Interview with Catherine M Walker, author of Shattering Dreams

What can you tell us about your new release, Shattering Dreams?

When people asked me to tell them about my book I didn’t know how to answer, my first response generally started with…

‘Well, its a little complicated….’

Shattering Dreams follows Alex and his friends, Jess and Kyle in a word where where they live a seemingly privileged life of wealth with none of the responsibility. They live to party and escape the confines of the palace and their guards as often as they can.  Yet under the surface their ability to manipulate the veil could put them on the path of becoming legends, the stuff of dreams and aspirations or transform them into the Sundered, monsters from their nightmares.

There are several themes yet it is essentially about friendship, adversity and that no matter how perfect someone else life looks on the surface we all have our demons we must face.

What books are currently on your night stand?

To be honest none.  I don’t read in bed since I learned long ago that if the book is any good I’ll stay up most if not all of the night reading.  I do have a few in my must-read pile, I’ve fallen behind a little since I’ve been writing.

• Jennifer Fallon, War of the Gods Trilogy
• Trudi Canavan, Millennium’s Rule, book 3 Successor’s Promise
• Patricia Briggs, Alpha and Omega, Burn Bright
• Kevin Hearne, Iron Druid Chronicles, Scourged
• George R.R. Martin…… that certain book in a certain series we are all waiting to read.  It will go to the top of my list as soon as it comes out.

There are more I am sure but I’m too afraid to look and see what has come out while I’ve been preoccupied writing Shattering Dreams.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

As a child in primary school, before I discovered science fiction and fantasy, reading was dull and boring.  I didn’t really care what Nip and Fluff were up to.  Then I discovered Star Wars, A New Hope on my brothers bookshelf, I had no idea before that moment that they made interesting books.  I loved movie, at the time I could repeat it verbatim.  For the first time I took a book off the shelf that I didn’t have to and settled down to read.

From there I went on to authors like Azimov, Tolkien, Herbert, Feist, McCaffrey, Eddings and Martin to name a few.  They managed to transport me into their worlds.  I was spellbound by them, there was no going back nor would I want to.

For the what I guess it was when I started writing a short story for a competition with a friend in high school. We wrote it together, about six exercise books later we both realized that perhaps the short story was a little long.   Being an Author and publishing was a ‘one-day’ dream that stretched back to that time in high school.

What’s on your writing desk?

Oh you would ask that, thankfully you can’t see my desk!  There are the usual things you’d expect to see.  My 27 inch iMac, that screen size really comes in handy in the re-writing/editing phases.  There is a printer on one corner and an organizer on the other.  A bottle of water which I fill from the tap whenever I finish it and of course a cup of coffee.

There is a small stack of the hardback copies of Shattering Dreams, with ribbon, cards, tissue paper and some packing boxes.  I’m giving them as presents to the people who helped me along the way.

The other rather prolific thing that seems to multiply of its own accord is post-it notes.  I have them stuck everywhere with details from Shattering, characters, places, events things like that.  I’m in the middle of culling them and rewriting some of the scrappy looking ones that I might need in preparation for book 2, Path of the Broken which is 25k words in so I need to start keeping track of everyone.

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

Seeing my characters, their world, their lives expand and come to life.

BAM. You’re a superhero. What’s your superpower?

There are so many that would be great to have but if its only one power I’d probably choose teleportation.  Although its not for any altruistic reason.  I love travel, seeing new places and cultures.  Being able to appear at the sun gate and watch the dawn light up Machu Picchu, having that idol thought that it would be nice to have breakfast in Paris, stop by the Pyramids in Egypt, then join friends for dinner in New York.  Only to find my way back home to sleep in my own bed after a day of adventure.

What scene in Shattering Dreams was your favorite to write?

Thankfully there were a few scene’s that I really enjoyed.  Otherwise it would have been a very painful process to write the book.

One of my favorites would be towards the beginning where they escape the confines of the palace and head into town.  They end up in a bar, one of their favorite haunts and settle in to party.  It was fun to write, showing the contrast between their confined lives at the Palace and the more carefree life, stripped of the constraint and obvious trappings of wealth and power.

I really enjoyed writing Jess’ part.  I wanted her to be free from the usual constrained, meek, mild and proper female of high birth.  For her to be as wild in her own way as both Alex and Kyle.  To take her away from the stereotype.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Simply to live my life.

It was advice my grandmother gave me and reinforced by my parents. That if I wanted to do something not to let anyone tell me I couldn’t. She said it was the saddest thing to go into old age regretting all the things she didn’t do or even try and achieve, simply because people told her it wasn’t appropriate.  She told me I lived in a different era to her and she made me promise not to make that mistake in my own life.

Catherine M Walker is the author of the new book Shattering Dreams. 

Connect with Catherine:
Author Website
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