Interview with Katherine Howell and Frantic Giveaway

Crime fiction author Katherine Howell was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. She worked as a paramedic in Sydney for 15 years and during this time she also studied for her BA and MPhil degrees, both in writing. Katherine’s first book, Frantic, was published in Australia in 2007 by Pan Macmillan, and won the Davitt award for crime fiction the following year. Her second book, The Darkest Hour, was published in Australia in 2008.

Katherine kindly contacted me after reading my review of Frantic and generously offered a giveaway of her book and also agreed to answer some questions. I've had a lot of fun talking with Katherine & I hope you enjoy learning a little more about this wonderful author, please join me in welcoming Katherine Howell to The Eclectic Reader.

As per usual my questions are in bold and Katherine's answers are in italics.

It was very obvious to me, as a former Registered Nurse that the medical/paramedic aspects of Frantic were exceptionally well done, not just technically realistic but the emotions captured. No doubt you have drawn on your personal experience to bring the reader that degree of believability?

Yes indeed :) Many of the cases I give to the paramedic characters are based on ones I've done myself, and when I write those scenes I find so many memories come flooding back. I think it's the extra level of knowledge from having been there and felt the emotions and experienced the details like the sounds and smells that brings the work to life, and I'm pleased to be able to use my years in the job in that way.

What influenced you to leave your job as a paramedic to write?

I actually had no choice in the matter, because after fifteen years the stress was getting too much. I'd been writing all that time, too, working on various terrible beginner novels, and I found that the more I wrote, the better I got at putting myself into others' shoes and the more I struggled with keeping a professional distance on the job. A few months after I resigned I realised how bad I had been emotionally and that I should have quit a year or so before. Once I quit, I got a scholarship to finish my Masters degree in creative writing, for which I was working on yet another draft of Frantic and writing an essay on suspense in fiction, and then the books sold.

We hear quite often now of new writers, unable to get their work published going the route of self-publication. How was your experience to publication?

As I mentioned above I wrote a number of beginner novels. They were awful but I improved with each one. I guess I'd been writing for about sixteen years before my agent (who'd been cheering me on for about five of those years) deemed that Frantic was good enough to submit to publishers. Pan Macmillan was the first one she contacted and they bought it quickly, also taking The Darkest Hour on the basis of a one-page outline I'd written. So while that part was simple, the years it took to get to that point were not easy. You never know if you'll get there, and I think it's during that time that some people decide it's too hard and go for self-publication. I never submitted any of those terrible learner novels to publishers because I knew they just weren't good enough. A friend even once suggested I go for self-publication but I wanted to be traditionally published and as a very stubborn person I decided that I would keep working towards that no matter how long it took.

Is it difficult to break into the international market?

That's a good question. For me it was painless because the Australian publishers (Pan Macmillan) bought world rights so they were dealing with the foreign publishers and I only heard about the sales, not about the rejections. Books need to have something special to appeal to the market and I think the paramedic angle puts my work in a niche.

As a blogger I’m participating in a worldwide ‘Literary Local’ meme to promote/spotlight authors who live in our local area or state (you'll be featured shortly lol) Is there anything that you’d like to see happening to promote Aussie authors here and overseas?

Blogs like yours are fantastic, as they reach the readers out there who are interested in what others are reading and in what's not necessarily available in their local stores. The more general promotion, advertising, etc the better, of course, but in these days of the GFC every company is cutting back.

Do you write full-time?

Yes. I'm incredibly fortunate to be able to do so.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging when you’re writing?

Keeping going! The deadlines can feel a long way off and it's easy to procrastinate

I am just about to start reading your 2nd book The Darkest Hour … what’s next on the table for Katherine Howell?

Book 3, Cold Justice, will be published in Australia in February next year, and I'm writing book 4 now.

Do we ever find out more about Sophie and Chris from Frantic?

There are snippets about them in later books and that's all I'll say :)

Tell us a secret, something the blogosphere doesn’t know?

I had a pet goat named Boris when I was in high school. He was lovely.

Do you have a favourite book from childhood?

Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter.

What are you reading now?

The manuscript of Cold Justice for the copy-edit.

A little known author or book you like and would recommend?

Michael Robotham. Best crime author writing today! His profile is slowly increasing but he should be huge the world over.

When you were little what did you want to grow up to be?

It changed regularly from vet to farmer to writer.

If you could be dropped into any book as a character who would you be and why?

Cassandra in my friend Kate Morton's book The Forgotten Garden. She has a great adventure and ... I won't give away the ending :)

Bookmark or Dog ear?

Dog-ear, definitely. Books should look loved.

Fine dining or take-away?

Take-away thanks.

Bungee Jump or Parachute drop?

Eeek! Can I choose Option C - neither?

Favourite junk food?

Cheezels!

Favourite way to relax?

Reading and watching movies.

If you could go anywhere for a holiday, where would you go and why?

The UK - love the history!

3 must have items if you were stranded on a tropical island?

Mozzie spray, sunglasses, girlfriend.

Anything random you’d like to add?

I'm always on the lookout for good medical fiction if anyone has recommendations!

Thank you Katherine.

Visit http://www.katherinehowell.com/ to get the latest news on Katherine's novels. There's also some pretty cool EMS photos from around the world.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

I am thrilled to be able to offer readers a chance to win a copy of Frantic thanks to Katherine Howell. Katherine will post to the winner personally, isn't she awesome!!

Competition is international & is only open to followers of this blog (if you're not a follower & you'd like to enter just click on the follow button on the right hand side of my blog - easy peasy)

HOW TO ENTER:

leave a comment or a question for Katherine to be entered in the giveaway.

+ 2 comment on my review of Frantic & let me know

+ 2 for posting this on your blog, sidebar, tweeting it etc & leave me a link

please leave an email address or ensure you are contactable via your blog.

Competition ends Friday August 28th and winner will be announced on this blog. Good luck to all! 

This month on The Eclectic Reader you could win Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong OR The White Queen by Philippa Gregory OR Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink. Check this blog post for details. International entrants welcome.