Featured Interview With Kathryn Dionne
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Kathryn Dionne. I grew up in Colorado, Montana, and New Mexico. Now I live in Southern California with my husband, Jeff, and our two Shar Peis, Bogey and Gracie.
From an early age, my love of treasure hunting sparked an interest in archaeology. As an amateur archaeologist, I’ve been fortunate enough to uncover some very unique artifacts in different parts of the globe.
In addition to writing, I manage our five-acre property and our grove of Italian olive trees. My husband has lovingly named our business; Saint Kathryn’s Olive Oil.
In my spare time, I make cookie jars and throw pottery in my studio. I also create mosaics from discarded objects and sell them under the category of Found Art.
My books:
The Eleventh Hour Trilogy, an Amazon #1 best seller, is a supernatural thriller set in Israel. The story is based on a terrifying end-of-the-world dream I had over fifteen years ago that still haunts me to this day.
I’ve has also written a children’s book called, Derek the Fireless Dragon. It is collection of illustrated humorous poems and rhyming stories suitable for children of all ages.
Under the pen name Kathryn Longino, I have partnered with author Abby L. Vandiver and wrote, At the End of the Line, an Amazon #1 bestseller. The book is a women’s/historical fiction that spans from 1958 through 1972. It is a story of friendship, survival, and determination during one of the most tumultuous times in America’s history.
I’m currently writing a new series called; Chasing Time, which I hope to have published some time in 2014.
You can read more about my books on my Amazon author page:
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I knew at the age of eight that I wanted to be a writer. My fascination started with The Happy Hollisters series by Jerry West. I still have the entire set. My love for books evolved from reading them into writing them. At a young age I would write about everything. And then I would give them all to my mother for safe keeping. On my fiftieth birthday she gave them all back to me in a photo album. I had no idea she had kept them all these years.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Shel Silverstein is one of my all time favorite authors. I love how he is able to bring out the little kid in all of us by writing about normal subjects that everyone can relate to. But my favorite genre to read is supernatural thrillers.
The person who inspires me the most is my mother. Though she is no longer with me, I feel her presence every time I sit down to write. When I’m stuck, or if I think what I’m writing isn’t very good, I can hear her sweet voice telling me to “Just keep writing!”
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is called, At the End of the Line. and was coauthored with Abby L. Vandiver. The story takes place in Utah, 1958. Fifteen year old Beatrice “Beanie” Peterson is forced to marry a man twenty years her senior and become one of three sister wives. When she discovers that her husband is abusive, she seeks the help of her beloved piano teacher who moved away. She dials a wrong number and ends up speaking with Adeline Garrison, a wealth Boston socialite who is friends with Jack Kennedy. This sparks an unlikely friendship between the two women that evolves through phone calls, letters and postcards and spans fourteen years. The story covers some of the most pivotal moments in American history by trusting the characters right into the middle of the civil rights movement.
This was an interesting project, in that, we each took a character and wrote from their perspective. And when our characters had telephone conversations, my writing partner and I actually had the conversation over the phone as though our characters were talking. Another bit of trivia is, just like Beanie and Adeline, my writing partner and I have never met face to face.
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