Kate Roshon Interview Published on: 17, Jan 2019

What was your childhood like? What was it like being raised in Philadelphia?

I had a really good childhood. I was the youngest of five kids, the oops if you will. My next brother up from me in age is ten years older than I am. My family lived within the city limits of Philadelphia but about ten minutes outside of the city proper. It was the best of both worlds as we had the space of living in the suburbs with very easy access to the cultural items of downtown.

You have mentioned before that you have always been a reader. What kinds of books do you read?

Some of my earliest memories are sitting on my mother’s lap reading books from The Hungry Caterpillar to Yertle the Turtle. As I got older but before I could read on my own, the books got longer, The Little House series by Laura Ingles Wilder and the Wizard of Oz series by L. Frank Baum are two examples. As I got older, I went through a time when reading was difficult, and I hated it, but I was diagnosed with Dyslexia and I found a series of books that I fell in love with, Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series, so I was able to get back into reading. These days my reading is mostly science fiction, but I also love books about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. One of my favorites is Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon. I also love the Stephen Lawhead Pendragon Cycle.

Do you have a day job? Have you ever considered taking up writing as a full-time job?

I don’t have a day job right now, but I am attending classes at Wilmington University in Delaware to get my bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies with a minor in Literature. I am looking for a job, but nothing has come along yet.

Haven is your only published work. How come you never published anything else that you wrote? Do you ever plan to?

The only reason Haven is my only published work is that I haven’t finished my second book yet! I am working on 2 more stories in the same world that Haven took place but from different points of view of the events that centered around Kala.

Do you only write science fiction or stories in other genres as well?

At this point I’ve only written science fiction but I’m hoping to one day branch out. When I was a member of a writer’s group here in Delaware, we did lots of free writes and there are many stories that started that I’d love to flesh out and maybe publish a book of short stories.

Can you tell us about the protagonist of your book Haven?

The protagonist, Kala, is a young woman trying to find a place for herself in a world that has been left for her and people of her age from the generations that came before her. She knows what it was like at different moments in time, but knows she is a person who is entirely of her time and wouldn’t want to live in any other time.

How did you come up with the idea of Haven? Is there a message that you’re trying to relay through this story?

I’m not a person who outlines or does any planning before I write, so I just sat down and started writing. The first draft of Haven isn’t that different from what was published, just cleaned up and tightened.

The overall message of the story would be that humans need to start taking better care of the planet and each other if we want to survive into the distant future.

Do you believe in the existence of aliens? Do you think that the types of expeditions that you talk about in Haven could occur in real life?

I’m not sure if I believe in the existence of aliens or not. I guess with all the planets and galaxy’s that are out there, there have to be more planets that would support life, so there must be some other kind of life out there.

I hope that the types of expeditions that happen in Haven could occur in real life. I think in order to make them happen though we need to get the private sector more involved, as well as finding better ways to build the ships and how to build bigger and better ships.

What has the biggest inspiration for you as an author? Are there any other authors that have had a major influence on your writing?

One of the biggest inspirations or influences for me as an author is my mother. She was a writer of American History, so the subject is very different, but being able to see the process was a great learning experience.

As far as authors who have influenced my writing there have been a few. Anne McCaffrey, Stephen Lawhead, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Marion Zimmer Bradley, L. Frank Baum, Dr. Seuss.

Do you keep up with some of the newer sci-fi shows like Stranger Things or Black Mirror? Do you have a favorite?

I enjoy shows like Doctor Who, Killjoys, Krypton, The Expanse, Dark Matter, 12 Monkeys, the updated Battlestar Galactica, The Man in the High Castle, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Some of the older shows I like are Stargate SG-1, Quantum Leap, Roswell, Seaquest, Sanctuary, Alien Nation, Defiance, Sliders, and one of my all- time favorites, Babylon 5. I have watched and liked all versions of the Star Trek franchise (TOS, Next Generation, Deep Space 9, Voyager, and Enterprise),

What is the most ideal ambiance for you to write in?

I enjoy writing in a large space with as much natural light as possible. Sometimes I can write with the TV or music on and other times I need quiet.

Where do you stand on the self-publishing vs. traditional publishing debate?

I wish there could be something in between. By this I mean I’d like to have access to have access to more people who work at traditional publishing houses, so they could give advice and support, all the while having the freedom that self-publishing offers. I’m usually not one to toot my own horn so getting out there to advertise or talk about myself is very difficult.

What is the most adventurous thing you have ever done?

I think that would have to be the trip my parents, my husband, and I took to Africa.

What book ideas are you currently working on?

Currently I’m working on two follow-ups to Haven. One from her friend Lindsey’s perspective and the other from the perspective of the Aliens from Haven.

Share Kate Roshon's interview