In this new interview with author Kate Martin by OBS owner and reviewer Dawn, we learn many fun facts about the author and her debut novel “Eternal Shadows”. They talk about the main inspiration behind the book, Kassandra and Rhys relationship, the publishing process, a sequel to Eternal Shadows and more. Enjoy!

Eternal Shadows book review.

Author Kate Martin official site.

Dawn: You explored vampires and reincarnation. What inspired you to write about those themes?
Kate Martin: I think I’ve just always loved vampires–though I can’t pinpoint when or why that began.  What I do know is that when a vampire character finally walked into my head, after years of writing about others, I was so excited.  The whole book was inspired by the question, “What if there was a war, and no one came?”  My original answer was a bit different from what Eternal Shadows became, but it sparked the idea of vampires.

As for past lives, it’s a subject that has also fascinated me.  When I started to think about how I wanted to set my vampire story apart from all the other vampire stories out there, the two concepts came together as the perfect answer.

Dawn: Aurelia and Madge are my two favorite characters. Do your characters have a little bit of yourself in them? or a bit of family and/or friends in them?
K.M.: Aurelia and Madge would be so pleased to hear so.  ^_^
Do I put a bit of myself in them?  Not consciously.  Though maybe someone else could pinpoint a few things.  I tend to leave my family and friends out of my novels–it’s too confusing, and not how I write.  My characters are their own people in their own right, making them resemble friends and family would be a forced lie.

Dawn: I had difficulty understanding what Rhys saw in Kassandra. They’re both your creations, what do they see in one another?
K.M.: Well, without spoilers, Rhys has some knowledge of Kassandra that expands upon who she is at the moment, but I think he’s drawn to her fighting spirit.  She challenges him, she wants to know things, and wants to learn how to survive this new life.  She has a solid conviction about what she believes, and she stands by it.  She’s independent, self-reliant, and confident, even when her life gets completely turned upside down.

In the other direction, Rhys is kind to Kassandra, even when she needles him and pokes at him to the point of annoyance.  I think, too, that she admires the strength of family the vampires have.  She’s rarely seen eye to eye with her father.  That sense of family and belonging is always very welcoming and easily draws people in, and Rhys’s dedication to his family is very clear.

Love means all different things, but for Kass and Rhys, I think the way they challenge each other is a large part of it.

Dawn: You were able to create a number of characters with depth. They each had their own compelling story. How difficult is it to create so many characters and keep them straight in your head?
K.M.: Well first–Thank you!  I’m glad to hear it.

How difficult is it?  I’m tempted to say, not very.  I’m honestly one of those writers who feels like the characters just walk in, say, “Hi, my name is ___” and start telling their story.  I don’t do a lot of building and planning–they come to me that way.

I do have a lot of notebooks though.  Mostly for things that come to my head earlier than I need them.  So, answer = notebooks.

Dawn: Was it difficult to get Eternal Shadows published? What was the process?
K.M.: Yes.  The most difficult part was that right after I finished it the Twilight craze hit, and soon after that no one wanted vampire stories any more.  So, I put it away for a few years (Eternal Shadows was actually written in 2008) and let things simmer a bit.  Then this past summer I decided to get it back out there a bit and see what happened.  Cool Well made an offer in the early autumn.

Dawn: Will there be a sequel to Eternal Shadows? Can you tell us anything about it?
K.M.: There will be a sequel.  ^_^  I’m working at completing it currently, so there’s not too much I can say . . . but there will be a lot more fighting, a lot more angst, new characters (characters who know about vampires, but are not vampires themselves), and a lot more history.

Fun Stuff:

• Favorite book: Gosh, I have to choose just one?  Hm . . . I guess I’d have to say Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series for adult.  For YA, Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series have my love.
• Favorite color: Orange!
• Favorite literary character: Really, it’s a character from the unpublished novel of a friend, so I can’t say much about him other than he is so fantastic. I can’t say I have a favorite literary character, especially since I just spent so long thinking about it and couldn’t come up with anything definitive.  I have favorite characters in books, but there are too many to count.  Recently though, my favorite character, regardless of medium, is Rumplestilskin from ABCs Once Upon A Time.  He straddles the line between good and evil so brilliantly, and dances along the edge of sanity.  I find him endlessly fascinating.
• Favorite time of day to write: The morning.  First thing of the day, before my brain gets busy with everything else.
• Fave place you’ve visited: Ireland.  Rhys’s background reflects that a bit.  ^_^

 

A big thanks to author Kate Martin for an amazing interview!