Please welcome Cate Masters!

Hi, Cate! Thank you so much for letting me interview you for my blog. Tell us a little about yourself.

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I’ve been married forever to my husband and lifelong friend. He’s my support system and cheerleader! Our three kids are grown, which is why I now have time to focus, finally, on my writing. Other hobbies take a backseat to writing: photography, gardening, beading, painting – you name it, I’ve tried it! Likewise with jobs – I’ve held positions from cashier to deputy press secretary. Every life experience seems to come into play in my writing.

How long have you been writing, and have you always wanted to be a writer?

I can’t remember actually thinking: I want to be a writer. I just did it, from about age ten I began writing poetry. In school, I wrote for the newspaper. My initial aim was to be a journalist, but life, as they say, had other plans.

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Why did you decide to write romance novels?

I love the positivity of romance. No matter how awful the situation, the heroine ends up with a happy ending. And I love that today’s romance includes so many sub-genres. Definitely not your mother’s bodice-ripper (*cringe* I hate that archaic term). I came late to the romance genre, but have had a blast since finding it. I’ve never known a more supportive group of writers, either.

What type of books do you write?

I love to experiment. Creating fictional worlds really lets my imagination cut loose, but I was surprised at how much I also enjoyed bringing history to life. I was never much of a history buff, but I found it very exciting to place a character in a historical setting, and challenging to include accurate details. So far, I’ve written contemporary, paranormal, historical, speculative and mainstream women’s fiction, from flash-length to novel.

Tell us a little about your writing routine.

Turning on the computer is the first thing I do in the morning. I’ve become a bit obsessive-compulsive about writing, and work it in at every opportunity. While I was unemployed, I treated it as my day job – putting in longer hours writing than I’ve ever worked before! Now I work part-time, and treat my writing as a second part-time job. Domestic chores fall to the wayside, unfortunately, but I’d rather be known for my writing than having a clean house. 

What about your family, do they know not to bother you when you are writing – or are there constant interruptions? Like Mike download

We moved a few years ago, and was lucky enough to finally have a writing room of my own. Some people can write anywhere, but I find I need to really concentrate when I write. No music, hopefully no interruptions, but I don’t pretend to be so precious that no one can approach me. It does break my momentum, though, and I have to work to get it back.

Momentum is nice to have. Wish I had it more often. J What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels, do you find them difficult to write?

Only in the technical aspect. I have no problem writing them, I just worry that what’s on the page won’t evoke the scene in a realistic enough way. I recently wrote an erotic novella called Wilderness Girl and found it difficult to describe love scenes in a detailed way. Each story seems to demand its own level of intimacy.

Where do your ideas come from?

A really difficult thing to define! Anything, really, can spark a story idea. I’ve heard a distinct voice in my head reciting a line from a story (Wilderness Girl started that way). Reading the word definition from A Word A Day can spark an idea (it happened for The Duende and the Muse). When we visited Key West, the story flashed through my head in a vivid (scarily so!) way while we were at a museum. I like Neil Gaiman’s response to this question: I make them up in my head. My real answer is: I don’t know where they come from, but I hope they keep coming!

Do you have a writing partner to bounce ideas off of?

I have several. Critique partners are an essential part of the writing process, for me. Sometimes I am so much in my own head that what I’m visualizing doesn’t quite make it to the page, and they have no qualms about pointing that out – which is exactly what I need. 

How do you define the type of writer you are? Do you outline or go with the flow?

At first, I was a complete pantser, although I knew, generally, where I wanted each story to end up. Plotting’s too restrictive, for me. These days, I usually have a basic outline, loose enough for my characters to wander off on tangents if they’re so inclined. Sometimes they can lead me in surprising directions.

What kind of research do you do?

Depends on the story, but I can get carried away with research. I love it! For instance, for my contemporary story, Going with Gravity, I used a current news story about a plane losing its fuselage mid-flight as the starting point. A visitor’s guide from Hawaii provided setting details, and I used an online language translator for Hawaiian phrases. The web’s a great resource for just about everything. For the Key West historical, I spent an afternoon in their library copying old letters and articles, plus bought five books on local lore and shipwrecks.

Have you experienced writer’s block? If so, how did you work through it?

Writer’s block is a story’s way of forcing a writer to address something that’s missing, I think. As I said, I usually am in the middle of several stories at once, so if I hit a snag on one, I turn to another. Sometimes, taking my complete focus away from a story will help me “see” it better as a whole, and realize what’s missing, or a character will step up and assert her/himself.

If you weren’t writing, what would you be doing?

Hmm, good question. Whatever it might be, I wouldn’t be too happy. Only writing really gratifies me, makes me feel I’m fulfilling my purpose.

What truly motivates you in general on in your writing?

Whatever I do, I try to do it the best I can. There’s great gratification in knowing I put forth my best effort, and hopefully the result reflects it – in writing, or in life.

What do you find to be the most rewarding thing about being a writer?

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Feeling as if I’m connecting with readers, touching them emotionally, writing stories that will stay with them longer than after they’ve stopped reading.

Among your own manuscripts, do you have a favorite?  Favorite hero or heroine?

That’s like choosing a favorite child. I can’t do it. While I’m writing each one, that one tends to engage me completely (though I usually have several in various stages of completion)

So tell us about your latest release.

My urban fantasy novella, One Soul for Sale, was a lot of fun to write. Madelyn’s an artist who hates her day job but can’t seem to make any headway with her sketches. Depressed, she posts her soul for sale on UBuy, and two bidders fight for it (literally, she learns after a sleepless night of monsters battling). The winning bidder asks to meet her, and gives her tasks to perform. A shadowy figure begins to follow her, and she discovers the losing bidder doesn’t like to lose. Though the story deals with heavy issues such as life and death and fulfilling personal goals, I used a very light touch, one I hope readers will enjoy.

Sounds cool. How do we find out more about you and your books? Do you have a web site? Blog?

I post all my latest news on my blog: http://catemasters.blogspot.com and my web site: http://catemasters.com/. I also have a page on Facebook.

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What can we expect from you in the future?

Hopefully lots more of the same! I have a backlog of stories ranging from paranormal to historical to contemporary, all clamoring for attention.

In addition to the historical and paranormal shorts released by The Wild Rose Press so far this year, I have a few others scheduled: a short women’s fiction from Wild Child Publishing, an erotic novella and short urban fantasy from Freya’s Bower, a women’s fiction novella from Eternal Press, two short contemporary stories from The Wild Rose Press, and a short urban fantasy from Shadowfire Press.

Thanks again for the interview, Cate!

Thanks so much for having me as a guest, Nita! I’d love to give away a PDF copy of One Soul for Sale to a commenter – tell me what draws you to a story: the blurb? the characters? the cover? What leaves you satisfied after reading the last word?

Did you hear that?! You can win a free copy of Cate’s latest release just by answering a question or two!

Before we close, here’s a link to an excerpt

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Tremors II: Aftershocks dvd from One Soul for Sale, available June 7 from Eternal Press (www.eternalpress.ca):

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And check out this awesome trailer!