Happy hump day, folks! It's almost bed time here, but I'm pushing through the exhaustion of spending a day trying to hire a development chef to get this interview up, because I think this one you really want. Katherine Wyvern is here with her new release, WOMAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE. I can't wait to read this book - I think it's going to be something special. So without further ado, let's say hello to Katherine, Nina, and Julia/n.
Hi, Katherine!
Hello Naomi, and thank you so much for
having me and my new release here on your blog today!!
You're welcome! Let's start with you telling us a little bit about your
newest release.
Woman as a Foreign Language is the
first book I wrote after a four years writer’s block. I almost
thought I had lost the will or ability to tell stories, and then
suddenly this exploded in my mind, and HAD to be told. It is the
story of two gender-queer persons who meet by chance and find that
they complement each other perfectly. Nina is an almost incurable
tomboy who is struggling to express her feminine side and Julia/n is
a beautiful cross-dresser who sometimes just needs to just shrug out
of his masculine identity and be a beautiful woman. They both have a
lot of darkness behind them, and it was beautiful to watch them
finding the light together.
I'm so intrigued by these characters, and have been since I heard the title of the book! Was there any part of this story you
found particularly tough to write? If so, why?
Not so much tough but painful, yes.
In the story it was obvious from the start that Nina came from a
history of early bullying and abuse, and originally I had intended to
leave that as a memory she has to cope with. But that made for a lot
of “telling”, and finally I decided to have Nina still living
with her mother, to “show” some of the stuff she had had to put
up with. That was tough, because Nina’s story is partly
autobiographical and I really felt on my skin that I was closing her
in a very dark place. But of course this made the story much
stronger, and when she finds her freedom it is that much more
exhilarating.
On the flip side, is there any part of this story you
absolutely love, and why?
All of it, I think! I am really
passionate about this book! But I particularly love the way Nina’s
vision of Julia as an almost supernatural being slowly adjusts around
Julian’s more earthy and solid persona, and yet still retains some
of that initial reverence. One of my favorite lines in the story is
when Nina tells Julia/n, towards the end, “I love you. I have loved
you since the first day I saw you. I thought you were a goddess. I
still do.” And I love how Julian’s incredible control over his
body, voice, eyes and generally himself slowly falls apart as he
falls in love with Nina.
I can't wait to read that scene! Changing directions a little bit, do you have a favourite genre to
write in?
Not really, I am hopelessly
eclectic, in fact. I love Fantasy and Sci/fi for the wonderful
opportunity they offer of creating alternate realities and worlds,
but I am also happy writing the occasional contemporary story. I like
to include LGBT relationships in my books, but I also like straight
and simple FM stories.
So are there any genres you haven't
tried yet that you really want to?
I have a couple of paranormal
stories slowly simmering in the back of my mind… Each has a few
pages or chapters written, but they are not quite “there” yet. I
am looking forward to exploring the magic in them!
Ah, the "almost ready stories." I know them well. Who are your biggest influences –
they don't have to just be literary ones!
I think, writing-wise, Antonia S.
Byatt. It is really presumptuous to compare my writings to hers, but
if there is one writer whose prose really infuses my own voice, that
is her. Patrick O’Brian too. His more humorous bits of dialogue and
narrative have me in stitches, and they are definitely a constant
inspiration. Outside of books I’d have to say, my husband. All of
the heroes in my story have something of him in them … in and out
of bed !
AS Byatt has been on my "to try" list for years. A friend recommended her books and I've just never got round to them. If you could have dinner with any
three writers, living or dead, who would they be?
John Keats. It is incredible to
think that all his magnificent poetry was written when he was so
unbelievably young. I think he must have been a tremendously intense
and sensitive soul. Tolkien, of course, an all-time favorite of mine,
although it worries me that he tended to mumble quite a bit, which
would make table conversation rather difficult. And Bill Bryson
because he’s been to a lot of places, and he sounds like fun, and
any dinner party needs a guest like that!
True! Keep the conversation flowing. Are there any books you can just
read over and over again and never get sick of?
The Lord of the Rings. The whole
Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian. And Possession by Antonia
Byatt.
Following on from that, if you could recommend any book
(beside your own) to everyone reading this, what would it be?
There you have me. I have been
trying to find similar stories to host on my blog, but I am not going
anywhere! There is quite a lot of Transgender romance being
(self)published, but they are often MM stories in disguise or
sex-transition stories, which is not the case with WaaFL. So for now,
I’d have to say that WaaFL seems rather unique!
It's definitely not a story I've come across before, which is one of the things that intrigues me about it. Okay, the hardball question: tea or coffee?
Both, but preferably beer.
I think that's cheating, but I'll allow it! And last but not least, apart from writing, what are your
great passions in life?
I am an obsessively creative person,
and I love to MAKE things. I have dabbled in lots of different
artistic mediums in my life, painting, textile art, woodwork, even
cob building! I also really love gardening and animals… I have
three cats, a dog, two horses, and a flock of ducks!
Oh, fantastic! You're living my dream life! Now, having found out a bit more about Katherine, it's time to get a closer look at Nina and Julia/n. Read on for an excerpt!
What do you do when the woman you
want to be … is a man?
Nina’s abusive childhood left her
feeling so vulnerable when wearing anything flimsier than combat
boots that she has spent her whole adult life dressed like a gang
boy. But when she meets the tall, glamourous, charismatic Julia
(actually her cross-dressing neighbor, Julian, going out en femme),
Nina is seized by an overwhelming and terrifying urge to finally
express her own femininity.
Julia/n has not only a slightly split
personality but also a thoroughly broken heart. What s/he wants most
is a partner who will love both Julia and Julian. While Nina learns
from Julia how to be a woman, Julian discovers that they might well
be made for each other, but it will take a struggle against prejudice
and a whole conservative mind-set before they can follow their
hearts, and express their true, unique, and beautiful selves.
Click for more!
