Kathryn Rossati joins me in The Reading Realm to talk about their new book, VAMPYR, GHOST, ASSASSIN…
Before we settle down in The Reading Realm for a chat, what’s your drink and snack of choice?
Hot chocolate made with plant-based milk, and a Viennese whirl.
Tell us about VAMPYR, GHOST, ASSASSIN in three sentences and then three words!
A young vampyr’s parents get arrested for a crime they didn’t commit. Desperate to get them back, Wyn seeks help from his aunt in the underground city, Worldunder. But with a ghost who can’t leave his side and a teen assassin hot on his trail, his task is far from easy.
I feel like I’m cheating here for the second part, as the title of my book (Vampyr, Ghost, Assassin) pretty much is a three word description. But if I had to choose alternatives, then: adventurous, fangy, fun.
If one of your characters could come to dinner, who would you invite and what would you cook them? What do you think you’d talk about?
I’d probably invite Morgan, the butler-house (he’s a ghost trapped within the foundations of the Gatteaux family’s mansion, and so can control any object within the house that’s attached to either the walls, floor, or roof.) He’s by far the oldest character in the book, having been around in ghost form for centuries. I think he’d know the most recipes, so he could help me whip up something interesting to eat (since I’m terrible at cooking). Though, considering he’s unable to leave House Gatteaux without serious planning/alterations, I’d probably end up inviting myself over to his. That counts, right?
What’s the funniest word you know that always makes you laugh? (and why!)
I can’t really think of a single word right now, but there is a line from an old film that has me in stitches whenever I hear it. The line is, “A handbag?” from the 1952 version of The Importance of Being Earnest, said by the actress Edith Evans. It’s just the way she says it; I can’t help but giggle.
What’s the silliest or strangest thing you’ve ever researched for a story?
This is a good question, but hard to answer, as I’ve researched so many unusual things that I’m now not sure what is considered silly or strange.
Recently, I did end up watching a short documentary on sewers, for a scene I was writing in an adult fantasy book where the characters have to navigate an elaborate sewer system and come out through a maintenance hatch. All I intended to find out was where the most likely locations of hatches would be, but I ended up finding out how ‘fatburgs’ are broken up. It was disgusting, but fascinating.
Do your characters ever surprise you?
All the time. They’re always deciding to do things I never planned, and I have no choice but to let them. (They get rowdy if I don’t.)
If your writing desk could speak, what would it say about you?
That I walk into it far too many times and jostle it too much when it’s trying to support my laptop.
Did you like reading when you were a child? If so, what?
I loooooooved reading when I was little. I remember staying up past midnight reading The Worst Witch in one sitting. I felt like such a rebel! I also adored The Puffin Book of Utterly Brilliant Poetry – I even know some of the poems by heart.
What’s your favourite book that isn’t yours?
Unfair question, I can’t simply narrow it down to one! I’ll have to go with what popped into my mind first (largely because book 2 has just come out and I desperately want to read it): Jed Greenleaf by Kieran Larwood. It has magic guilds, awesome types of elemental magic and abilities (the main character can turn his skin into bark and can smash through things), a brilliant cast of characters and beautiful world building. It also plays with an alternative take on history, and several historical figures make cameo appearances.
What book do you wish you could read for the first time again?
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. I found it in the school library not long after I moved to the Isle of Wight, and even though I’d never heard of it before that, it felt like finding a friend to guide me through all the changes going on in my life. The characters and world are so richly detailed that I poured myself into those pages and didn’t want to leave.
What’s the funniest/oddest thing a child has said to you?
“Can you sign my book?” (And then they presented me with a book written by another author!). The same student also asked, moments before, whether I could sign their actual workbook. I did.
If you weren’t an author, what would you be?
Probably an artist or photographer. I really love painting and sketching, particularly natural forms like trees and flowers. As for photography, I’d definitely focus on wildlife.
What BAD advice would you give to someone who wants to be a writer?
Never read anything that’s not your own work (honestly, I think this really is the worst advice someone could give – it hurts to even type it!)
SPEED ROUND:
Cake or biscuits? Ahhhhh, this is so hard! Uh, um, cake!
Dinosaurs or unicorns? Unicorns
Pirates or astronauts? Pirates
Museums or theme parks? Museums (but a museum/theme park hybrid would be awesome!)
Cats or dogs? Can’t choose, I’d be betraying my furry family members if I did.
Summer or winter? …autumn?
Aliens or robots? How about a robot alien?
THANK YOU Kathryn for joining us in The Reading Realm today!
