Interview with Kate Marie Robbins

by Heather Kirchhoff

What made you decide to start writing? Was this something you always thought you’d do?

I’ve always been a poet for as long as I can remember. I started when I was about 13. For a long time that’s all I wrote. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I started writing something else. It was actually a song that sparked my first novel. Things just started to flow then. So no, it wasn’t something I always thought I’d do. It kind of just happened. I wouldn’t have it any other way now.

How do you come up with your characters or story ideas? 

I get my ideas from a lot of places. Songs, real life experiences, shows and movies I watch, other books I read, and more recently, my dreams.

How do you get inspired to write? 

My friends and family. They are my biggest inspiration. And music.

What do you do while having writers block?

I either have a long chat with my brother or my boyfriend about what is going on in my book and usually explaining and bouncing ideas off them generates word flow again. Also, if that doesn’t work, I either read or work on something else artistic.

What kind of stories do you write? 

My main forte is fantasy, but I don’t limit myself to that. Wherever my ideas take me, that’s what I write about. At present, I’ve written fantasy, non-fiction, paranormal, horror, and fairy tale. I have ideas for dystopian and science fiction novels as well.

Who’s your favorite author(s)? 

That is a hard question, because there are so many amazing authors out there. To adequately answer this, I’m going to have to break it down into three categories: classic, contemporary, and indie.

Classic: Edgar Allen Poe, Shakespeare, Sir Conan Doyle, Knut Hamsun, Franz Kafka, Robert Lewis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, to name a few.

Contemporary: L.A. Meyer, Mark Hodder, George R.R. Martin, Bruce Coville

Indie: L.L. Hunter, Bree Vanderland, Gwen Selix, Renee Jean, Yvonne K. Anderson, Konstanz Silverbow, Heather Kirchhoff

Buy Indigo at Amazon

How long have you been writing? 

Books, about 4 years or so.

What are your stories about? 

Indigo (book 1 of the Lazulis Trilogy): Ava is your typical teenage girl, hoping to spend her summer doing the usual: shopping, concerts, skateboarding, and hanging out with her friends. Her best friend Sera has other plans for them, learning how fly her uncle Mat’s hot air balloon. Their first solo flight turns out to be the adventure of a lifetime.

By magical forces, they are pulled into a world that is unlike their own: the world of Indigo, steeped in myths, legends, and prophecy. Where nothing is what it seems, and where good and evil are not easily distinguished. Will the two teens be able to figure out whose side they are really on before it’s too late and find their way home?

You Belong to Me: Emaline has moved halfway across the country with her parents, for her senior year of high school. She isn't exactly thrilled about it, but she's decided to make the best of it. She makes fast friends with Victoria, the girl chosen to show her around her new school.Victoria, upon realizing the house in which Emaline has moved into, tells her about what happened to the boy who lived there before her. Koah committed suicide. Not only that, but the locker she now uses was his, and the bedroom she sleeps in.She tries to make the best of things and live a normal life, until the people she's closest to start dying under mysterious circumstances. Emaline alone holds the power to stop these deaths. If only she can figure it out in time.

Aine’s Freedom (Book 1 of the Chasing Rainbows Series): Leprechauns don't exist. At least that's what Hugh and Oliver believe. On their most recent geocaching excursion, Hugh insists they chase after the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, not believing that they will find anything. They cannot believe what they find. Not only do they find the pot of gold, but they meet Aine, who is on a quest to prove herself worthy of the leprechaun name.

Hugh and Oliver are in for the ride of their lives. Steeped in myths and legends that they didn't even believe could be true.

Buy Aine's Freedom at Amazon

Rock & Roll Saved My Soul (an anthology I put together for charity): Has music had a positive impact on you? Changed your life? Or even saved you? For us, it has.In this book, you will find a collection of stories, letters, and poetry about how music has personally changed our lives. Each story is unique, each story is true. Filled with emotion, passion, and love for the bands and songs that have touched our lives. All proceeds from this book will be donated to Rock the Cause. Rock the Cause is a Minnesota based charity that use the power of music, community, and social media to create a new generation of stewardship for other non-profit causes.

What are you currently working on? 

I am in the editing stage on a Lazulis novella, called Anguish. I am also in the editing stage of another Rock & Roll Saved My Soul anthology, called Random Acts of Kindness. Along with those, I am currently writing book 2 of the Lazulis trilogy, and am working on illustrations for a short story called Gail & the Rose.

What do you do when not writing?

I do cover art both freelance and for Pure Ice Publishing, as well as work another job at a nursing home. Outside of work, I like to spend my time reading, spending time with my boyfriend, friends, and family, drawing/painting, and going to concerts

About the Author

From the makings of her fabulous tennis hits, from the inspiration of her waggish pets, from the riotous air of Minnesota, comes Kate Marie Robbins...
She lives in a VERY small town in southeastern Minnesota with her family and her three pets. She is currently working in a nursing home but has for long dreamed of being a published author- which since you are reading this, has come true. She likes to read, sing, paint and is very proud of her music & book collections. She also wants to travel the world. When she travels the world of Indigo, she would like to learn sword fighting from Bradan, or be a tailor.
Kate once waited to get into a concert for ten hours, in a snow storm. She dyes her hair a different color every few months, and once went to Walmart wearing a black cape and cat ears. She never got into trouble at school, and has not yet achieved her ambition of drinking her way through all twelve pubs pictured on her Irish calendar. 

Facebook  *  Charity Page  *  Goodreads



Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate. Amazon pays a small fee when purchases are made at Amazon through the link above. Smarturl is used to direct readers to Amazon in US, UK, and EU. Views, opinions, and beliefs expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Girl Who Reads.