I got to sit down with the lovely and talented Katie Hamsted to discuss her writing life and her most recent book "Branded". Check it out!
Branded
Branded
Author: Katie Hamstead
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Genre: New Adult Romantic Suspense
Terrorists have invaded Sydney, and Allison King
barely escapes her brother’s wedding reception alive. She and her siblings
flee, but their parents are killed by firing squad.
Now Ali’s on the run and terrified. While
searching for other survivors, she is captured by the General who leads the
invasion. He’s smitten by Ali, and when she refuses to submit to his whims, he
brands her for death. In a wild act of defiance, she snatches the branding rod
and sears the mark onto his face. Marking not only him but also sealing her
fate. Ali manages to escape and flees into the bush once more where she finds a
group in hiding. Even with the scars left by the General, Ali learns to love
and falls in love with the young man who found her—Damien Rogers.
But the General is hunting her. When he discovers
their location, and finds her with another man—Damien—his wrath is kindled and
his obsession is inflamed. Ali must put herself on the line or the General
could kill her family, those who help her, and most significantly, the man she
loves.
About the Author:
Born and raised in Australia, Katie’s early years of
day dreaming in the “bush”, and having her father tell her wild bedtime
stories, inspired her passion for writing.After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughter and their dog.
She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing. She is currently at school studying English and Creative Writing.
Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports and be a good wife and mother. She now works as a Clerk with a lien company in Arizona to help support her family and her schooling. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.
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1. Tell me about 'The Phantom'. What was your very first story about? How did it inspire you to keep writing?
The Phantom, too funny! So I wrote that story when I was twelve. It was the Christmas/summer of 98/99 and the Sydney Olympics were coming up in just over 18 months. I was a typical twelve year old with a horse obsession, so I based it on a girl and her horse and her wild escapades, all finishing at the Olympics. I look at it now and have a good laugh. But writing thirty-something pages was a decent effort for a twelve year old, and my English teacher was impressed when I submitted it for an assignment, so I started writing more stories. Then my friends started reading these stories and loving them, and I wondered if there was something more to it than writing for kicks.
2. What is it like going to University as a mature student studying English? Good decision? What are some of the struggles?
It's rough, actually. With a toddler, working, the hubby at school, maintaining life, it's really hard to fit it in. I do only one class a semester, so it's slow going.
3. The thing I ask all writers with small children: how do you do it?
Quiet time and bed time. I'd lose my mind without those times. Also, My Little Pony and Batman when I need some extra time. The problem is, they are quite distracting...
4. You've written a lot of books, some unpublished: which unpublished one is your favourite and what are your plans for it?
The Cadence Anderson books are my favorites, but they are contracted. I think its a toss between Dancing in the Athenian Rain which is currently shelved for rewrites, and The Princess of Tyrone which I'm querying. I'm hoping to get an agent with The Princess of Tyrone, and I have a series of stand alone novel based in the same "world" that are currently works in progress.
5. Another question I always ask: why New Adult? Why did it become your thing?
It happened accidentally. I just wrote about people in their early twenties, then found out later that it's New Adult. (Side note from the Madame: For more information on New Adult, my lovely readers, check out this guest post from Laura Howard)
6. Tell me about Branded in one sentence. With an onomatopoeia. Just for fun.
Garg!!!! Um... boom, crunch, sizzle, zip, boom, crackle. That's lots of them.
7. And finally: "if you liked _____ you'll love Branded."
If you liked Tomorrow When the War Began (by John Marsden) you'll love Branded
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Thank you, Katie, for stopping by. It was a pleasure talking with you.
Contact the Author:
And don't forget about the giveaway!!
Thank you for having me, Vicki!
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