If you have read Kathryn Grant,
Kathryn Atwood, Kathleen Maxwell, Anne Mayfield, or Les Simons you have
already been introduced to the many faces and characters of Kathryn
Ptacek.
Kathryn Ptacek draws on the stark
landscapes of New Mexico to create characters and bring our deepest
fears and shadows to life. Studying
with mystery writer Tony Hillerman and well known YA writer Lois Duncan
at the University of New Mexico taught her
depth and an honesty that shows through even her darkest tales.
It is no wonder no genre has put its stamp on her, whereas
Kathryn has put her stamp on several genres.
She held many different jobs, from
working for a political party and telephone solicitation to advertising
layout and secretarial duties while finishing her first novel, which was
an historical romance. In
1979 with the sale of her historical romance, she quit to become her own
boss – a full time novelist. It
didn’t take her long to move from historical romance to dark fantasy,
horror, and anthologies, winning silver and gold medals from the West
Coast Review of Books.
This multi talented lady shares a
119-year-old Victorian clapboard home with her husband, dark fantasy
novelist Charles L. Grant, and four cats (Huckleberry Fang, Lovejoy,
Poko, and Pepper) in Newton, New Jersey. Kathryn
also collects of Gila monster memorabilia, unusual teapots, and cat
whiskers.
There is little Kathryn has not
accomplished and it is certain the future holds more surprises for
writers and readers. You
will find her writing everywhere in columns, essays, reviews, novels,
and anthologies. The Gila
Queen’s Guide to Markets and the Horror Writers Association
newsletter are Kathryn’s ongoing creations.
Kathryn has never allowed a genre
or a new territory keep her from moving onward and upward.
She is proof that
perseverance pays off and creativity need not be limited.
Rose & Thorn: When did you
begin writing? Why?
Kathryn Ptacek: I wrote
my first story when I was fourteen for an English class, and I realized
then that I wanted to be a writer. However, I knew no writers, and I
didn’t think people could make a living that way, so I decided to go
into journalism--where, I figured, I would at least be writing, even if
it wasn’t fiction. I couldn’t have been more wrong--article writing
was a far cry from short stories, and it wasn’t as satisfying to me. I
"dabbled" for years after that, although I did write my first
novel--some 500 pages--when I was seventeen (It was Senior Week, and I
was bored.). I look back and see that I really wasted a lot of time; I
had no direction, no idea what I was doing, and it’s
frustrating.
R&T:
What was your first story and
what was the inspiration for the story?
Kathryn: The first
one I wrote was a story based on the TV series, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
It was never published, of course.
R&T: What
writers have influenced you the most?
Kathryn:
That’s hard to answer. I’m not one of those writers who went through
phases when she started out, then discovered her own voice after X
number of stories or novels. I just spun my wheels some more and muddled
through until I finally discovered my style.
One writer
who has had a profound influence--not through his writing, but his
teaching--was my professor in college, Tony Hillerman, the award-winning
mystery writer (although he had just sold his first novel back then).
Tony was the head of the journalism department at [the University of New
Mexico] when I was there, and he called me into his office one day. I
thought I was in trouble. What he told me was that I was one of the
three best writers he’d had in [all] the years he’d been teaching. I
was so naive back then--I looked around his office because I wondered
who he was talking to. Then I realized he meant me. I was just stunned.
Then he proceeded to tell me why he marked my stuff down--he graded me
against, not the other students, but what he knew I could do. His
confidence in me--that I could do better--is something I’ll never
forget.
R&T: How
do you feel movies and television have impacted reading? Do
you feel they are or should be mutually exclusive?
Kathryn: My hope is
that people, having seen a movie, will go out and read the book upon
which the movie is based or even pick up some other books about the
event or characters in the film. I’m not sure that happens. I imagine
that when Seabiscuit, the movie came out, the sales of the book
increased greatly, but the book had already been a bestseller before
that. Somehow, though, I don’t think most people try to hunt up the
book after seeing a movie.
R&T: Of
all the characters you have created, which one is your favorite?
Kathryn: I love Chato
Del-Klinne--he’s the Apache protagonist of Shadoweyes and Ghost
Dance, and I’d like to use him in some mystery novels. However,
perhaps my all-time favorite character is one who has not appeared in
anything published yet. Her name is Cassie, and she is a character in
search of a book and a genre. I wrote about her first in a Regency
romance that didn’t sell, and I never forgot her. I thought about
putting her in some Regency mysteries, but I didn’t pursue that. Years
later I wrote a mystery with her as a protagonist--the mystery is still
sitting in my computer. I can’t decide on when the book should be set:
present day or the 1890s. From time to time, I think about her and
wonder what I should try next with her in it. And recently I’ve been
wondering if Cassie might not work better in a chick lit novel!
R&T: Most
writers put a little of themselves and their beliefs into the characters
and worlds they create. Which characters are most like you?
Kathryn: Heh.
That would be my suburban witch character, who has shown up in several
short stories. I’m not sure she’s much like me; perhaps it’s more
of a case that I’d like to be like her. I have this list, you see ...
Sometimes things that
have happened to me show up in my stories--always the stories, though,
never the novels. I think stories are a good form of therapy for
writers.
R&T:
What schedule do you follow
when writing?
Kathryn: Well, I don’t
write every day, and I never have. I was told by one woman years ago
that I would never be a writer because I didn’t write every single
day. I know what she was trying to say--it helps if you do sit down and
write daily--but the thing is, I did become a writer, and I don’t
maintain a regular schedule. I tend to write in bursts, which can be
incredibly exhausting. Recently I wrote a 20+ page story in a matter of
hours. My fingers flew across the keyboard, and I was absolutely
focused. Of course, the next day I was so drained that I could barely
function above the level of a carrot.
I’ve been thinking that I need
to set aside some time each week to write. I find the days just go by,
and I haven’t written anything.
R&T:
How much research goes into
your writing and stories and how much is research you have already
learned and continue to rely upon?
Kathryn: I love to
research. My historical romance and historical horror novels were
researched quite heavily--I probably read dozens of books for each one.
I love plowing through the books to find some nugget I can use in a
novel--and sometimes it wasn’t even for something important. And that
can be a problem. Many times I would get diverted by something
fascinating that I found, but which had absolutely no bearing on my
novel.
When I was writing about a
particular historical era in the romances, I didn’t always have to do
a massive amount of research for the next book. I had done the basics to
establish the period, so I just had to check smaller things.
R&T: As
a writer, editor, and publisher of The Gila Queen Guide to the
Markets, which job is most fulfilling and gets more of your
attention? Why?
Kathryn: It
depends. When I’m editing a book manuscript, I think: I’d really
like to write now. Then I start writing, and think: I’d like to edit
someone else’s stuff now. It always seems my favorite thing to do is
the thing that I am NOT doing at the present. However, I always have
time and energy for The Gila Queen.
R&T: Why did you
choose the name Gila Queen for your marketing newsletter?
Kathryn: The third
novel I wold was called Gila!--it was part of [North American
Library]'s "killer bug" type novels they put out in the late
70s and early 80s. Gila!, while the third novel I wrote,
was actually the first one that came out. Some time after that a
friend called and Charlie answered the phone and said, "Wait, I'll
get the Gila Queen for you." We have no idea why he said
that! Anyway, years later, when I started the newsletter (in late
'88), I needed a title and The Gila Queen's Guide to Markets is the
first thing that popped into my mind. I liked it because it didn't
have "writers" or "writing" in the title. I
think the Gila Queen stands out because it's different.
R&T: When did you begin Gila
Queen and editing the Horror Writer's Association (HWA) newsletter?
Kathryn: I started the Gila Queen
in late 1988. It was no more than a few typed pages to
friends. [I] started editing the HWA newsletter in the spring of
2000, with the first issue in May [2000].
R&T: Does
being married to a successful author like Charles Grant help or hinder
your own writing? Are your styles the same or different? How do you
manage your schedules - who gets the computer first? Do you edit each
other's work?
Kathryn: Our styles are
completely different: He has a flowing, literate style, while I tend to
be terser, less descriptive (it’s the journalism influence). His
horror is quiet; I’m the one known for the splatter. When we got our
first computer some twenty years ago, we shared it. That didn’t last
long. We had to get two computers, because we were both planted in front
of them so long each day and night. I almost always ask him to look over
my stuff just to make sure I’ve caught things, and he does the same.
But there is no massive editing.
Help or hinder? I
think it’s great being married to another writer. I know so many
writers with non-writing spouses who just don’t understand that the
writer HAS to sit there, ignoring everything else, until the story is
done or the chapter is finished. I’ve known a lot of folks with
tension in their marriage because the other person just doesn’t get
writers.
R&T: Some
publishers have said that anthologies don't sell well and aren't worth
publishing. How do you feel, especially since a lot of your short
stories have appeared in anthologies and you have edited a few
anthologies on your own?
Kathryn: Anthologies don’t
sell well, it’s true--unless there a mega-name in the book, and
sometimes that doesn’t always guarantee good sales. But anthologies
are always worth publishing. Some of the first science fiction stories I
read were in those old reprint anthologies published in the ‘60s. I
read tons of mystery stories in the Alfred Hitchcock anthologies, too.
All these books introduced me to authors I would never have read
otherwise.
I think the problem is that some
publishers don’t know how to sell anthologies--these books are never
going to be on the bestseller list (unless they have the words
"Chicken Soup" in the title), but they’re books that could
continue to sell over the years. Unfortunately, that’s not what
publishing is about any more. Everything in our lives has become a
matter of instant gratification. If it’s not a bestseller, then dump
it. If it’s not a huge success at the box office the first weekend,
forget it. And yet there are books and movies that continue to build
success, week after week or even month after month (or year after
year).
R&T:
Does being a member of a
writer's association help the writing process and the business of
writing? Why? Does it really matter?
Kathryn: It’s nice
to be in an organization with writers of the same genre. Sometimes an
organization can go to bat for a writer, and that’s good. But many
successful writers don’t belong to any organization. I think the main
reason for being in a group is for support.
R&T: Writers
tend to be their own worst critics. Which of your stories or books would
you wish to rewrite and why?
Kathryn: I don’t
know. I never look at my stories and novels after they’re published. I’m
afraid of what I might find. Once my work is done, that’s it. I never
want to look at it again, and I can’t imagine rewriting it. I did the
best job I could then, and now it’s time to move onto the next
project.
R&T: Your
writing covers several genres. Does sticking to one genre pigeon hole a
writer? Does writing in one genre help a writer focus? Or is it better
to be more flexible? Why? Why not?
Kathryn: Be flexible.
Why? Because genres come and go--that is, they don’t completely
disappear, but sometimes they go bust; genres rise and fall in
popularity. Historical romances did that right after I sold some--they’d
been doing well, boom, down the tubes ... for a while; ditto with
horror. If I had written just one genre, I would have had trouble
adjusting. I’m not interested in just one thing in life, so why should
I write just one kind of thing? That would be utterly boring to me. I
like to challenge myself to write different genres. It’s a way of
having fun and growing as a writer at the same time.
R&T: We
hear a lot about the best selling authors or celebrities
writing/co-writing books, but seldom do we hear about mid-list authors.
Do you believe mid-list writers should get more respect and more support
from publishers? Why? Why not?
Kathryn: Ten or more
years ago mid-list writers made up a lot of what people read. Then
somewhere along the way, publishing changed, and the mid-list writer got
pushed out. It’s a shame, because there are dozens and dozens--if not
hundreds--of mid-list writers that are read by only a handful of devoted
fans. They simply don’t get the attention that some celebrity would-be
writer gets for their so-called books. Any more with the way publishing
is, a writer has to be an instant bestseller or that’s it. In previous
decades publishers "built" writers up--started them,
encouraged their work, promoted them, etc.
R&T: Why
did you decide to branch out into other genres, such as romance? Is the
process different for writing romance as opposed to writing horror?
Kathryn: Actually,
the first thing I ever sold--Satan’s Angel--was a romance. I chose
that because historical romance was hot in those days (the late ’70s),
and I thought I had a better chance in getting published there. When I
started my novel-writing career, I wasn’t even thinking about horror.
I just wanted to write. It was only as I sold a couple of more books
that I began to think of some horror novels ...
Well, all of my romances have been
historical; some of the horror is set in present day, and that was
actually more jarring to me. I loved doing the historical horror. I
guess if it’s historical, I like doing it.
The writing process for both is
pretty much the same.
R&T: Many
successful writers use pseudonyms when they want to separate their well
known name from a new endeavor. Do you feel a pseudonym is helpful?
Kathryn:
I think it’s helpful for different genres--some writers develop a
different "voice" for each pen name and type of writing (one
pen name might write westerns; another might do mysteries, etc.). Plus
some writers don’t want to seem to write "too much" under
their own names. The only hindrance I can see is that sometimes readers
don’t know that a certain book is by you. But most readers who are
really astute make it a point of knowing a writer’s other names. I don’t
think it much matters any more. And it seems that when an author gets
famous, their old pseudonymous stuff gets republished, so that’s not
much of a hindrance.
R&T: You
have written some of work under pseudonyms? Was that your choice or the
publisher's choice?
Kathryn: It was
always my choice. With my fantasy trilogy, I chose to write under the
name "Kathryn Grant," but that was because the publisher
wanted all rights to my own name, Kathryn Ptacek, and there was no way
that was going to happen.
R&T: How
did you choose your pseudonyms?
Kathryn: Well, when I
first starting selling I didn’t want to use the Ptacek name for the
historical--I wanted something that sounded more "English,"
more "romantic," as it were. Kathryn Atwood is a combination
of my first name and a name from my mom’s family. That was her father’s
middle name. I just thought it sounded really good. When I published
with a different company, I chose "Kathleen Maxwell." I wanted
a variation of my first name--close, but not the same--and the Maxwell
came from some TV credits. I just happened to see that name one night,
and thought that it sounded good with the Kathleen. "Anne
Mayfield" comes from the use of my middle name and yet another name
from my mom’s family. I had a lot of neat names from her family, even
some pen names I never got around to using. And for "Gila!" I
chose Les Simons because Les was my dad’s name, and Simons was nice
and sibilant, and I wanted that since I was dealing with giant Gila
monsters!
R&T:
What do you consider your
worst and your best stories? Why?
Kathryn: You know, I
just don’t think in those terms. I like some stories better than
others, but I never think of something as my worst--or my best. My best
is always the one coming up. I hope. If I had to chose a story that
meant a lot to me, though, it would be "Each Night, Each
Year," a story about a woman whose father is dying. I wrote it
shortly after my dad died. There’s a lot of me, a lot of my own
situation in that story.
R&T: Given
the choice between going back to journalism or continuing to write and
edit, which would you choose? Why?
Kathryn: Well, I
never worked at a newspaper (at least as a reporter; I did work at our
local paper in the composing room, and that’s a whole ’nother tale),
so there’s not much to go back to. But I am branching out into
more nonfiction even now. Actually, I’d like to do it all. I want to
write fiction and articles and edit.
R&T: Of
all the writing criticism and/or tips you have been given, which helped
you the most/least?
Kathryn:
Watch out for the passive voice. I struggle with that even now.
R&T: What
advice would you give a writer just starting out?
Kathryn: Read. Read
everything. Write as much as you can. Subscribe to The Gila Queen’s
Guide to Markets so that you know where to send your stuff.
Send your stories and articles and poems out to magazines and publishers
and agents, because it doesn’t do you any good to hang onto this
stuff. Don’t be afraid of rejection. No one likes it, of course, but
the fact is: You will always be rejected, even after you start to sell.
So, you might as well get used to an editor saying no. Something got
bounced? Send it out that day or the next; don’t let it sit around.
And don’t feel sorry for yourself because you got rejected. It’s
just part of the writing game, and it’s not personal (or it shouldn’t
be).
R&T: What
legacy would you like to leave?
Kathryn: Gack. She
died with her boots on? I have no idea. I think it’s too soon for me
to even begin to contemplate a legacy. Ask me in another ten years or
so.
To see more of Kathryn's work
check out her Bibliography.
Magazine