Today we welcome Katrina Heart as we travel to the east of England and we learn how cats, magical meetings, daisy chains, and walks with her granddad are a part of Katrina’s past, present and how she marches to the beat of her own drum. Hear it? Let’s read on …
Tell us a bit about yourself. How many published books do you have and in which genre do you write?
Thank you for having me, Camilla. I’m Katrina but most people call me Katie. I live in the east of England with my two cats Smokey and Holly and my mum. I started off writing Epic- Fantasy and later discovered I enjoy writing romance. Currently I have published two full length fantasy novels called Finding Destiny released in 2015 and The Lost Town of Man’s Crossing released in 2019. I have also published a short story called The Naked Sleepwalker’s Christmas and two romance novella, Love in Little Snow and The Flower Angel.
What is the most crazy and inspiring thing that has ever happened to you?
The craziest and inspiring thing that has ever happened to me was meeting my boyfriend. See back in 2015 was the release of Finding Destiny by Pilrig press. It was my first book and so as an author I was discovering a whole new world of marketing including Goodreads groups. I joined one where authors could put their book in a pool and readers could pick one to read. To be honest I was very shy with how it worked, but looking down the pool, I got enchanted by a book called 3SISTERS. It really called to me so I chose to read it and enjoyed it, expressing that to the author. Later I read his other book and it was good too and he emailed me to thank me for the review I’d posted on Goodreads. After we got talking and we shared a lot in common, we loved to write, had a romantic side and were both creative. So that Christmas I wrote a story for him. It was the first time I’d written a story for someone and I remember I felt very shy sending it. But I was pleased he liked it and then he wrote me a letter asking me out and four years on we are still very much in love. It was magical because our books brought us together from different sides of the world. But since then I’ve had the pleasure of meeting his parents who came all the way from India and they are truly beautiful people. I feel blessed to know them. See releasing Finding Destiny brought me the joy of being a writer and meeting the love of my life.
If you could turn into one of your characters for a day, which one would it be and why, what would you do?
Hmm! Now this is a hard one, I can’t pick just one, so I’d have to hope I’d get to be two characters. First is Missy Talk A lot from Finding Destiny because she starts life in a dark place and has to fight for a life where I don’t think she truly knows if she’s good or not and then her life changes and she grows into a whole other person. If I were Missy Talk A Lot, I’d want to be gifted to someone who loves horror movies and just as the intense screaming scene starts jump up and say ‘Hello Cutie Pie, welcome to your worst nightmare!’
Secondly, I’d choose Suzy from The Lost Town of Man’s Crossing. Suzy has lived a human life and has a deep connection with the next one. She carries around guilt, pain and secrets and yet she is gifted with a crossing creature to give her a chance of redemption from the darkness in her soul. If I were Suzy, I’d go in to a dream with my crossing creature and watch one of my favorite memories with my Nan and Granddad and I play out from when my Nan was still on this earth as I miss her with all my heart.
If you could ask your pet three questions, what would they be?
I’d ask my cat, Smokey: 1) why don’t you like the Ginger cat that visits your garden? 2) Why do you like jumping at people when they are walking down the stairs? 3) Why do you only like one brand, one flavor of that brand of food?
What would you choose as your mascot, spirit animal, or avatar and why?
My spirit animal would be a cat because they march to their own drum; they like people with good energy and can tell those not so friendly. When a cat gives you love, attention, or affection it’s because they see something in you worth their heart’s time and you can always trust a cat to be honest to you and be themselves without worry what others think of them. Like cats, I value those I love and believe in honesty.
What are you currently reading?
Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan and a few other books.
What do you miss about being a kid?
I miss all the time I spent with my cat Fluffy. He would snooze in my dolls pram while I pushed it around the living room, and he used to snuggle with me all night. He was very special and had a way of always making me feel better and understood. I also miss making daisy chains and look about my Nan’s garden for fairies. Also walking with my granddad and his dog Max in the evening because spending time with those I love has always meant a lot to me.
Do you journal write or keep a personal diary? Has this helped with your published writings? If so, how?
I do write a personal diary and always have since a very young age. I feel it does help me with my novels because writing a diary helps open up my sense of emotions when writing. So when it comes to writing emotional scenes with my characters, I am able to better express their emotional reactions.
What’s the last movie you watched and why did you choose to watch it?
Halloween was the last movie I watched. I chose to watch it because my boyfriend and I like watching horror movies on our movie night.
Tell us about your most recent book.
My latest novel, The Lost Town of Man’s Crossing, was published on 3rd March 2019. It’s an epic fantasy about a woman named Suzy and the crossing Creature that give her a chance to live again in the new world. But this world has many dark secrets to uncover. Suzy must face her past and discover those secrets before her stay in this new land runs out.
Thank you Katie for joining us on MTA! It was great to learn more about you and your writings. What a magical story of how you and your boyfriend met one another! Here’s to your continued success and a lifetime of love with your charming boyfriend. –Camilla
Blurb:
Would you cross a land of magic, dark creatures and hidden secrets to face your own deepest fear?
After being shot, Suzy and her friend, Bill, are offered a second chance at life in The Lost Town Of Man’s Crossing, a land to which the chosen few are transported by their personal Crossing Creatures. There, Suzy encounters the evil Cole, who is all-out to gain the highest power of the land.
But Suzy comes from a magical family: her grandmother, Miss Hollow, founded a coven called Hollow-Wings, and her grandfather left her a secret, life changing pouch. Soon, Cole craves that secret pouch more than anything.
It’s Suzy versus Cole – and one of them has met their match.
Where to find the book:
UK Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Zw78f0
US Amazon: https://amzn.to/2NJiJjP
About Katrina Hart:
My name is Katrina Hart but my friends call me Katie. I live in the East of England with my family, my two cats–Holly and Smokey–and our dog, Jessie. They are a nutty bunch but I love them all the same.
I have always had a passion for reading. I could easily spend a whole lifetime
engrossed in a good book. In my twenties I joined an online writing class where I fell in love with writing my own stories.
Since I started writing I have discovered a new love for quotes. A quote that really inspired me was from Toni Morrison. Toni said: “If there’s a book you really want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
I came across this quote whilst I was studying. It was one of the many things that inspired me to begin writing Finding Destiny, my first novel.
In addition to Finding Destiny, I’ve written a number of other stories.
Connect with Katrina:
Blog link: https://katrinamarie25.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Katrina-Hart-1785712648319624/
Amazon link to all books: https://amzn.to/2ZuwxGe
Snippet of a chapter from Katrina Hart’s latest release The Lost Town Of Man’s Crossing:
Prologue
I pressed the black button and waited to be let into Myths Retirement Home. I felt excited and nervous to see my grandad on his seventy eighth birthday. One of the frazzled looking carers pushed open the door and led me into a white waiting area.
“Your grandad has been talking about you nonstop, he can’t wait to see you!” she said, flashing me a reassuring smile. I followed the carer towards his closed door.
A bubble of excitement made its way to my heart at the thought of hearing grandad’s stories of the battles he had fought, and the adventures I should take. I slipped off my coat, and his carer pushed open the door to his room and announced that “I had arrived.”
I hurried inside grandad’s plainly furnished room. His high backed chair was facing a large window and for a moment I wondered if he could see the leafy man of spring, who he always told me appeared through the trees, like the face of a worldly man ready to see life start up again after the harsh deaths of winter. Grandad always told me he felt like the leafy man as he watched the world move around him from his chair.
“One hour, then you must go,” said his carer and she pulled the door shut, leaving us alone. I pulled out grandad’s present from my bag and walked round to stand in front of him.
“Grandad-happy birthday,” I said.
“Suzy, child, come sit. I have something to tell you,” said grandad. His wrinkled eyes met mine as I leaned down and gave him a hug, before taking the chair beside him.
“Child, you have to listen to me, and listen well. Today I have seen your life is about to change. Something dark has shadowed you since you were small. Now I can see it’s coming for you,” said Grandad. He coughed weakly and rested his travelled face in his hands.
“I know, grandad, but the black shadow been gone for a long time now,” I said, as he closed his eyes like he didn’t want to listen to me anymore.
I waited thinking of my life and how no-matter what I had touched unpleasant things were made to follow. I remembered the first night I had spent at grandad’s, he had sat me down and explained that I was born in a coven. On the night of the visiting dead. Shortly after that night, my mother had fled her coven family. I never knew if that was true or not as I had no memory of
those times. But grandad always swore his life to it whenever he told me the story.
“Child, could you get me that case from my desk over there?” said grandad, breaking me out of my thoughts.
I got up and laid his present on his lap and then went over to his desk. I picked up grandad’s worn brown case; as I did so I felt something sway from inside.
“Child, don’t be scared, you know I have always looked out for you.” Grandad stumbled to his feet and took his case from my hands, then he faced it towards me.
My heart skipped beats and my body and mind screamed “run.” But from what? Was there any point in running anymore? I tried to find my voice as the latch of the case clicked apart, and grandad’s fingers shook as he swung it open.
“I call Miss Cridwyn to join me in this room. I beg of her to gift Suzy with the last creature of new beginnings,” bellowed grandad.
My mouth opened and black and orange mist flew about the room like a tornado circling grandad. The room felt as hot as an open oven and sweat pooled down my back and face. The mist started to clear, and I could have sworn I heard growling, like a rampaged dog had been let in. Grandad’s face came back into view and the growling got louder and louder. I looked into the orange flashing eyes of the critter. Her pointed ears twitched and her blue and pink skin seemed to pulsate as she flapped her black wings.
“Child, Cridwyn is an outcast creature of death. We have loved each other for a long time. Now she is going to help you,” said grandad as he blew her a kiss.
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