Author Spotlight – Kat Savage

To celebrate the release of her debut novel, For Now, I wanted to share a fun, quick, informative interview with Kat Savage. All details about this work will be provided at the bottom.

Q: It’s been 3 1/2 years since you started sharing your writing online. How does it feel to take a step in a new direction? Away from poetry.

Kat: It feels both exciting and terrifying. I’m really excited about it because I’ve always been a storyteller. Even my favorite type of poetry to write is long and prose-like. It’s terrifying because it’s out of my comfort zone and I don’t want to disappoint my readers’ expectations.

Q: How did the writing process compare to writing and compiling a poetry collection

Kat: A novel is clearly so much more work. At least for me. With poetry, the story starts and ends on the same page. With a novel, there’s character development and so many small details necessary for a complete story.

Q: What are some of your biggest fears as you make the leap from one writing style to another?

Kat: That I won’t be good at it? *nervous laugh* Seriously though, I’m not educated in writing. So I worry I’m not going to live up to my “poetry name” people know me for.

Q: In For Now our protagonist is a divorced woman. How did your personal life affect your writing?

Kat: There are so many details to Delilah that are drawn directly from me and my life. I’m divorced as well. Some of the quirks I gave her, some of the experiences in the book, and some of her dialect is mine. There is a lot though, that is complete fiction.

Q: What or who inspired Samuel in For Now?

Kat: So there’s this spoken word poet named Michael Lee. I fell in love with his voice before I ever knew what he looked like. I finally looked him up on YouTube and he has a poem there called “Pass On”. I watched it and I was mesmerized. He’s definitely a close physical representation of Samuel, and the inspiration for Samuel’s voice.

Q: For Now touches on some heavy subjects. Were you scared to tackle such heavy topics in your debut?

Kat: Actually no. If anything I was excited. In my collection “Mad Woman”, I touch on some pretty heavy topics. Honestly, I think people expect it from me at this point. I’ve never been afraid to say the ugly things.

Q: How long did it take for you to write For Now?

Kat: Oh god, so much longer than I want to admit. I started For Now as my NaNoWriMo project in 2015. It took me basically two years to write it. Not because I was stuck or because I didn’t know what I wanted to write. But because I was working full time, taking care of two kids, and some other family issues, plus still producing poetry and building that name. It was just a time thing.

Q: You work full time and you’re now a mother of 3. How do you balance it all? And is everyone in your life aware that you also write?

Kat: Balance is still something I’m learning. I actually still feel like I fail at it a lot. My time is generally all one thing or all another. It’s just prioritizing. What’s most important today? That’s what I ask myself a lot. I keep trying though and that’s important to me. Everyone in my life is aware I write. I never felt the need to hide it. My pen name was never for that reason either.

Q: When can we expect your next novel?

Kat: Slow down, yo. I actually have a really solid concept for my next project and hope to start on it in the next month. I’m hoping it won’t take two years to complete, however.

Q: Can we expect any poetry from you this year?

Kat: I do have one little collection I’m working on but it’s coming slowly. I’m trying not to force any of the pieces. I’m just adding to it bit by bit. Maybe though!

Q: How do your writing peers in the poetry community compare to those in the indie romance world?

Kat: Oh that’s heavy. It’s different, for sure. When I first joined the poetry community it was so solid. Everyone was so supportive and networked. Things sort of began to unravel. There are pockets now. I think new people come in and old ones fade out or move on. It’s very odd. The indie romance world so far is pretty awesome! Everyone is supportive. Everyone is nice. They’re all about the success of everyone.

Q: Are you doing any signings in the future?

Kat: Right now, I am scheduled for a signing at the Bookworm Box with some fellow PLN Authors. It’s at the end of March. But that’s all for now. I’m hoping to put a few more dates on the calendar soon.

Below are some questions from Kat Savage fans!

Jessia Katoff Q: Why are you such a babe?

Kat: I was born this way. I just didn’t know it yet.

Levi Arreola Q: Did [Kat] have this story roaming in her head for a while or just a rough idea and allowed the story to take its course?

Kat: I definitely only had a rough draft in my mind. I did very little planning and some solid character development first. Then I just started writing. I let the story take me where it was going to.

Jessica Marie Cruz Q: Do you believe you can love more than one person at the same time?

Kat: Yes I do. I’ve always been fascinated about relationship dynamics and sexual relationships in general. For the longest time, I wanted to study the psychology of it. Polyamory is a very realthing and a very successful thing in many instances. I’ve actually been part of a poly relationship for a brief time. Polyamory is not to be confused with Polygamy. Please look up the difference if you don’t know. I think society in general puts too much societal pressure on being monogamous, thus cheating and jealousy occur. As a species, we are one of very few who try to force monogamy…and for what reason I have no idea. I believe the heart has the capacity to love more than one. I believe if you can foster a relationship that allows you to do that without guilt, it can be really amazing. Think about how it feels to give and receive love with one person. Think about if that could be two or three people. There’s no harm in love. As for your question, I’m not sure if this is what you mean. Or if you mean your heart is torn between possibly two people. If that is the case, I’m sure everyone involved is hurting. Try to remove the guilt, the jealousy, and the negativity society puts on it and have an honest conversation with the parties involved.

Briana Reinhardt Q: What motivated you to write a novel?

Kat: So if I’m being really honest, the thought to write a novel hadn’t occurred to me until Jen Rogue said I should. I’ve always been a storyteller, and have always really enjoyed writing the longer prose pieces as seen in Mad Woman. It’s always been my favorite type of poetry to write. NaNoWriMo was coming up and Jen said to me “Kat, you should write a novel during NaNoWriMo!” and I thought about it for about two minutes and said “Ok! I’ll give it a try!” And the next thing I know, I’m writing the beginning of For Now and developing Delilah’s character. That was two years ago. Yes, it took me two years.

Delilah Spencer is broken. Alone and starting over in her best friend’s city is just what life calls for right now. She has a violent and painful past to put behind her and a lot to do to move on with her life. She has no intention of letting anyone get close anytime soon. Maybe ever.

Samuel Young used to be broken. Now, the single father accepts his past for what it is, raises his son Mason, and is trying to find some happiness. And while he thinks he’s found that in Delilah, she’s not sold.

As the two begin to push and pull, Delilah finds herself on the receiving end of strange happenings.

In a world where everyone has a past, what happens when they collide? Is the future shaken? Can they overcome it or will it rob them once again of what they deserve?

Can love survive when a heartache from your past intertwines with your present?

FOR NOW IS LIVE NOW!

Enter Goodreads Giveaway: http://bit.ly/2CTEq9p

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