Liam Katt interview
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
A little introduction:
I was born in Dublin, Ireland. I later moved to various parts of the United Kingdom and also to the Isle of Man. Later I moved back to Ireland, again to the United Kingdom and then to Canada where I live today. I tried various careers before moving into mental health nursing where I stayed for the best part of four decades. I worked in prisons secure mental health units, long stay old fashioned mental health hospitals, community nursing and criminal justice mental health. I base quite a lot of my stories on personal experience. I live with my wife Ros and our cat Teddy. Ros is my very best critic. I have two daughters Faye, who lives in Northern Ireland and Siobhan who lives in England.
When did your love of books begin?
A long time ago in early childhood. A teacher once gave me a Ladybird fiction book ‘The Discontented Pony’. I still have it.
When did you start to have the wish to become an author?
I was always a storyteller. I would draw stories on blackboards and then progressed to school exercise books. When I was ten years old, a schoolteacher would let me write stories on an elderly Imperial typewriter while the rest of the class took part in the normal lesson. He encouraged me to write articles and draw cartoons for the school magazine, which I did.
How have you found the process for becoming an author?
I started to seriously submit work thirty-nine years ago in 1973 using an Imperial 75 typewriter. You had no spellcheck, grammar check etc. Mistakes could be changed by using Tippex but for a submission to a publisher, everything had to be perfect, and you would have to re-type a whole page just because of one spelling error. Almost everything you submitted would be read. These days the work of typing a manuscript is easier. The downside is that there is a ‘writer’ in practically every house and publishers and agents are overwhelmed with submissions to the extent that a lot refuse unsolicited stuff now.
What would you say to those wanting to become an author?
Believe in yourself. Do not be put off my critics. There are a lot of so called ‘literary people’ who think they have a God given right to pull your work to pieces just because they know that you are new to writing. If you have a story to tell and it is good, you will succeed. Keep trying and never give up.
Tell us about your book/books:
Katt of Ten Tales is a collection of ten short stories of crime, horror, haunting, demonic possession and mystery. It is available on Amazon and other online bookshops. My Family Ghosts is a collection of true ghost stories, paranormal events, time slips and a demonic possession that happened to members of my family and myself. Available on Amazon and other online bookstores. Another short story collection That Katt Could Talk! Will be out on Amazon very soon. I am also writing Acorn Cottage a full-length novel.
What do you love about the writing/reading community?
The first writer that I met was Brendan Behan who would stop and talk to us kids sitting outside of the Gate Bar pub in Dublin. I remember he was usually drunk and at the early age I thought writing sounded like a good job if you could be drunk as he was. The late and wonderful Sue Townsend was a friend and gave me terrific inspiration and support.
If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?
Buy my books please! If you enjoyed them, please tell me. I love hearing from readers and will always reply.
Where can people connect with you?
Liam Katt (Author of Katt of Ten Tales) (goodreads.com)
Liam katt (@liam_katt) / Twitter
Amazon.co.uk: LIAM KATT: Books, Biography, Blogs, Audiobooks, Kindle
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