Cat Patrick is the author of two of my favourite books, Forgotten and Revived (which you can win here on my blog). Cat’s stories are really original and I always wonder where she gets her ideas. I asked her if she could answer some of my burning questions about her books and her writing so here are her wonderful answers.
- Forgotten and Revived are two of the most original young adult books I’ve read. What inspired you to write these stories?
I really believe that inspiration is everywhere. In the case of Forgotten, it was in my kitchen when I was a new, sleep-deprived mom, and I forgot what I was doing in the middle of an activity. I never remembered, but my brain wandered and landed on the book idea.
With Revived, inspiration came in the form of a news story about a drug that could potentially jolt stroke patients back to normal, read at a time when a family friend’s death from cancer was also on my mind.
- In Forgotten, London can see what will happen in the future, but she can’t remember her past. How did you keep track of London’s story while writing?
I kept memory timeline, and every time I’d sit down to write, I’d also read back a few chapters to make sure I was *forgetting* the right information.
- If you had to live the life of one of your characters who would you choose, London or Daisy?
I think I’d choose Daisy’s life. So much of us is our past—bad or good, it helps shape us. It would be incredibly difficult not to feel lost in London’s life.
- One of the things I like the most about your stories is that the male characters are normal and relatable. Are Luke and Matt based on guys you know?
Luke and Matt are guys I wish I’d known in high school. Sometimes when I read back, I get glimmers of recognition, but ultimately they’re fictional.
- Relationships play an important role in your books. Matt in particular is quite caring and loyal in his relationship with his sister and with Daisy. Do you know before you start writing how these relationships will evolve or does this happen as you write?
It happens as I write. I’m not an outliner. I don’t start books in any sort of organized fashion. Basically, I get the idea, obsess about the main characters’ names, then start typing. The characters take me where they want to go. In the case of Matt, I’m happy that he turned out to be such a good guy.
- Each time Daisy is revived she has to move to a different city. If you could relocate to any city in the world what would it be?
Oh goodness, that’s a long list. If I have to pick one, I’d say London. I spent two days there once. I fell in love and desperately want to go back.
- I love your Australian book covers for both Forgotten and Revived because they stand out and look really appealing. Which editions have your favourite covers and why?
My Australian publisher, Hardie Grant Egmont, has indeed done an amazing job with my covers. Not only are they lovely on their own, but they work well together. For Forgotten, I really love the covers from Australia, UK, Sweden and France. For Revived, the US, UK and Australia covers are amazing.
- What movies/books/music inspire your writing?
I tend to listen to alternative rock—it lets my mind wander to the right place to get inspired. I’ve gotten a lot of ideas while either walking or driving while listening to music. Some of my favorite bands are Arcade Fire, Airborne Toxic Event, Radiohead, Muse, Florence & The Machine, Coldplay and Snow Patrol. And like seemingly everyone in the world, I’ve got Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” on infinite loop in my brain right now.
As for books, honestly every great read inspires me to be a better writer.
- Your third book, The Originals is due out in 2013. Are you able to tell me a little about the story?
Sure! The Originals is about three identical clones living as one person in order to hide from their past. They split each day, with one going to school in the morning, one attending class and cheer practice in the afternoon and one handling night classes, an afterschool job and other evening commitments. Like Forgotten and Revived, the story offers a mixture of romance and mystery, but it is also an exploration of what it means to be an individual as part of a very unique family dynamic.
Thank you again for the opportunity!
You can follow Cat on her website (http://www.catpatrick.com/), on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/cat.patrick.7) and on Twitter (@seecatwrite).
