Interview Catherine A. Winn
by
Paddy Bostock
1)
Do you write the same sorts of books you would like to read?
Most definitely! My love affair with mysteries began when I
picked up my first Nancy Drew. When I’m not writing you will find me curled up
with the latest cozy, thriller, romantic suspense, or hard-boiled detective
novel.
2)
To what extent is the book — especially the ending — planned in advance?
I never plan my endings, though I do plan out everything else.
I turn my characters loose and let them surprise me. I’m never
disappointed—shocked sometimes—but never disappointed.
3)
How
much time do you spend on revisions?
I love revising. Once the rough draft is finished, the fun
begins. Revisions have taken as short as three months and as long as a year.
Tough Luck went through a complete rewrite over several months when
one of the characters kept nagging at me to change her from a year round student
to a summer student. I finally listened and the story worked so much better.
4)
How heavily do you rely on research in writing your story?
Researching is a tool that is necessary sometimes, but I don’t
spend too much time on it. In Tough Luck
I needed to know as much about boarding schools as I could find out for my
setting. It was amazing to find out the different choices available for the
needs or personal interests of the individual.
5)
How far do you bend the rules of your chosen genre?
As a reader I’ve come to expect certain things from the
authors I read so I remember to include those things in my own work so as not to
disappoint my reader. However, if breaking a rule will make the story more
exciting, I break it.
6)
What do you hope for from your readers?
I really care about writing a good story to entertain, so my
hope is that my readers will come away from reading
Tough Luck thinking, “Wow, that was
good!”
7)
How far does the writing of fiction affect your
understanding of “real” life?
Creating characters has taught me to appreciate the depth of
people I come in contact with on a daily basis. Everyone has a story behind the
day to day façade presented to the world.
8) Do you ever wake up in the morning with the answer
to a writing problem you
Yes! It happens rarely but when it does I rush to the office
and let my fingers fly across the keyboard.