Author Interview: Georgia Cates
We are excited to welcome author, Georgia Cates, back to the nest today. Georgia visited us previously to discuss her first book, Blood of Anteros. Today she joins us to dish on her newest release, Going Under. To thank her for being so awesome - we're also giving away 1 eBook copy of Going Under to one of our readers. Giveaway details can be found at the end of this post.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: How long have you been writing?
Georgia Cates: I began writing professionally about three years ago, but I didn’t publish my
first book, Blood of Anteros, until September of 2011. It took about 2 years of
procrastination before I finally forced myself to make a decision about characters
and plot. It’s a lot easier to sit around and dream of “writing a book one day”
rather than actually investing the time and effort in doing it.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Can you describe Going Under in five words?
Georgia Cates: Sexy
Romantic
Unexpected
Heartfelt
Humorous
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Where did you get the idea for Going Under?
Georgia Cates: I obviously didn’t develop the story of the bad boy falling for the perfect girl,
but that doesn’t mean it can’t be retold well and in a different way. I write about
things I like as a reader. With Going Under, I thought a lot about what high
school was like for me. (And no...I won’t say how long ago that has been.) The
brainstorming process involved remembering what life was like in high school.
What can I say? I was into a bad boy. I had experiences quite similar to Claire’s
in Going Under, but my bad boy didn’t turn out the way Jessie did. (And he
wasn’t as hot.) Basically, I used my experiences and modernized them with a
happy outcome.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Which character is your favorite to write?
Georgia Cates: There’s no doubt it was Jessie. He has this way of creeping into your fantasy
while tugging on your heart. He’s an ass at first, but you totally understand why
once you see what he’s been through. As you watch his surrender to love Claire,
you can’t keep yourself for falling for him.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: What was the road to publication like for you?
Georgia Cates: Frightening. I did a lot of research on which route to take. 1) Self publish or 2)
Spend years trying to find representation? I decided to go with self publishing
after seeing what other indie authors were saying about their experiences. I’m
a Christian, so I did a lot of praying and this seemed to be the direction for me.
I began this self publishing adventure almost seven months ago and I haven’t
looked back. I love it and I’m certain this has been the right choice for me.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Do you have a playlist that provided inspiration for Going Under?
Georgia Cates: YES, YES, YES!!!
My jams are my muse and anchor. When you read a “scene” with a highly
charged emotion, odds are good there was a emotional song that went along
with it. When I hear an inspiring song, I listen to it over and over as I see the
scene of the book playing out in my head, like a movie.
This is a limited Playlist for Going Under. The full list is posted on my blog at
georgiacates.com but I warn you to not read it until after you read Going Under or
be prepared for spoilers.
Mr. Know It All- Kelly Clarkson
Coming Down- Dum Dum Girls
No harm- The Boxer Rebellion
Sorry- Ross Copperman
Modern Day Zero- Spit You Out
Blush- Ben Lee
Come Undone- Jackson Waters
Holding On and Letting Go- Ross Copperman
Let It Go- Fauxliage
Closer- Mexicolas
Signs Of Life- Andrew Belle
All I’m Thinking Of- Tyrone Wells
Slow & Steady- Sleeping At Last
In My Veins (feat. Erin McCarley)- Andrew Belle
A Drop In the Ocean- Ron Pope
Times Infinity- Mexicolas
Don’t You Want To Stay- Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson
Looking At Her Face- Tyrone Wells
Someday You Will Be Loved- Death Cab for Cutie
Stronger- Kelly Clarkson
The Man I Want to Be- Jay Ollero
Run Dry- Civil Twilight
You Are Too Beautiful- Hawksley Workman
Please Don't Go- Barcelona
Clumbsy
Card House- Blue October
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Why did you choose to write YA?
Georgia Cates: Simple Answer: It’s what I enjoy. I’m really just a 36 year-old teenager.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: I love the cover of this one. How did the concept come about?
Georgia Cates: This cover is reminiscent of the painting that depicts Ophelia from Shakespeare's
play, Hamlet, where she is floating in a river with flowers all around her before
she drowns. I wanted a modern day version of Ophelia and the title of Going
Under evolved from this cover art.
The following paragraph was written in Going Under to coordinate with the cover
and title:
I leaned closer and pressed a light kiss on his lips and whispered, “I feel
myself...going under. I’m drowning in you because I am so hopelessly in love
with you. You’re the only one I want.”
Andrea @ Reading Lark: I also love that when your readers wanted more from this book, you delivered.
Can you talk a bit about your motivation behind that move?
Georgia Cates: I want my readers to be happy. They told me what they wanted and I listened.
They weren’t satisfied with the mystery at the end of the book, so I added an
extra chapter to answer the questions they had. I’m not ashamed to admit I love
it more now and that is because of my readers. They were right. The additional
chapter should have been there the whole time and I see that now.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Do you have celebrity look a-likes for Jessie and Claire?
Georgia Cates: This is probably going to be a great missed opportunity. I don’t have look a-likes
for Jessie and Claire because they are so specific in my head. I looked around
online and tried to find anyone I thought was close and I came up empty handed.
It might not be so hard to come up with if I watched television, but I don’t.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: What is your favorite bird?
Georgia Cates: Peacocks. Simply because they’re beautiful.
Georgia Cates Links:
Andrea, Good interview!
ReplyDelete@Georgia:
How nice to hear your thought process as you wrote the book, and also the song list.
Old follower, Dee from e-Volving Books
So happy to be a guest today on Reading Lark. I loved your interview questions and had a lot fun answering them.
ReplyDeleteDeepali: Glad you liked the song list and hearing a little bit about the way I roll.
-GEORGIA