I was lucky enough to be one of the early reviewers of this
compelling YA fantasy. I had a beautiful ARC copy! Undertow is a unique book
because of its geographical location (how many novels are set in Cape Cod?) the
amazing range of characters, a likeable heroine, and mystery saturating almost
every page. Below is the interview, followed by a author bio, a short excerpt
from Undertow, and links to where you can get better acquainted with the book
and the author.
Me--Where did you get the idea for Undertow?
Kate Conway--Wow – that is a loaded question. UNDERTOW
started out as a WWII story involving my grandfather who had been an Iwo Jima
marine at 17. He told stories of bravery and sacrifice, but more often than not
told us of the friendships and just teenhood craziness that would happen.
Basically what teenagers were up to, when they weren’t hunted by a foreign
enemy. I had a tough time writing HIS story, so I took the emotions and the ebb
and flow of war and dropped some very unique characters I had dreamed up into
the story. It basically comes out like The Breakfast Club meets Saving Private
Ryan . . . with a bit of the Goonies for good measure. It is really pretty
different from anything I have ever read.
Me--Who are your favorite characters in Undertow and
why?
Kate Conway--Oh man . . . honestly I like them all. I think
when it comes to writing for them, Kian is tons of fun as is MJ. A new
character, known as Rilin, will appear in STORM FRONT and he is going to be
quite the dark fighter. His back history is crazy.
Me--What
themes does your book present?
Kate Conway--There are a lot of themes in UNDERTOW – Can we
change who we are? Can hatred be hereditary? Must we be perfect or is it our flaws
that make us ideal? What does it take to hold on to one’s humanity? Is true
forgiveness ever possible?
Me--How
many books do you have in this series?
Kate Conway--Three full sized novels: UNDERTOW, STORM FRONT,
TRUE NORTH and two novellas: CRUEL SUMMER and REBEL
Me--What
makes you choose to write YA fantasy?
Kate Conway--Believe it or not, UNDERTOW, while a paranormal / supernatural type book, doesn’t really focus much on the “flash-bangs” of WHAT they are. I could have very well taken all the characters and placed them in WWII on opposing sides without powers and it still would have worked. So, I guess I didn’t really CHOOSE to write supernaturally – I just stumbled into it.
Me--What authors influence your writing?
Kate Conway--Armentrout, Maas, Redwine, Revis, Rossi
Me--Why do
you think fantasy books are so popular?
Kate Conway--I think our lives are busy and fantasy allows us
a moment to escape, into a world unlike our own.
Me--How many books have you written?
Kate Conway--Just UNDERTOW, though I am currently working on
STORM FRONT. I have been a journalist for fifteen years though.
Me--Where
do you see the fantasy book market 10 years from now?
Kate Conway--Strong as ever, though ebooks may become a lot
more fancy.
Me--What
makes Undertow different from other YA fantasy books?
Kate Conway--A brand new set of Supernatural characters and a
ton of back history that comes back to haunt them.
BIO
I have been a journalist for 15 years
and serve on the Board of Directors for the Cape Cod Writers Center. I also
drive a 16-ton school bus because I am ENTIRELY NUTS.
In addition to working
jobs that should come with a warning label, I hold a BA in Psychos (Forensic
Psych), torment the tourists about Jaws, and occasionally jump from the Town
Neck bridge in an attempt to reclaim my youth.
I live on Cape Cod with two smallish humans who
apparently are my kids, my fishing-obsessed husband, two canines (adept at both
flatulence and snoring), and a cage-defiant lovebird that sleeps in a miniature
tent. Nope - that's not a type-o. The bird is quite the indoor camper.
Excerpt from Undertow
Barnstable Harbor, Massachusetts October 14, 1851
Killing Jacob Rysse would not be an issue. Dying in the process, however, was more difficult for Elizabeth to stomach.
She didn’t fear death, for sacrifice was both expected and inevitable in her race. She was a fighter after all and the carnage left behind by Rysse and her own family was nothing new. But leaving behind those she loved was more painful than any form of torture she had known. Her infant son would never remember her, the Captain would mourn her, but Christian? Christian may very well never forgive her. He would quickly figure out that she was not at the blacksmith’s as they had agreed to meet. She had left him, instead, a letter and her necklace among the sawdust tables of the shop. In it she had written out her instructions in the same sweeping lines that had conveyed so much between them during the rebellion.
What she asked of him was simple: protect the house, protect the necklace, and protect their secret. He would do it for her, just as she now was about to do for him and for the child.
Rysse was hunting her family and had succeeded at killing most of her kind. By taking him out, she was protecting them all. Christian would understand that hopefully. Eventually.
Her well-laid plan would draw Rysse in, and his perfection as a murderer should ensure her success.
He wanted her power.
He believed she would trade it for revenge.
He was about to die for his ignorance.
Cape Cod Scribe - Ramblings from a Cape Cod Writer, Mother and General Lunatic: http://capecodscribe.wordpress.com/
Tweeting from the Cape! Follow me at @sharkprose
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