Saturday, June 27, 2020

Garden Interview with Katja Desjarlais

Welcome Katja

Tell us about you and your books.


Do you plot or let the story unfold as you write?
I'm a pantser through and through, going in with little more than a single character name and a general idea of what paranormal idea I'll be working on. My book outlines are twenty incoherent words or song titles, my series outlines are a playlist on my phone. This has backed me into a few tough corners as I've gone further into a series, but researching my way out is half the fun.


Does working to deadline inspire or annoy you?
I thrive on deadlines and expectations. Left to my own devices, I'll meander my way through edits and chapters, but when given a due date, I'll do anything I can to be early.

How do you get past those bumps in the narrative that slow down your writing?
I've learned if I hit a major slowdown in my writing, it means I took the wrong path. As much as it kills my soul, I have to back up and delete everything to the point it stopped flowing. Sometimes it's a few pages, sometimes it's a few chapters. Either way, if I try to push through, it ends in nothing but a wall.

What are your current projects?
I'm currently reworking the first in a new series, writing the last book of the Haunt Vault, dabbling in a holiday piece in the Haunt Vault world, and editing the second in the Junkyard trilogy. Love those deadlines!

When you wrote this book, did you have an idea of how it would end at the beginning?
PERCEPTION is the second book in the Haunt Vault series. I knew the end of the series with the first line one the first book, but I have no idea how I'm getting there until I get there. The love interests in PERCEPTION weren't supposed to match. That pairing is on them, not me!


For a little fun...

What did you want to be when you grew up?
As a child, I wanted to be a teacher. In high school, I decided I wanted to be a Las Vegas show girl, but would go to university until I was of legal age. I received my teaching degree at 21. At 23 I received a phone call asking me to join a hypnotist's show in Reno, NV as a dancer. I turned it down and instead went on a date with the man I married 15 years ago. No regrets.


Do you have a favorite quote?
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music" - Nietzsche

What song would best describe your life?
Bullet With Butterfly Wings by The Smashing Pumpkins. Writing helps soothe my restlessness and frustration when it peaks.

Have you ever found true love?
My first book, CONNECTION: The Haunt Vault, is dedicated to my soul mate, my husband. With twenty years together, our sixteenth wedding anniversary this summer, three kids, 35,000 miles travelled, and a thousand challenges behind us, we're back-to-back 24/7.

What makes you cry?

What do you have? Commercials? Yes. Movies? Yup. Books? Yeah. Memes? Uh-huh. Little Mars rovers being sung to sleep? Of course. Sad kiddos? Definitely. The Jurassic Park Theme? You bet.

Where can we find you online?



Twitter: @thehauntvault


Download PERCEPTION: The Haunt Vault Book Two
on Amazon and other online retailers.







1 comment:

  1. Hi Katja: Thank you for sharing a peek at your life and writing style. Love the quote. Will have to hang that one up!

    ReplyDelete