Welcome Kathie Shoop
and Congratulations on the release of After the Fog
Tell us a bit about yourself:
Do you work another job when you are not writing?
I’m a language arts coach at a school near Pittsburgh—my formal background is Reading Education.
What is your favorite thing to do when you aren’t writing?
Spending time with my kids outside—when it’s not too hot! I’m a cold weather person though I love swimming with the kids all summer. Reading is my favorite hobby hands down. But I live to hike and walk, too. That sounds very boring!
What is your favorite color? Why? Red is my favorite because it’s a strong color that looks good on/with most things to my eye! In our old house we had three red rooms! Now we just have a red hallway.
What is your favorite season? Why?
Fall—there’s so much excitement with football season starting, school starting, the weather cooling off, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas…there’s something to look forward to every week. Winter is closing in for a close second, though. January is a fantastic month to take deep breaths, recall the holidays, huddle inside, watch the snow fall, walk in the snow, just re-charge from 11 months of go, go, go!
If you could live anyplace on earth, where would it be? Why?
For the most part I’d say right where I live right now—Oakmont, PA. I love the town, the seasons, the closeness of friends and family, but being able to have a lot of autonomy as well—you don’t have to do everything together in this burb like some cul-de-sacs I know!…but summers are getting hotter and I’m thinking Vermont might be calling.
If you could have any car, what would it be?
Mercedes SUV—or, well, I don’t know! I’m not a car person! I think I want whatever car my driver comes with—yes, that’s it!
Tell us about your writing:
How long have your been writing? Was it a dream, a goal or is it just a hobby?
I’ve been writing seriously for ten years, but I’ve always played with stories, my whole life. I am a reader before a writer. Reading has really been my biggest inspiration and instructor.
How many hours a day do you devote to writing? Do you have a set routine or do you write when the mood strikes? It depends on the time of year, whether the kids are home, what they need me to get for school, activities, whether I’m at my school that day. My writing was more regimented when the kids were younger because when my mom came over I would write and go to the grocery store and go home. Now, with all the activities the kids have, my mother can help less often, and there’s always something I need to get for them for school or a band concert—do I know where my son’s black pants are that fit him? Uh…well…another trip back to Target!Is there some place special you like to be when you write?
A guest-room in my house is my office…I sit by my window and it’s perfect for me. Not fancy, but I walk in and write. I also love writing with my mindful/meditative writing group—truly inspirational. And for the those times I can’t settle in at home—those dust bunnies won’t wait forever if I’m sitting in the same room with them—there are two coffee shops near me that feel like home!
Do you listen to music or do you need a quiet place to write?
I need background noise. That’s why I love writing in coffee shops—as long as I don’t know too many people there or they just say hi and go by—I can’t have conversations and write, but I love noise while I write. I also put the tv on when I write at home—just quiet enough so it doesn’t draw me into the show but loud enough that I can hear it. The only problem with this is when my stand by-white noise channels put on a movie that’s compelling and suddenly I catch myself hitting that volume button!
Tell us about your book:
What is the name of it and is it part of a series or a stand alone novel?
My new release is After the Fog. It’s a stand alone novel.
Where did the idea come from? The backdrop of the story—the 1948 “killing smog” that descended on Donora PA and hung around for a week is what started the whole thing. Using the fog timeline as the parameters of most of the book, I created the characters and their plotlines to work against and with the real fog timeline.
How long did it take to write?
Two years if I added up the time I was actually working on it.
What is it about?
Rose Pavlesic is a community nurse who adores her family but needs her work. She lives with extended family as was common at the time and that provides the baseline tension in her life. When the smog begins to settle in, it pushes everyone to the brink, forcing Rose to make decisions she doesn’t want to…does she choose right? That’s up to the reader, I suppose!
Your other work:
Do you have any upcoming projects in the works or other books that have been published? My first, The Last Letter, is a multi award-winning, kindle bestselling novel. Right now I’m writing a follow-up to that book. I’m also editing a women’s fiction piece I hope to put out by the fall.
Where can readers connect with you?
Twitter @kathieshoop Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kathleen-Shoop/359762600734147Website/blog http://kshoop.comGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5562178-kathleen-shoop
REVIEW:
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to read After the Fog before it was released! Thank you Kathie for allowing me the privilege.
This was my first time reading any of Kathleen Shoop’s work and I was quite impressed. My only true negative for this book is it was a slow start for me. As I myself live near a steel mill town, the story was of great interest to me, but I felt it took a bit of time to get down and dirty and really feel like the story was starting to build to a climax with the characters and plot.
With that being said, once I did get pulled into the story, I realized the depth to which to story started. Ms. Shoop did an incredible job of building a very in-depth and detailed story, giving you a history that only these kinds of stories can have. Being based on a true event, and fictionalize to her taste, she not only gives a great tale but teaches you some history. I found that when I finished the story, I was still interested in the history and did some more research. This only proved that Ms. Shoop so caught my interest that I needed to expand on it.
The writing of the story is smooth and well editing; the explanations of the tragedy heart wrenching and real. I could imagine what the people of the town went through by the way of her words.
It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to read this story ahead of time, and I have now found another author that I look forward to reading more from.
Where can we buy your books?
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/kathleen-shoop Independent Book stores
