Welcome to Readers Write to Know! I asked you, my readers, what questions they would ask their favorite authors if given the chance, and the authors visiting my blog answered them! This week, I have Katy Eeten! Like Katy, I have a book that started out as a dream – it’s always fun to meet another writer that shares that experience! I LOVE the sound of her latest release and am thrilled she’s giving away a copy to one of you! Read on to see how you can enter to win!
Tell us a little bit about yourself. I’m a Midwest girl – born in Minnesota but have spent most of my life in southeast Wisconsin. Somehow, I’m still averse to the cold! I live with my husband of over 17 years and our two sons. I have a full-time office job, but my true passion is writing. I also love to read, bake, take walks, play board games, and spend time with my family.
Tell us about your current release. A Heart Held Captive is a contemporary Christian romance that delves into the guilt mindset many Christians struggle with while walking readers through the highs and lows of a sweet, God-honoring relationship between two flawed souls. Below is the official blurb:
Physical therapist Cole Pearson has had his share of shallow relationships. But a year spent focusing on God opened his eyes to what he really wants in life. When he learns that ER nurse Emily Jenkins has volunteered to pay for a foster child’s therapy, he is inexplicably drawn to her generous spirit. If only he can convince her to take things beyond their casual conversations at the clinic.
Emily is a prisoner to her past mistakes and insists on paying a price God never asked her to pay. When she finally allows herself to grow closer to Cole, her faulty theology is shattered and her wounded heart begins to mend. But when tragedy strikes, Emily is sent into a tailspin. Can Cole help her grasp the freedom of God’s grace, or will she revert back to the captivity of her old ways and shut Cole out of her life for good?
If you knew ahead of time your book would benefit only one person on their spiritual journey, would you still write it? Yes. I love to write, so I do it for the sheer joy of the craft. But when I do get a positive review from someone I don’t know, especially if the person says the book touched them spiritually, it really does justify all the time poured into making my writing meaningful, practical, and entertaining.
With all those characters in your head screaming to get out how do you write fast enough to get it all down? I type over 100 words per minute, so that certainly helps! If I come up with an idea at an inopportune time, I’ll email it to myself or type my ideas in my Notes app (thank you Smart Phones 😊). Or, if I’m by my computer, I’ll just type away in all caps so I know the words are rough and need editing, but at least they’re out there![Tweet “@KatyEeten is giving away her book A HEART HELD CAPTIVE on @halleeb blog! #romance #giveaway #christfic”]
What inspired you to start writing, or did you always want to write? I’ve always loved to read and write. As a kid, I filled multiple notebooks with journal entries, stories and poems – many of which I still have today. I wrote for my college newspaper and have several unpublished manuscripts in old files. There wasn’t any one person or event that led me to the love of writing, I think it was just a desire I was born with!
Do you have your plotline and character development already laid out before you begin writing a book, or do they develop as you write? I have the overall gist in my head, and I try to type an informal outline up front to guide where I want the story to go from a high level. However, the subplots, and how the dialogue and discoveries actually take shape, are often spur-of-the-moment ideas as I’m typing. I could never outline an entire 70,000-word manuscript and stick to it. But I also couldn’t just sit down and start writing a story without some structure in mind. I guess I’m very “middle-of-the-road” in that regard!
What advice do you have for aspiring writers? Get connected to other writers on Twitter or other platforms (Facebook groups, local writing groups/clubs, etc.). Involvement in the writing community is great for advice, encouragement, networking, promotion, and more. Also, ask yourself why you’re writing – if it’s for money, just know it’s really unlikely to make a substantial living doing this … at least from my experience. Ha!
What is your preferred method of writing? (computer, pen & paper, etc.) I grew up in the pen and paper era, but since I type so fast, it really just makes sense to sit down with my laptop and plug away. Especially since that’s the medium required for submissions.
Do you remember where you were or what you were doing when you started this story? Cliché as it sounds, the concept behind A Heart Held Captive came from a dream. The main takeaway from my dream was a woman wanting to do an act of kindness for a foster child and meeting someone who was blown away by her selflessness in the process. I actually wrote this story several years ago but never got it published. After publishing two other books, I later picked this story back up and edited it like crazy using all the tips I’d gained along the way from my other two books.
Here is where you can find Katy online:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatyEeten/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KatyEeten
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/KatyEeten/
Website: https://katyeeten.wordpress.com/
Katy is giving away a copy of her book A Heart Held Captive to a reader! See here how to enter to win:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
23 comments
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Thanks so much for having me, Hallee!
Sounds great!
Thanks Heather!
Sounds like such a cool author!! Will definitley be adding this book to my TBR pile 🙂
Awesome! Thanks Kimmie 🙂
I had a dream that I’ve been working in turning into a book so I totally get that!
So cool! Best wishes as you flesh it out!
Sounds like a great read!
Thanks Cyndi!
I love characters with real to life issues. Thank you!
Deanna – me too! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
A new to me author! The book sounds great!! Putting it on my wish list!
I appreciate that, Trudy! 🙂
HI! Please don’t enter me in the contest – but I love the sound of this book.
Katy I love this cover, it’s one of my favorites!
We also apparently have a lot in common, like your writing process, (Love that) and I also type super fast! I learned to type at 9 years old (back when typing wasn’t required or even thought about until middle school) Now all the kiddos are learning to type at 8-9! Ah, how times change
Thanks for your comments, Sara Beth! Glad you stopped by!
Sounds awesome.
Thanks Barbara!
I find it fascinating that the idea for your story came from a dream!
Thanks! It was kind of cool to wake up and think “I have to write a story about that.”
interesting new book
You are the second author I heard that a dream revealed their story. How did you come to know Christ?
Hi Sonnetta! I grew up in a Christian home so the concept of being a Christ follower was very familiar to me. My parents modeled the Christian walk well, and I just knew life didn’t make sense without a Creator and a Savior, so I chose to put my trust in Him early on!
Sounds like a great book!