Twinkle’s Lane
February 23, 2020
For an exclusive interview with a published author, who’s in the process of publishing another book, I reached out to K.T. Sterling.
K. T. Sterling is a 33 year old married mother of a cute 2-year old girl named Alice. She has studied criminology at the University of Ghent. She loves drinking tea and wine, collecting notebooks, and reading fantasy books on the couch, during lazy Sundays.
Me: Writing in itself is a lifestyle. When did you first find your passion for writing and decide to become an author?
K.T: I always wrote stories when I was young. I always loved to create. But when I was 19 – now 15 years ago – the story I had in my head was different, it was bigger. I knew, back then, I wanted to make a book out of it.
Me: Whoever knows you will know that you love some planning and are quite a perfectionist. So what is your writing process like? What part of writing a book do you find the easiest and which part is the hardest?
K.T: First I write a basic outline of the story, with enough freedom for my characters to move. I can always adjust along the way. The easiest part is the writing itself. I just let the characters take over and lead the way. The hardest part is the first edit.
Me: How did you come up with the ideas for your mermaid novel?
K.T: The idea for my mermaid novel came to me right before I fell asleep. The main character of the story, Rosalie, suddenly appeared to me in my head. She was so vivid, she was already a complete character with her own quirks, her personality and her flaws. I knew immediately everything about her. And I knew the story that came with her. All of this might sound strange. But after reading the book Big Magic from Elizabeth Gilbert, I know these things happen.
Me: Have you ever been faced with writer’s block or – the old devil – procrastination? If so, what do you do when you’re faced with these challenges?
K.T: I only had writer’s block when I was pregnant. Normally I never have problems with writing. My characters always lead me on their way. But then I had other things on my mind, I think, that’s why it didn’t work anymore. A few months later after the birth of my little girl the characters were back and I could continue. Procrastination however is a different story…. Social media is a big problem. Spending hours on Instagram or Pinterest. That’s why I try to discipline myself to only three times a day. A few minutes after breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Me: What genres do you like writing in the most?
K.T: I love to write fantasy, but stepping out of your comfort zone is something I urgently recommend. So I also try to write other genres.
Me: You have come a long way, and you still have a long way ahead of you. What are your plans for your future writing journey?
K.T: A very long way. I’m very glad I’ve published my short stories. But now I would love to publish my mermaid novel. I will also continue to write for writing contests because that is the place where you learn and keep on learning. And of course, I will write more novels. So I hope one day to publish the novel I started when I was 19.
Me: Who better to ask advice from than one with the whole experience! What advice would you give to up-coming writing aspirants?
K.T: First of all, learn the rules. When I was 19, and I wrote that novel, I was so naive. I wrote 400000 words without any experience. Learned about outline (I strongly recommend ‘Save the Cat writes a novel’ from Jessica Brody), POV, and not giving too much information…
Learn, experience, read books, write short stories, try to write for writing contests, broaden your horizon! The moment I did that, and I stepped out of my comfort zone, I published for the first time. Even though it was a short story… but it is a beginning. The beginning to…who knows?
This ended my interview with K. T. Sterling. It has been a great experience! She knows her work well, and I’m glad to have had the opportunity to interview her!
You can find K.T. Sterling on Instagram
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