Synopsis: A generation ago,
continent-sized storms called hypercanes caused the Earth to flood. The
survivors were forced to retreat deep underground and build a new society.
This is the story that
sixteen-year-old Jansin Nordqvist has heard all of her life.
Jansin grew up in a
civilization far below the Earth’s surface. She’s spent the last eight years in
military intelligence training. So when her parents surprise her with a coveted
yet treacherous trip above ground, she’s prepared for anything. She’s especially
thrilled to feel the fresh air, see the sun, and view the wide-open skies and
the ocean for herself.
But when raiders attack
Jansin’s camp and take her prisoner, she is forced to question everything she’s
been taught. What do her captors want? How will she get back underground? And
if she ever does, will she want to stay after learning the truth?
Please help me welcome Kat.
Cherie: Tell us about
your novel, Some Fine Day, in your
own words.
Kat: Hey Cherie! Let me first
say thanks for having me on your blog, I’m a big fan of your books. As to
mine…well, it’s set towards the end of the century, at a time when runaway
climate change has left the surface of the planet largely uninhabitable. The
problem isn’t only extinction of species and major sea level rise, but
permanent superstorms (think Hurricane Sandy times a hundred). They’re such an
integral part of the story and the psychology of the characters, I sort of
imagine them as characters too, really scary ones. Anyway, the narrator and
hero of the tale is a 16-year-old girl who’s grown up underground. When she
does finally go above, she’s in for a lot of surprises.
Cherie: I'm so glad you enjoyed my books. =) And I can't wait to read yours! Those are some scary storms! Can you tell us about your
writing process?
Kat: I wrote Some Fine Day entirely during stolen moments: train
rides, waiting rooms, a few hours late at night when my daughter was sleeping. It
went in fits and starts, like most books do, but I finished a draft in about a
year. Now I’m more ruthless about making the rest of my life fit my writing
schedule, so I set aside time first thing every day to write before the world
comes crashing in. I feel less guilty that way!
Oh, and I’m a total plotter. I really need to know what is going to
happen and how it ends, although of course spontaneity happily creeps in along
the way.
Cherie: Funny how us writers have to steal time to write. Where did you
get the idea for Some Fine Day?
It was funnier seven years ago, granted, but at the time I thought it
was brilliant. I didn't start writing Some Fine Day just then, but that article
always stuck with me. It became one of those "what if" moments.
As in, what if something like that actually happened? And what if it
didn't go away?
When I knew I wanted to write a story about that (the folder with all
my booky wook stuff is still called hurriphoonado), I did throw myself into
research (Google), and discovered that in fact, there is something called a
hypercane. Theoretical, yes, but so is fiction. I emailed the very smart man at
MIT who ran the computer models and he patiently explained to me how they form
and other cool tidbits.
Yeah, the book pretty much wrote itself after that.
*JK!*
Anyway, if you're intrigued by hypercanes, I have a little page
devoted to them, in all their glory, on my website.
Cherie: Hurriphoonado is just fun to say! What was your
favorite (or most difficult) chapter to write?
Kat: I struggled with the end, and the love scenes. Those are hard!
The line between romantic longing and cheesiness is so razor thin. I asked Mama
Google for advice and found some great tips from writers that steered me in the
right direction.
Cherie: Thanks for the link. Can you share
with us something about Jansin that we don’t learn about them from reading the
book?
Kat: She’s actually very
playful with a mischievous sense of humor. During the editing process, I had to
lose one of my all-time favorite scenes in the book which really showed that
side of her because it wasn’t working with the pacing very well, but if I do
finish the sequel, I hope that aspect of Jansin’s personality comes across.
With all the insane things that happen to her in the first book, she can be
very serious!
Cherie: Good to know there is a very good chance there will be a sequel. What are you
working on now?
Kat: Oooh, I’m almost done with the first draft of a new manuscript
but I haven’t told anyone the plot yet, not my husband, agent or editor. I will
say it’s set in Maine, Budapest and Siberia and is a twist on the usual
paranormal romance. It also has rare book collecting,
Zoroastrianism, and a truly horrifying villain.
Cherie: I'll just have to stalk you on social media to find out more (when you announce it, of course). Now that we
know about your book and you as a writer, I have some fun questions for you.
Try to answer in five words or less:
Favorite color? Green
Secret crush? (It can
be anyone real or fictional.) Sherlock Holmes, as
played by Benedict Cumberbatch.
Do you believe in love
at first sight? Yep. I’m living proof.
Have you ever experienced that head-over-heels, tingly, have-to-get-to-know-someone
feeling yourself? My husband. (see above)
Who are you drawn to
the good guy or the bad guy? Damn. Bad guy.
What’s the first thing
you notice about a guy? If they make me laugh.
If you had all the
money and time in the world, where would your dream vacation be? New Zealand.
Are you a morning
person or an evening person? Morning!
Favorite author? Jonathan Stroud. Brilliant!
Favorite movie or
television show? Anything with zombies.
Guilty pleasures that
get you through the writing/revising process? Gum
& chocolate.
Favorite place to
write? My local coffee shop.
Who is your mentor (or
hero)? My dad.
What book are you the
most excited to read? The Wicked Will Rise.
Are there any types of
books you don’t read? Very few; contemporary
fiction only if it’s super, John Green-ish good.
I'm drawn to the bad guys too.
Thanks you so much, Kat, for taking the time to be with us today! Best wishes for a great launch!
You can find more reader reviews on Goodreads.
Kat Ross was born and raised in New York
City and worked several jobs before turning to journalism and creative writing.
An avid traveler and adventurer, she now lives with her family—along with a
beagle, a ginger cat, and six fish—far enough outside the city that skunks and
deer wander through her backyard.
