I've always been very creative and enjoyed writing at school. My career took me in the direction of the visual arts so writing went on the back burner for many years. Then I had an idea for one scene in my first novel and decided to put my rusty writing skills to use. That was about three years ago. In that time, I've completed several writing courses, written numerous short stories, published three novels and I'm just about to complete an advanced diploma in applied writing.1. What made you want to become an author?
2. Do you start writing from the beginning straight through the end or do you write whatever comes to mind? I tend to do some planning (not too much as I find it stifles my creativity to over plan) then I start at the beginning and work my way through. Occasionally I'll rough out a scene from later in the book if it's on my mind and I want to get it down before I forget the details.
I step away from the computer for a few days and let the ideas brew in my mind.3. What do you do if you hit a stumbling block?
4. Who are your favorite authors?
I love early novelists such as Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters. I also enjoy late nineteenth and early twentieth century writers such as E M Forster, Edith Wharton and Georgette Heyer. New Zealand writers also interest me such as Zana Bell and Thom Conroy.
5. Favorite Movies
The Piano and Pride and Prejudice. But I'll happily watch fantasy series like Harry Potter and Lord of Rings.
The Moral Compass is a coming of age story about Florence, a spoilt young English woman forced to begin a new life in the empire's furthest colony, New Zealand. She leaves behind everything, including the man she loves. Upon her arrival, she finds that she must endure suffering and make compromises beyond anything she could have previously imagined. Against the odds, Florence finds love, but she risks everything she has gained to enjoy some of the trappings of her previous life. This decision costs her dearly leaving her battered, but wiser and set on a new path.
As the first book in the Shaking the Tree Series, The Moral Compass begins the journey that Florence will complete in the sequel, A Pivotal Right
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About K A Servian:
An
overwhelming urge to create led Kathy to pursue qualifications in both fashion
design and applied design to fabric which were followed by a twenty year career
in the fashion and applied arts industries and a crafting habit Martha Stewart
would be proud of.
Kathy
then discovered a love of teaching and began passing on the skills she'd
accumulated over the years—design, pattern-making, sewing, Art Clay Silver,
screen-printing and machine embroidery to name a few.
Creative
writing started as a self-dare to see if she had the chops to write a
manuscript. Kathy’s first novel, Peak Hill, which was developed from that
manuscript, was a finalist in the Romance Writers of New Zealand Pacific Hearts
Full Manuscript contest in 2016.
Her
second novel, Throwing Light was published in February 2017 and her third
novel, The Moral Compass is due out in late 2017.
Kathy
now squeezes full time study for an advanced diploma in creative writing around
writing the sequel to The Moral Compass, teaching sewing and being a wife and
mother.
K. A. Servian on the web:
It was great reading this post, thank you for sharing. Congrats on the release of your new book!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ann.
DeleteCongratulations on the release of The Moral Compass. The series sound interesting!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mandy. I hope you are able to read it.
DeleteCongrats on the release of your book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Murees.
DeleteThat sounds like a very emotional book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary. It’s the emotion that hooks readers in and keeps them reading.
DeleteLove the sound of this novel! And congrats on your degree, KA.
ReplyDeleteTaking a break if we get stuck is a good idea - staring at the computer doesn't usually help!
ReplyDeleteI used to live in New Zealand so this book sounds really interesting. Love the cover. Makes me wonder what she's thinking about.
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Kathy! Interesting premise to this book, and an interesting time in history too. Hard to imagine what it's like starting again on the other side of the world, especially at that time.
ReplyDelete