Title: CourtAuthor: Cat PatrickDate of Publication: October 23rd 2014
For more than 400 years, a secret monarchy has survived and thrived within the borders of the US, hiding in plain sight as the state known as Wyoming. But when the king is shot and his seventeen-year-old son, Haakon McHale, is told he will take the throne, becoming the eleventh ruler of the Kingdom of Eurus, the community that's survived for centuries is pushed to the limit. Told through four perspectives, Court transplants us to a world that looks like ours, but isn't. Gwendolyn Rose, daughter of the Duke of Coal, is grudgingly betrothed to Haakon -- and just wants a way out. Alexander Oxendine, son of the Duke of Wind and Haakon's lifelong best friend, already grapples with external struggles when he's assigned to guard Haakon after the king dies. And commoner Mary Doyle finds whispers in the woods that may solve -- or destroy -- everything, depending on your bloodline.
Money. Love. Power. Community. What's your motivation?
Q&A
1) Is there a message in your novel that you want
readers to grasp?
I feel like the red thread in all of my books is
that people should be who they are and not who someone else wants them to be.
Life is much more interesting that way.
2) Writing mentors?
I find inspiration from every good book I read. I’d
recently finished Justin Cronin’s The Passage as I was getting going on Court,
and it inspired me to be more thoughtful about description of landscapes, for
example.
3) Tell us about your first book. What would readers find different
about the first one and your most recent published work?
Forgotten, is about
a girl who remembers the future instead of the past. It’s a romance and a
mystery and I still love my first book baby. What’s different about Court is
that it’s a bigger world told from more perspectives. Ultimately, though, no
matter the scale of the world, the most important thing in my books is the
depth of the characters and relationships between them. I hope readers will
find that even though Court is urban fantasy and on a larger scale, it’s still
very “me.”
4) Does music play any type of role in your writing?
I find inspiration
from alternative bands like The National, Arcade Fire and Band of Horses, but I
can’t write with music or noise of any kind. My daughter wants to tell you that
she is inspired by, “we will we will rock you.”
5) Advice for aspiring authors?
From
one of my six-year-old daughters: “Think of something that happened to you.
Touch and tell across pages. Write a quick sketch so you don’t forget. Then
write the words.”
I’m
not kidding. She just said that.
For
me, I think the most important thing is to just do it. I hear from people all
the time: “I want to publish a book.” And they haven’t written the book yet.
Also, unlike my kiddo, I purposely don’t write down book ideas—or sketch them.
If I forget them before it’s time to write then you’ll forget them before it’s
time to read.
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About Cat Patrick:
Raised in a house that was struck by lightning–twice–Cat Patrick is the author of young adult books Forgotten, Revived, and The Originals, and the co-author of Just Like Fate.As a child, Cat could be found making up stories like her first book, Dolly the Purple Spotted Dolphin; growing corn in the backyard; or performing with a traveling sign-language troupe. She earned a journalism degree from the University of Wyoming and a master’s degree from Boston University, and worked in public relations for fifteen years. She lives outside of Seattle with her husband and twin daughters, and is on Twitter @seecatwrite, or Facebook at authorcatpatrick.
Cat once…• Interrupted Warren Beatty’s lunch to snap a picture with him.
• Appeared on a game show, but not as a competitor.
• Climbed a 50 foot tower and rappelled back down. (At least she thinks it was 50 feet.)
• Met Muhammad Ali.
• Was on the high school golf team.
• Got a tattoo.
• Was pooped on by a dolphin.
• Performed a high kick routine to Personal Jesus.
• Interviewed Carmen Electra.
• Worked as a “concessionist” at a movie theater.
• Met the guy who created Sonic the Hedgehog.
Cat likes… Crunchy snacks, decaf nonfat lattes, mint chip ice cream, Alan Rickman, zombies from afar, traveling, reading, easy hikes, challenging plotlines, stargazing, silly hats, and boots.Cat dislikes… Talking on the phone, socks with holes, zombies close up, the flu, mean people, touching ice, copyedits, flying, spiders, squeaky windshield wipers, black licorice, and salmon.
