Interview Kate Loveday

by

Hazel Statham

1) Please tell us about your coming release.

Inheritance is the story of Cassie Taylor, a young Sydney woman, who inherits a cattle station in a beautiful and exotic part of northern Australia. When she decides to build tourist cabins in the rainforest on her property she does not realise that it will put her in danger. When a fire partly burns down her cabins, and she receives threatening letters, she knows someone is out to stop her project, but she has no idea who, or why. It could be Mark, the dashing, entrepreneurial neighbour who has stolen her heart. Or Stella, a gallery owner, who covets her secret treasures. Or perhaps Ben, willing to do anything for a quick dollar and who ultimately pays a terrible price for his duplicity.

Will the aboriginal heritage on Yallandoo be desecrated because of greed? And will Rosie, her life-long friend, ever find happiness with Daniel, or is their love doomed because of racial prejudice?

2) Is it a stand-alone novel or do you plan a sequel?

I planned it as a stand-alone novel, but by the time I finished it the characters had become such a part of my life that I think I may decide to continue their story.

3) What are you currently writing about?

Currently I am writing a historical novel, Red Gold, set in the 1870’s. It is about Kitty Morland, a young lady from a formerly well-to-do family in England. In a moment of weakness Kitty steals some diamonds, to which she believes she has a moral right. Desperate to avoid gaol-or worse-she and her mother, Bella, flee to Australia, hoping to join her brother, who is already there. But it seems that the consequences of her actions will follow her. When they reach Sydney, nothing goes as Kitty expects, and she ends up bypassing a chance at love and happiness. A loveless marriage takes her and Bella to the timber cutting area of Bulahdelah, (close to where I now live), home to the giant cedar trees, known as 'red gold'. Eventually circumstances force her to take over the running of the timber cutting business. But just when she seems safe, her past catches up with her.

4) Do you ever suffer from ‘Writers’ Block’? If so, how do you resolve it?

Yes, I do. Frequently. I have found it is no use to stay in front of the computer. I must do something else--go for a walk--polish the furniture--pull up some weeds--anything! Then my mind starts to work again and I play ‘what if?’

5) What inspires your story-lines? How easily do they come to you?

I find ideas for a story easily, a snatch of a news item, something that happens to an acquaintance, a location (as for Inheritance), or my own family history. Finding the idea is easy. Continuing the idea and fleshing it out is the hard part.

6) Do you create a detailed plan before you start a new project or does the story evolve as you write?

It definitely evolves as I write. The characters take over.

7) Do you write in more than one genre?

I have written both contemporary romance/mystery and historical. I like to write about women who are determined to succeed in what they choose to do, and struggle to fulfil their dream in spite of encountering opposition.

8) On average, how many hours a day do you devote to your writing and is there a specific time you set aside especially for that purpose?

I like to write in the morning and finish in the early afternoon. I don’t stick to a set amount of time. However, my writing schedule has been severely disrupted over the last year. My husband Peter and I have been building a new home and physically tackling the unskilled jobs, such as painting and minor carpentry, ourselves, which has left little time for anything else, except thinking about my story-line. Now that the house is finished I hope to get back to my routine.

8) How many years have you been writing and what prompted you to start in the first place?

I have always wanted to write and tried my hand at short stories in my twenties but never submitted them for publication. Then raising a family and helping to run a family business took all my time, and energy. It was not until I retired six years ago that I was able to actively pursue my dream. While Peter and I travelled around Australia by caravan for three years I wrote travel articles about the places we visited, many of which were published in travel magazines. Friends we made while ‘on the road’ urged me to write a novel, and while we were in Northern Queensland, an area that I love, I had the idea for Inheritance, my first book.

9) Now that you are a published author, do you have any other ambitions that you would like to see come to fruition in the future?

Having Inheritance accepted for publication was so much of a thrill that I just hope to be able to repeat that achievement.

10) What type of books do you read and, if you could only choose one as your all-time favourite, which would it be.

I have been a reader all my life and over the years have read just about every type of book published. These days I really enjoy reading about the type of women I write about, strong and resourceful. I also like family sagas, mysteries and historical novels set in the early days of Australia. It is hard to choose an outright favourite but a series known as ‘The Australians’ by Vivien Stuart, would have to come close. The first book, The Exiles, tells the story of Jenny Taggart, a young girl who was deported to Australia with the First Fleet in 1770, and her struggle to survive, along with the others of the fleet--both prisoners and gaolers. The subsequent books tell the story of Jenny and her family and descendants through the years.

11) What do you do when you are not writing? What are your hobbies?

I spend a lot of time outside as we are establishing a garden of Australian native plants.

My other hobby is genealogy. I have traced my family history back to the mid 1700’s in England, Scotland and Ireland. However, trying to find out what my ancestors did and what they were like is almost impossible. So I am writing an account of our current families for posterity as I believe our descendants will be as interested to know of our lives in this age as I am to know more about my ancestors.

12) If you had a whole day in which to indulge yourself, what would that indulgence be?

I would have a leisurely cup of tea in bed while I read the papers, followed by an equally leisurely brunch on the deck in the sun, cooked by someone else, of course.

Then I would relax in my favourite chair with a book for a few hours, followed by a walk to the nearby river with our dog, Lucy. (These walks are usually spent visualising a coming scene from my current writing.)

After all this Peter and I would drive to one of the many beauty spots in our area, and finally find a cosy restaurant to enjoy a fine dinner with a bottle of superb wine.

Ah, bliss!