Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hey, I’m Cat. I’m a reading interventionist for Dyslexic students by day and a writer of romance with humor, heart, and heat by night, weekends, holidays, and sometimes in the bathroom. I’ve written lots of books, but I have published five, soon to be seven. I’m getting ready to release the fourth and final book in my Diminishing Magic series soon, as well as an unhinged rom-com within the next couple of months.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Wood. It’s what I’m calling an “unhinged spicy novella” based on Pinocchio. I was inspired when someone asked for a Pinocchio rec in a Facebook group I’m in. Nobody could provide her one, so I thought, hm. I wonder if I could write that. My very first (naughty) thought was, “I could write that, but it would not be his nose that grows.” It was stupidly easy for me to take some of the elements of Pinocchio and add them into the book. For example, the Blue Fair, Cat and Fox, the circus and the whale are all in there in some capacity. The premise required a day or two of thinking, but once I decided how to set it up where it was his “not the nose” that grows, it literally took me a week to write it. It was a blast!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if I’d call it unusual, but I always get a good idea of the beginning, midway turning point, and end in mind, write 3-4 chapters to get a feel for the voice, then go back and write the blurb. Writing the blurb before the bulk of the book is a trick I learned and it has revolutionized how I blurb. It makes it so much easier to do it first. There ya go, authors. A free tip for you.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
i would say first Madeleine L’Engle as she is the author that got me into reading in school. My college journalism professor, Mr. Duncan who told me I was great at descriptive writing, but couldn’t be as forceful as I needed to be for a career in Journalism. The first book I attempted to write came directly after I closed the book, Divergent by Veronica Roth. Something about that book spoke to my inner writer. It made me believe I could do it, so I opened up my laptop and did. From there, I’d say all the contemporary authors I read now influence me in some way.
What are you working on now?
Getting Wood launched, the final edits of Ripples of Glass, the final book in the Diminishing Magic series, and I’m also writing the second book in my Curse of Between series. As soon as school is out for the summer, I’ll add my next Why Choose Christmas romance in the mix too. Because my time is limited, I plan way ahead and usually work on multiple things at once.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Fussy Librarian, Book Mojo, Facebook ads, and sites like this one. I love stacking my promos during launch week and when I do special deals.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Like I said before: write the blurb first. Other than that, don’t let other authors’ successes or failures slow you down. Your book will be unique and find its readers. Comparing yourself to others leads to a lot of resentment and heartache. Find the story you want to tell and tell it. Don’t worry about the market or genre or tropes.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Have I mentioned the thing about writing the blurb first? Yeah, that.
What are you reading now?
Nothing at the moment and it is KILLING me. I plan to finally dive into Zodiac Academy 9 as soon as I hit my writing goal for this week. It’s one of my favorite series and I have put it off in favor of writing and wrapping up my school year. I cannot wait to see how it turns out in the end. I’m a bit amazed I haven’t read any spoilers yet.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Next, I will keep writing. It may seem basic, but it’s the only way to get to my goals. I would love to be able to write full-time, to make enough that I can dedicate my whole day to writing. I’m not there yet, so I keep writing until I am or until I need to stop. I have several series ongoing and a couple more in the planning stages and I can’t wait to bring those characters and worlds to life.
What is your favorite book of all time?
This question is just mean! I will always mention A Wrinkle in Time as it got me into reading at a very young age. As far as anything else goes, I’m a mood reader and it would depend on the mood of the day.
Author Websites and Profiles
Cat Collins Website
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