Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written three works of nonfiction and three novels, as well as travel articles and a writing blog, which is currently archived on my website www.katedunn.co.uk
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called THE DRAGONFLY and was shortlisted for the Virginia Prize for Fiction to encourage women authors. Awarded a blue star by Kirkus, who called it “an emotional high wire act”, THE DRAGONFLY is set on the French waterways and offers a vivid account of the relationship between Colin and the nine year old French granddaughter he has never met. Delphine is thrust unexpectedly into his care when her mother dies, and to distract her from her sorrows he takes for an adventure on the Dragonfly, a day boat for fishing that he built himself. Hanging over their journey is the mystery of exactly how her mother died – Colin’s son Michael is in prison awaiting trial for her murder. The boat is tiny and Delphine has a very big personality…
I am lucky enough to have a small boat myself and one day we moored up beside a tiny craft and got talking to the owner, a middle aged man who was on Day 36 of an epic journey in the company of his young granddaughter – that sowed the seeds of my story.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really – I just write, with as few distractions as possible, in a small shed at the bottom of our garden. I’ve developed RSI from so much typing over the years, so I have learned to dictate into some voice recognition software, so I don’t actually put pen to paper, which is a bit of a shame.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anything by the late, great and much-lamented Helen Dunmore has been a huge influence on my work. Reading A Spell of Winter opened my eyes to what spells words can cast.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a companion piece to my novel The Line Between Us, which Joanna Lumley described as, “a heartrending love story”. It’s set on the Welsh borders and explores the complicated relationships between a group of volunteers renovating an ancient vineyard.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m lucky enough to be on friendly terms with a wide selection of book bloggers who have been incredibly supportive in promoting my work. They really are the unsung heroes of the publishing world.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write for the pleasure of telling a good story – keep your expectations low and then anything is a bonus.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t say the same thing in a number of different ways. Once is sufficient.
What are you reading now?
I’m reading The Sellout by Paul Beatty – it’s audacious and irresistible.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I need to finish my current project. I’ve got several ideas lined up after that and need to decide which to pursue.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Anything by Helen Dunmore or Miriam Toews, Yeats’ poems, A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel.
Author Websites and Profiles
Kate Duun Website