In celebration of Kate’s newest book release, ALTER EGO (Book One in the Legion of Independent Operatives series), I pulled Kate in for an interview so we can learn more about her and her newest novel. Thanks for taking the time to join us, Kate! (And thanks again for letting me design that mask bookmark for you! It was so fun!)
About Writing
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What inspired you to start writing, and how long have you been doing it?
I’ve been writing stories since I was a kid, but I only really got serious about learning craft somewhere around 2008 or so. I fumbled around for a while, did some workshops, did a writing degree, and now here we are. As for what inspires me to write, I think a lot of times I’m looking to sort something out in my own heart. It might not be that obvious when it’s all spaceships and vigilantes, but I do have some resonant themes I seem to keep coming back to–namely, what’s a hero? What’s a villain? Where’s the difference?
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What advice would you give a new writer, someone just starting out?
Write what you want to write. Don’t listen to any advice that cramps your style or your voice. Don’t be afraid to learn and grow. As an example: don’t go pecking through your draft to take out every “to be” verb just because some tweet said that’s something to remove from your writing. Active verbs are great, but read some Neil Gaiman and see how many “to be” verbs he uses and how it doesn’t hurt his writing (OBVIOUSLY). At all. This is just an example; my point is be critical, and be wary about what kinds of advice you internalize, no matter who it’s coming from.Most of all? Just be YOU.
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What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
I want to fall in love with the characters and not be distracted by errors. I think pacing is a really important consideration, and striking a good balance between character setup and conflict/action/story-driving questions is crucial. That is, for my personal enjoyment of a story. If I don’t care about a character before things start exploding, I’ll probably end up kind of ‘meh’ about the story. But that’s really subjective.
That being said, there are so many types of writing in the world, it’s really hard to nail down what “good writing” means. Think about Neil Gaiman, Ibi Zoboi, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Jonathan Safran Foer, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, James S.A. Corey. They are all SO different. What do they have in common? They all keep me tethered to the page, dying to know what will happen next.
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What is the most difficult part about writing for you?
I find first drafts really difficult. I’m getting better at them, but for some reason they’re really hard.
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How do you handle literary criticism?
Everything is subjective. Reviews are for readers, so while I do skim them occasionally, I’d never reach out to a reviewer unless they reach out to me first. The most important thing to me is that I pay attention to any comments that suggest I might have screwed up some kind of representation–say if I insensitively portray a person of color on the page, I’d want to be able to do my best to research what I did wrong and fix it immediately.
I’ve got a great team of professionals who help me immensely with my work. They understand my vision, and I trust their input. I’m pretty confident about where I am as a writer. That being said, I’m always looking to grow and improve my craft. It’s part of the job AND part of the fun.
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“Writing Mary taught me a lot about my voice as an author, and what it means to be brave. ”
About Your New Book, ALTER EGO
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Can you share with us something about the book that isn’t in the blurb?
The League of Independent Operatives is a women-led superhero team. There’s a romantic subplot that didn’t make it into the blurb but that I love, and a few unexpected (uh, I hope) plot twists.
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You’ve said that Mary, the MC, has been one of your favorite characters to create and write. Why is she so special to you?
This is going to sound so cheesy, but OK, let’s get real here. Writing Mary taught me a lot about my voice as an author, and what it means to be brave. Before there was an on-screen Captain Marvel, or a Wonder Woman, or a Birds of Prey, I had Mary kicking butt in my stories. I wrote her for me, first and foremost, and I think that’s why I love her so much.
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What was the inspiration for this story?
I wrote Alter Ego a few years ago, as a part of my writing program at Pacific University. I was struggling along with a novel that wasn’t gelling, and I suddenly became obsessed with the Marvel universe–particularly Captain America: Winter Soldier. The twists in that movie, and more importantly what it set up for the rest of the Infinity Saga, really stuck in my head and my heart. But… but I wanted women at the forefront of at least SOME of these stories. I think the Black Widow’s storyline in that movie is just so perfectly balanced against Cap’s personality, and I hate a lot of things about the way they handled her character throughout the saga. They had a real opportunity, but by refusing to give her her own film they had to keep her struggle at surface level so everyone could follow along. And it wasn’t just about the women, it was about there being almost no diversity, just in general. (This was also pre-Black Panther.) That combination of events sort of set me on the road to exploring my own superhero universe, which asks some of the same questions that Captain America asks (what does it mean to be a hero?) but, I hope, in ways only a novel can. And also, I hope the books are fun. Because they’re so much fun to write.
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What were the key challenges you faced when writing this book?
Early on, the book played the superhero tropes a little too straight. Which is to say, there weren’t enough unexpected elements or fresh components to the story. Good was good, bad was bad, and that was that. I’m really glad some of my early readers made suggestions that sparked the book’s evolution into the twisty fun it is today. But it did take lots of brainstorming and revision to fix that!
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If ALTER EGO was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?
Mary: Jennifer Morrison or Adrianne Palicki (I can’t choose)
Nathan: Barry Sloane (just Google him if you never watched Revenge, ok. You won’t be sorry.)
Eloise: Zoe Saldana
Jenna: Willa Holland
Agnes: Sanaa Lathan
Ire: Kevin McKidd
Jeff Hayes: Stephen Amell
About You
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What behind-the-scenes tidbit in your life would probably surprise your readers the most?
Well, I majored in music in college, and I still occasionally pick up the flute. I’m not sure if that’s all that surprising or interesting though!
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Do you like audiobooks, physical books, or e-books better? Why?
I prefer physical books, but I do read them all. Honestly, I like physical books best because I think I retain the information better somehow. I really don’t know why that should be, but there it is. My brain.
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What are two of your favorite covers of all time? (Not your own.)
King of Scars and I’m not sure why, exactly, but Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.
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Who is the most supportive person in your life when it comes to your writing?
My husband. I have a super supportive family, so this is tough. But he’s the one who jumps in to make dinner when I’m on deadline (seriously, this morning he got up and cooked dinner for tonight because I’m still coming down from release and my book 2 deadline). He reads everything I write. He talks me down when I have a writerly tantrum. He’s really the best.
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If you could choose three people (living, dead, or fictional) to invite for a dinner party, who would they be and why?
Charles Dickens, because his work has inspired me ever since I was a kid and I think it’d be so much fun to chat with him; Neil Armstrong, because I really admire him and it’d just be amazing to talk with the first man on the moon; and Jane Austen because I feel like she’d be the kind of person who would whisper hilarious stuff in my ear all evening.
This or That
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Piercings or tattoos? Piercings!
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Cats or dogs? Cats!
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Video games or board games? Board games but I’ll admit I’m not hugely into either 😀
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Pop music or rock music? Rock, but both 🙂
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Hot chocolate or coffee? Coffee, but both 🙂 hahaha
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Pancakes or waffles? Pancakes!
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Morning or evening? Morning!
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Text message or phone call? Oh please, please text me. hahaha
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Flowers or trees? Trees!
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Captain America or Captain Marvel? Now you’re just being mean.
ABOUT KATE
Kate Sheeran Swed loves hot chocolate, plastic dinosaurs, and airplane tickets. After growing up in New Hampshire, she completed degrees in music at the University of Maine and Ithaca College, then moved to New York City. She currently lives in New York’s capital region with her husband, son, and two cats.
Her stories have appeared or are forthcoming in the Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide Volume 5, Electric Spec, Daily Science Fiction, and Andromeda Spaceways.
Visit Kate online at her website or on Instagram, and grab her book ALTER EGO today!
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