Today’s Friday Focus is Kate Whitaker, author of urban fantasy short stories, novellas, novels, and web comics.
Kate Whitaker writes for fun and profit from the woods of Pennsylvania. You can most likely find her sitting at her kitchen table yelling at kids and cats as she tries to figure out a new way to kill made-up monsters.
Her latest book is Hedge Doctor. Think Doogie Howser, MD meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A senior in high school, Jeff Hanson really wants to see what being normal is like, but the magic ability to improve herbs for healing makes that impossible. Add in a poltergeist in the school basement and a mysterious orphan girl, and Jeff’s normality doesn’t stand a chance.
* * * * * * * * * * *
1. Where do your inspiration and ideas for your stories come from?
Every where and everything. Literally. I hadn’t planned on writing Monsters of Pittsburgh. I was happy with how Uncommon Animals ended, but some people wanted to know why Rick and Mina didn’t hook up. My response of, “It would take a succubus for those two get together” lit up my brain, and I was off…
2. What do you want your tombstone to say?
hmmm, I don’t know. I’d rather by ashes be used to grow a tree.
3. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had and why? What was the best thing about that job and why?
Worst job? Bussing tables. It’s hot, thankless work. Best part was that I was working with my mom and her friends, so I was still having fun.
4. What’s your current writing project and what are your writing plans for the near future?
Last Call, the final set of Mina and Matty stories.
As for the future, I have the sequel to Hedge Doctor bubbling in my brain, but I think I may take a break for a few months. I’ll have been publishing once a month for two years straight by the time I’m done with those two projects.
5. How much of your published writing is based on personal experiences?
Very, very little, lol. A lot of the bickering, good-natured ribbing that my characters do is based on me and my husband, but the monster hunting… not so much.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Hedge Doctor is available now through Amazon.
