Interview with Katherine Soto; Author

Tell me a bit about yourself….

Let me introduce myself. I’m Katherine Soto, a Fantasy writer, and

soon-to-be-published author (late summer 2021). I know writers

make it look easy to be creative every day. We write. It’s in our

heads. We have a muse who will often grab us by the collar and

demand we write. I’m here to change the idea that only writers and

artists are allowed to be creative. Throw that idea out of your head.

You are creative, too.

I share simple creative ideas on my blog to help anyone with

Creating New Worlds.

I also share my publishing news and updates about my writing and

art so we can celebrate together as I create new worlds.

My Bio

Katherine E. Soto is a talented writer, who discovered her passion for

writing when she was a young high school student. After graduating,

college with an Anthropology Degree in 1985. She worked for years

as a special education teacher, and then finally retired in 2013. A few.

years later, Katherine got an amazing idea that she turned into a

fantasy book. This led Katherine to focus on her love for writing.

Katherine enjoys composing short stories, flash fiction, poetry, sci-

fi/fantasy novels, and nonfiction. She claims her writing muse is a

dragon who rampages in her mind until she sits down and starts

creating.

Despite having kidney disease since the age of two and being on

dialysis since 1998, Katherine knows that there is no such thing as

impossible. In addition to her books, she also writes articles on her

blog for all dialysis patients who go through the same struggle as she

did, so they could dialyze to live, not live to dialyze

What genre/s do you write in?

I write in the Fantasy genre. I love being bale to create my own world

and then populate it with characters.

How long have you been writing?

I remember writing stories as a youngster and entertaining my

Grandmother with them. Teachers said I was creative. I have written

poetry since high school. I began writing Grey Dawn of Dharaven:

Katz Island in 2019. It will be published late summer 2021. I

currently have three books in the series written, with a YA book of

short stories started.

Do you have any published books or articles? Tell me a bit about

these and what publishing route you took.

My book will be published by a Rhetoric Askew, an indie publisher

out of Oklahoma. I have two articles about living well on dialysis with

RSNhope.org. I have also had several poems published.

Did you use an editor? If so who?

Rhetoric Askew provided an editor to review my book with for

creative editing as well as line edits.

Did you use a book formatter and cover designer?

My publisher has provided those.

Did you self-publish or get traditionally published? How did this go

for you?

I went with an indie publisher. I like working with my publisher and

hope my upcoming books in the series for Grey Dawn of Dharaven

will be through them.

How do you market your work and promote your brand?(Include

links)

My book will be marketed online on Amazon and various other

places my publisher decides it should go. I use my website,

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I am also on MeWe.

What social media and writing platforms would you recommend?

I use Word as my writing platform. It’s on my computer and I know

how to use it. I use Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as my social

media platforms. This linktree link has everything on it.

linktr.ee/KatherineESotoAuthor

Do you use an agent?

I went with an indie publisher, not an agent.

Do you use paid advertising? If so what?

I plan to use Amazon ads, Facebook, and I have several places I am

going to use to launch and advertise my book. I am collecting links to

places to put my book and saving my nickels and dimes.

Do you have a blog or website?

I have my website: Creating New Worlds at https://katherineesoto-

author.com

What inspires you most to write?

I have a dragon in my mind who is my muse. I usually get grabbed by

the neck and told to write by my muse. Characters and what they

come up with is inspiring to me. Simple ideas for a book. I love to

people watch.

What do you do to help with writers block?

I don’t think writer’s block exists. When I seem stuck, I write anyway

on other subjects or projects while I wait for my muse and brain to

agree on what to write again on the main project.

How do you plan your writing and start?

I get an idea, then work out piece by piece what will happen next in

the story. I do not use an outline very often.

Is writing your full-time job? If not, what else do you do?

Writing is what I do now that I am retired. I can devote time and

energy to it. I was a special education school teacher for over twenty

years.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am working on editing and getting book four in the Grey Dawn of

Dharaven series ready to send to my publisher. I am also working on

a few other projects, a horror story and a romance story are waiting

for my muse. I am also working on a love poetry collection.

What is your target audience?

The fantasy genre audience who likes to read an adventure with a

strong woman character in it.

How long does it take you to write a book?

The first draft can take a month or two to write when I am on a roll.

The editing takes several steps. When a manuscript is over 200 pages

long it takes a while to edit and rewrite.

When did you first discover you enjoyed writing?

As a young child, I loved to write stories and share them with my

Grandmother. She remembered a story about a tumbleweed family I

wrote. I have always had a vivid imagination.

What is your writing schedule look like?

Do I have a schedule? Seriously, I work a few hours each day on the

things I need to do. I often find my muse hits me between 10 pm and

midnight to write on my projects.

What does your family think about you writing?

My husband thinks it takes forever to publish a book and he will

believe it when he sees it. My sisters are supportive as is my mother.

What do you do when you are not writing?

I read books for fun. I collect lighthouses, Eeyores, and strange

wooden boxes.

Where do you get information and ideas for your writing?

I get ideas from everyday life. If I need to find out about something I

do research.

What do you think makes a good story?

A strong character with a plot that takes them through growth.