is trying to make her escape from her college to get home at the beginning of the book. I also like Kelly, the huge Army Ranger, because he is a tortured soul.
7.) Tell us about the world of your novel. How did you develop this setting? I live on a small farm, though I knew I didn’t want to set it in Ohio. The idea of setting this in a city would never have worked for me. I live out in the sticks. It’s what I know. This is how I see myself and my family surviving if something horrible happened. Even though the book moves about in destroyed city settings, the family always has the safe-haven of the farm to come home to.
8.) What's the most challenging part of writing this book? Finding more time! I am a mom who homeschools, so making the time to sit and do hours of unending writing is sometimes difficult.
9.) If there's any interesting fact about your novel that you'd like to share to the people, please let us know. In another week, the website for the book will be done where fans can connect with more information about the characters, recipes from the book and my blog.
Ranger Up!
If you've read book one of The McClane Apocalypse, then you know how I feel about Army Rangers. Yeah, drool, right? But aside from thinking men in uniform are hot, it's important to support them when we can, as well. There is a great organization out there that is always looking for support.
here's the direct link
http://www.rangerup.com/
and here are the particulars:
ABOUT RANGER UP: Ranger Up launched on 16 June 2006. We make shirts for the military and the patriotic Americans who love the men and women of the Armed Forces. The guys that own this company either were or are still in the military.
This is a group of truly bad a** dudes. They raise money for vets and do fundraising, as well. Support them and buy a dang t-shirt. Besides, the gear is so cool! Also check them out on FB and join them for some hilarious fun on MEME Fridays. It's a day of hilarious smack-talking by men who have or are serving hacking on each other as only men can. You won't be sorry.
Check out the link for cute chic clothing:
http://www.rangerup.com/womensgear.html
Here's a link to the charities they support:
http://www.rangerup.com/charities.html
Thanks for reading and thanks for supporting our U.S. Military.
Kate
here's the direct link
http://www.rangerup.com/
and here are the particulars:
ABOUT RANGER UP: Ranger Up launched on 16 June 2006. We make shirts for the military and the patriotic Americans who love the men and women of the Armed Forces. The guys that own this company either were or are still in the military.
This is a group of truly bad a** dudes. They raise money for vets and do fundraising, as well. Support them and buy a dang t-shirt. Besides, the gear is so cool! Also check them out on FB and join them for some hilarious fun on MEME Fridays. It's a day of hilarious smack-talking by men who have or are serving hacking on each other as only men can. You won't be sorry.
Check out the link for cute chic clothing:
http://www.rangerup.com/womensgear.html
Here's a link to the charities they support:
http://www.rangerup.com/charities.html
Thanks for reading and thanks for supporting our U.S. Military.
Kate
Comic Book Geek!
Ok, so for those of you who don't know yet: I'm a comic book geek. I'm a fan of the genre, the stories, the characters and their creators. I can geek out for a full afternoon of movie marathons or books or graphic novels. Stan Lee (Marvel's head writer) is a master character builder and a true patriot who volunteered for the Army during WWII. He was and is still a part of the greatest generation who fought against tyranny and oppression and sent a message to dictators around the world that the United States will stop them no matter the cost because it's the right thing to do.
I think it's the inherit good vs evil aspect of comic books that I love. There's always a clear good-guy and bad-guy, even if they are both or either character conflicted in some way as to their roles. In the end, good always triumphs over said evil. The superhero gets the girl. And he or she always comes out unscathed. But as much as I love my comic book superheroes, I realize that the true superheroes are the guys wearing a pair of Army-issued combat boots. And instead of a cape, they get a pair of dog tags. These are the true heroes.
From the moment those boots hit the ground on enemy soil, they are willing to lay down their lives for us and for each other. They stand poised to protect our country from evil. Whether it's the greatest generation fighting a Nazi regime or our guys in Afghanistan or Iraq today, they are doing the work that matters. So the next time you stand in line, like me, and order buttery, calorie-ridden popcorn to go and watch your favorite Comic turned movie- and there are plenty to choose from these days- remember to thank a vet. Take your kids to the USO and let them pack a care package to send overseas. Donate to organizations like Wounded Warrior or Ranger Up or volunteer in any way you can to help these brave men. If it wasn't for them, you might not get to see XMen Days of Future Past.
For more blogs and to check out the new website for The McClane Apocalypse go to: http://www.mcclaneapocalypse.com
I think it's the inherit good vs evil aspect of comic books that I love. There's always a clear good-guy and bad-guy, even if they are both or either character conflicted in some way as to their roles. In the end, good always triumphs over said evil. The superhero gets the girl. And he or she always comes out unscathed. But as much as I love my comic book superheroes, I realize that the true superheroes are the guys wearing a pair of Army-issued combat boots. And instead of a cape, they get a pair of dog tags. These are the true heroes.
From the moment those boots hit the ground on enemy soil, they are willing to lay down their lives for us and for each other. They stand poised to protect our country from evil. Whether it's the greatest generation fighting a Nazi regime or our guys in Afghanistan or Iraq today, they are doing the work that matters. So the next time you stand in line, like me, and order buttery, calorie-ridden popcorn to go and watch your favorite Comic turned movie- and there are plenty to choose from these days- remember to thank a vet. Take your kids to the USO and let them pack a care package to send overseas. Donate to organizations like Wounded Warrior or Ranger Up or volunteer in any way you can to help these brave men. If it wasn't for them, you might not get to see XMen Days of Future Past.
For more blogs and to check out the new website for The McClane Apocalypse go to: http://www.mcclaneapocalypse.com
