Interview Series: Author, Kat Richardson

Interview with author Kat Richardson

On August 18, 2010 Bitten by Books, a paranormal fiction website, hosted an event with author Kat Richardson. Fictionista Workshop, in its efforts to provide insight into the lives of published authors, participated in the event. Karla, a Fictionista Workshop volunteer, submitted several questions to the author.

You were a writer and an editor in the computer industry. How do writing and editing in that field differ from writing fiction?
Fiction writing is very different from technical non-fiction. With the exception of basic rules of English, they have very little in common except the research.

Have you ever worked as an editor for another fiction writer? If so, how did you find this experience?
I’ve never edited fiction. I’ve reviewed a manuscript for another writer, but only as an adviser, not as an editor.

How do you think the Internet era has changed the world of writing and publishing? Does it benefit writers, publishers, both, or none?
I’m not sure what the final shakeout will be about the Internet. It’s been a boon in research and connecting writers to readers, but the digital book issues are still tricky and up in the air.

Do your characters wander from the paths you’ve chosen for them in your outline? How do you first envision your characters?
My characters don’t wander. I’m God. They do as I tell them. Usually. Mostly.

Labyrinth is the fifth book in the series. Do you eat and breathe Harper, or do you have more projects on the side? If so, how do you manage that?
I have other projects, but most of them are on hold pending contracts. I’d love to work with some other stories, but there’s only so much time in a day and I have to do what’s paying the bills at the moment. Also, I kind of like these characters, so I don’t mind.

What is your concept of plagiarism? Do you think the Internet enables it or stops it (what with the creation of detection software), and in which ways? Have you been a victim of plagiarism?
Plagiarism… it’s well-defined in law and I’m generally good with the interpretation that the courts use, but the issue with the Internet is not so much plagiarism as copyright license and how to make sure original creators get paid. Not sure how to do that, but I’m not the only person with that problem.

Which movie, do you think, is better than its book and why?
Fight Club is definitely better than it’s book. Even Chuck says so.

Thank you Kat, and thank you Bitten by Books.

Kat Richardson is a national best-selling paranormal author. Her novel, Labyrinth, was released this month (August, 2010) and is the fifth book in the Greywalker series. To learn more about her, please visit her website http://katrichardson.com/.

Karla is originally from Mexico City and currently resides in Monterrey, Mexico. She recently graduated from Law School, but her current activities focus on reading, writing, traveling and volunteering with Fictionista Workshop. To read her derivative fiction please click here. To follow her twitter feed, please click here.