Interview and Giveaway with Katherine Owen

Katherine Owen lives near Seattle in a suburb overlooking Lake Washington in a very old house with her husband and two children. She has written and released three novels: Seeing Julia (Zola Award Winner), Not To Us, and When I See You. She is hard at work on her next novel, Finding Amy, which is due out this summer 2012.

For more information about her novels, writing, and life, in general, visit her website at http://www.katherineowen.net where she uses edgy language and a little bit of sarcasm in observing life as a writer. Get in touch with her via her contact page at the website. She'd love to hear from you.

Katherine, thank you so much for stopping by the blog today and chatting with us! I love all of your books, but When I See You holds a special place in my heart. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions and give us some insight into this incredible book.

CB: What was your inspiration for When I See You, and why Austin, Texas (though, for obvious reasons, I am beyond thrilled you chose that particular city and state)?

 KO: First of all, thank you for saying such nice things about When I See You. It is a novel that is near and dear to my heart, too, although I did have my doubts while I was writing it because where my first novel, Seeing Julia, took two years to write, and my second one took months, then, there was When I See You. I spent the majority of 2011 just contemplating the story. It took a long while for it to come together, but I think it did. I’m very happy with the end result—this novel.

As I’ve shared in a few other interviews, When I See You first came about as a stand-alone story based upon a scene I didn’t use in my debut novel, Seeing Julia. That scene is chapter three of When I See You, where Ethan and Brock are back in Afghanistan and the high drama and consequences of war unfolds for these two soldiers/best friends. This particular scene had stayed with me for a long time, and I always knew I wanted to build an entire novel around it. I definitely wanted to explore the idea of a woman being left behind, while her husband goes off to war, and, from there, the idea of Jordan, Ethan, and Brock began to take shape.

As to the second part of your question: Why Austin? Situating much of the scenes in Austin, Texas became a natural fit. I was looking for a place that represented both country and city life. I believe Austin fulfills that requirement quite nicely. I’d done some research on Austin in my previous work for Seeing Julia, and I thought it would fit well for this story, too. Austin is only made reference to in Seeing Julia, while in When I See You, the place makes quite a statement and it ends up being a representation of home for many of the characters in this story.

 CB: I read that one of your favorite scenes between Brock and Jordan was when Jordan was icing the Finding Nemo cupcakes. Can you tell us a bit about it and why it’s so special to you?

 KO: I view it as kind of an awakening scene between Jordan and Brock. There’s Jordan, frosting these cupcakes, putting a lot of effort into her favorite pastime. It’s obvious she’s quite comfortable with her roles as a mother to Max and a wife to Ethan. She appears relaxed and amenable to entertaining Ethan’s best friend Brock while everyone is off doing something else. And yet, the subtext going on between these two seems to expand with every word they utter and every breath they take. This scene is at the beginning of the story and I think it subtly demonstrates the powerful connection that has begun to ignite between them.

There’s one other scene, later in the book, that I really enjoyed because I think it effectively showed Brock and Jordan’s personalities and the way they behave with one another. It’s the one where Jordan is driving Brock’s car on the way to the Lazy J Ranch for the first time. I loved writing the dialog for that one. Brock, being a typical guy, is worried about his car; and yet, Jordan seems to know how to handle his car as well as him.

Lastly, there’s one other scene I truly enjoyed that contains my favorite line from the novel. This is the one where Jordan meets up with Brock in the restaurant parking lot. I just love it when she says, “You’re a long way from home, soldier.” Given their circumstances, this one line sums up the tension between them quite well.

CB: I think one of my favorite moments in the book (and one of the hottest) was when Jordan offered to cut Brock’s hair. It was so endearingly awkward for them, and it was just so sensual! Did you have as much fun writing it as I did reading it?

KO:  Yes! This is a very hot scene! Probably what gives it that extra sensual kick is the way Brock seems to be reacting to Jordan while she cuts his hair. By the end of the scene, what started out as a simple favor seems to have left them both reeling as they silently combat this unexpected attraction for one another. From Jordan’s point of view, readers get a sense of her silent acknowledgement and shame when she discovers she’s attracted to this guy despite her being very married to Ethan. It’s startling and surprising at the same time. Everyone seems to be holding their breath at this point! It’s a great scene and was so much fun to write.

CB: I would love to see When I See You made into a movie. Who would make up your dream cast? (I’m pretty sure I can guess who would play Brock!)

KO: Oh my... my crush on Henry Cavill precedes me. I thought I would get past that by the time the book was finished, but I haven’t. He’s just so perfect, although he might have a bit of a problem affecting a southern drawl. For inspiration for When I See You, I actually picked out different pictures from various Hollywood websites to keep myself inspired, but Jordan kind of transformed into someone else for me as I went along. If this were ever made into a movie, I would love to see Ryan Gosling play Ethan; Henry Cavill play Brock Wainwright; Cobie Smulders play Jordan;  Evan Rachel Wood play Ashleigh; and Josh Duhamel play Tate Mathews. Those are the actors I have envisioned lately, anyway. Thank you for the question, I’ve had a few readers express their wish that this would be made it into film. It’s fun to imagine that happening someday. Love that idea!

CB: Oh, my!  That is quite the cast! *fans self*

I love a stand-alone book; however, I wouldn’t mind seeing a continuation of Jordan and Brock’s story. Do you have plans to revisit any of your novels and continue these amazing characters’ stories?

KO: Thank you for the compliment. It’s always a thrill to have readers want to see a storyline continue. I like to believe that’s an indication that I’ve created likeable and, hopefully, well-rounded, characters. Yes, I suppose out of all the novels I’ve written, When I See You would be one of those stories that lends itself well to a continuation. I have a number of stories stored up in my head, waiting to burst forth, but it would be fun to return to these characters, at some point. I think series are tough to write from the standpoint that it can be a real challenge to keep a reader’s interest going in the middle, much like a story. My preference for standalone books is largely due to my personality because I get bored easily and like to move on to the next thing fairly quickly, but I’ll think about it. Seriously.

CB: You’re such a phenomenal writer that it’s hard to believe you haven’t been doing this your whole life and you had a completely different career for years. Can you tell us about the day you made the final decision to change careers and become a writer full time?

KO: Thank you so much for the compliment about my writing. I never tire of hearing praise about my craft even though I haven’t always been writing.

I had a fantastic job in high tech-sales, working with global accounts with great customers such as Costco and Starbucks. Then, there was a change in management in my third year with this particular company and the new guy questioned if I was a good fit. Hmmm ... Soon after, a huge layoff spread across the sales organization and I was one of the ones let go. I had been waiting for a long time (years) to have the opportunity to write full-time. It was one of those lifelong dreams that required perfect timing and some savings. We had achieved both and I viewed it as a now or never proposition. So, I began writing full-time in April of 2009.

My first novel sits in a big beautiful box hidden away at about seven hundred plus pages and will never see the light of day. After my first year of writing full-time, where I read many books on writing, read many more novels in general, and wrote a million words, I decided I needed to take some classes. I enrolled in an online writing course with The Writer’s Studio in January of 2010. The Writer’s Studio has been fabulous and studying all types of famous fiction writers work has certainly had a positive influence upon my writing. Many of the scenes I’ve written for various stories, including the beginning chapters for Seeing Julia and When I See You came from class. Critiques from teachers and peers helped shape those works. And, after three years of writing full-time and taking classes at The Writer’s Studio, I’ve released three novels: Seeing Julia, Not To Us, and When I See You. I’m working on my fourth novel, Finding Amy, right now.

CB: Finding time to write can be difficult. How do you manage whole novels with a family to care for and a household to run? Does it involve locked doors and keys being thrown away? Wine?

KO:  Well, you would have to see my house to really get a good idea of what has gone by the wayside over the last three years! Cleaning is not my forte. I do manage to get the meals on the table most nights, but it’s a chore. The kids know that when I’m working, they need to announce themselves at the stairs, so they don’t scare me to death when they come to visit my humble abode. I’m pretty intense when I’m writing.

It is nice to be home and be present (some of the time). I enjoy going to all my son’s track meets and my daughter’s volleyball games. When I was working in the corporate world, I usually wasn’t home before seven at night and I missed a lot of kid events and spent way too much time on a headset, taking client calls while I was driving my kids to school. I like to think I’m more present. Now, I enjoy our little jaunts in the car and I have a better idea of what is going on with them at school and with homework. Writing full-time is fabulous. And, it is so much more fun working from home, although we all miss the cleaning lady. Wine? Yes, a certain amount of wine, especially on the weekends, is involved.

CB:  Congratulations on making a number of bestselling lists on Amazon!  How does that feel?

KO: Thank you! It feels good. When I See You just achieved Kindle Bestseller status in Literary Fiction, Literature, and American Drama, just like Seeing Julia and Not To Us did earlier this spring. Achieving bestseller status is exciting and surreal at the same time. I equate it to plate spinning because it takes effort and attention to keep it all going, but I do love seeing my novels listed on Amazon’s various bestseller lists because it means people are finding the novels. Still, the thing I enjoy the most are the emails from readers, seeking me out to tell me what they enjoyed about my novels. I’m truly touched and gratified by both their kindness and their enthusiasm for my work.

CB: I’m so excited for your next novel, Finding Amy. What can you tell us about your current work-in-progress? Teasers are always welcome! ;)

KO: Oh ... I wish I could tell you more about my work in progress, but because the story changes as I go along that remains challenging, however, here’s the latest tagline for Finding Amy:

They share an unexpected connection that proves life changing which leads to a continual search: he, to find her; she to stay lost.

I’m really excited about this story. It’s different from my others in that the main character, Tally, starts out so young. Readers will have a chance to see her evolve and change, which I think will have a wide appeal. I’m enjoying the writing process with this one and can’t wait for its release late this summer.

CB: Thank you so much, Katherine, for stopping by and for sharing your work with us. A huge thank-you for giving us Brock Wainwright - he is the stuff dreams are made of!

KO: Brock is fabulous!! Love him so much!! That is … until you meet Linc Davis in Finding Amy.  Thank you so much for hosting me at your blog!!

Katherine is graciously giving away several copies of When I See You.  Five signed print copies for US residents and three digital copies for US and International Residents (digital copies are from Amazon.  Winner will need a Kindle or Kindle app).  You can grab the giveaway badge  (see below) for extra points.  A huge thank you to the lovely Christie from Christie's Book Reviews for making the badge. Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below and good luck! 

<a href=”http://BLOGURL/” style=”border: none;”><img alt=”A Belle’s Tales” <a href="http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/midnightsun197/?action=view&current=wheniseeyou-1.jpg" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://abellestales.blogspot.com/2012/05/interview-and-giveaway-with-katherine.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/midnightsun197/wheniseeyou-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"/><style=”width: 129px; height: 129px;”/></a></style=”width:></a> a Rafflecopter giveaway