Featured Interview With Katherine Starbird
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, half a block from Tampa Bay. My dad taught marine biology, so I spent a lot of time with my feet in the water collecting shells or hunting sea critters. That was one of my favorite things to do. When I moved to central Florida, I missed the salt water, but here there are woods, so I enjoy hiking, kayaking and just being outdoors. My dog, an Australian Cattle Dog mix, goes on the trails with me. She’s been on the kayak a couple times as well, but that didn’t work out to be as relaxing for me as it should have been.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always loved books. One of my favorites is still Go, Dog, Go! I think I always wanted write. What slowed me down was not feeling confident about what I had to say. Seems to me that as we grow older our views shift. We change. What would happen if I came out on one side of an issue in my writing and then my views changed as I learned more? I know, I was overthinking. I’ve gotten to the point where that doesn’t matter anymore.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love Jane Austen. So many people say that, but she’s my go-to on how to do a lot of things in a novel. For instance, and I love this about her stories, she never just drops a character into the story. She alludes to their existence at least once before they show up on stage so you feel like they belong. By the time Mr. Collins shows up, we’ve heard about the entail, received and dissected his letter, and can’t wait to see if he is really as pompous as he sounds. He’s a threat and thorn in the shoe, but we welcome him. Jane Austen is the master.
I read a wide variety of genres, and probably couldn’t pick a favorite.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Jaguar Key is a fantasy, but it’s different. It mixes a kind of dreamy romantic quality with a fast-paced adventure, the ancient with contemporary society. The main character is a shapeshifter Eternal, but I hope she comes across as a modern young woman with all the problems we face, just compounded to the extreme. She has to accept her past and herself to move forward in a big way.
Getting the balance of old and new just right was a huge challenge in writing the book. I wasn’t too concerned with sticking to genre conventions because I had this character in my head and I wanted to give her a voice.
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