Author Interview: Katie Nelson
HELLO! Since I am currently
away for the week in California (WOOP!) I have decided to use this week to
feature some smaller authors and bloggers. Today’s spotlight is featuring an
author by the name of Katie Nelson! Her book The Duke of Bannerman Prep recently came out, you can learn more
about her and her novel HERE!
For those of us who have not read The Duke of Bannerman Prep, introduce it to us in one sentence?
The Duke of Bannerman Prep is The
Great Gatsby meets a prep school debate team.
What was your favorite part of writing The Duke of Bannerman Prep?
I loved being back in the world of high
school debate. I competed when I was in high school and coached when I was
teaching. It was fun to live through a season with these characters!
Is the finished version of The
Duke of Bannerman Prep how you always imagined the book? Or did the plot
and characters change a lot over the course of the writing process?
The plot changed A LOT. At first I really
struggled with how close to stay to the original Gatsby plot line. It took some
time to figure out how I was going to structure the novel, and what key events
I wanted to include. I lost count of how many drafts I did, but it was in
double digits!
Do you have a favorite of your own characters? And, along those
lines, do you ship any of your own characters?
That’s kind of like asking me to pick my
favorite child! I love Tanner, and I love Kelsey. I totally ship the two of
them! But I also really love Sam. He’s probably my favorite, if I’m being 100%
honest.
Does any of your personality ever go into any of your characters?
I think elements of my personality go into
several of the characters. I’m pretty driven, like Tanner, and I definitely
have a bit of a competitive streak. I also have been known to go on rants, like
Kelsey, when I’m talking about something I’m passionate about. And these days,
I can relate to Tanner’s mom, who is doing her best to keep her family
together, despite the challenges. And there is a bit of the way I taught in
Coach Watterson too.
The Duke of Bannerman Prep
is described as a ‘contemporary retelling of The Great Gatsby’, did your career as an English teacher inspire
this idea?
Definitely! As a teacher, I was always
trying to find ways to make the literature that we read in class relevant for
my students. So I’d thought about this story, its themes and character
struggles, A LOT. While my students had a hard time transporting themselves in
the high society world of Fitzgerald’s novel, it was easy to show pictures of
modern day Silicon Valley, and they were familiar with stories of young
millionaires who had made lots of money quickly in the tech industry. So I felt
like it was a natural setting for the story.
Do you listen to music while writing? If so, what bands or genres?
I listen to music to get into the
character’s frame of reference. I am a huge alternative music junkie. My
playlist for this novel includes The Killers, Atlas Genius, Motion City
Soundtrack, Weezer, Cold War Kids, and a couple of songs from Hamilton (because
I love that musical!).
What is your favorite part of being an author who has recently had
one of your novels released into the world?
Meeting readers who are passionate about
books and who connect with my characters and talk about them like they are real
people. It’s also been so fun to meet other authors and connect with them. I
feel like my circle of friends has grown exponentially and I’ve just loved that
part of this process.
Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
I think I could fill pages and pages
writing about my experiences, but remember that every writer is different.
Don’t compare yourself to other writers. Some take years to publish a novel.
Some have success early on. Find what works for you and pursue that, without
worrying about what other writers are doing. I know that’s easier said than
done, but it’s so important. Also, I have this quote by Winston Churchill up by
my writing desk to give me perspective: “Success isn’t final, Failure isn’t
fatal; It is the courage to continue that counts.”
Was there a specific person or event that inspired you to write or
was it always an aspiration you had for yourself?
I always loved words and stories, but I had
writers on this huge pedestal for a long time, so it wasn’t something that I
told people I wanted to do. I was (and still am, often) plagued with
self-doubt. For a long time, I was afraid of failure, and of letting people
know I was a failure, so I kept that part of me quiet for a while. Eventually I
realized I needed to let people see my writing, and I took classes and went to
conferences and the secret got out. But it took some time.
What is your favorite genre to read?
I like reading all kinds of genres! My
first love is character-driven, contemporary stories. But I enjoy fantasy and
historical and mysteries/thrillers too. I don’t love heavy sci-fi, but I’m open
to just about everything else.
Do you have any favorite TV shows?
I must be some kind of jinx because every
show I love seems to get cancelled prematurely! For example: Timeless, Life,
Arrested Development, Veronica Mars. The one show I love that keeps going is
Saturday Night Live.
When you aren’t writing what are you doing?
Realistically? I’m doing laundry or dishes
or driving kids around. What I’d like to be doing? Reading, taking the dog on
walks, traveling, biking, baking.
Leave any links (buy links, social media, websites) below!
You can find me online at the following:
You can order the book from:
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