2.) I've been writing all my life, but I got my start in women's magazines such as The People's Friend and Women's Weekly. About four hundred short stories later, I finally worked up the courage to write something longer.
3.) I don't put real people in my books. Anyone who reads The Lost Garden will recognize the village of Goswell as the village I live in, but the people are all fictional. Honestly.
4.) I write under the name Kate Hewitt as well, and my Hartley-by-the-Sea series is also set in a Cumbrian village. Clearly my home is very inspiring!
5.) I moved to New York City when I was twenty-one to become a playwright. It only took me about five minutes to realize that was never going to give me a living.
6.) Writing started as an escape from the daily demands of being a stay-at-home mum. Then over about ten years it morphed into a career with its own demands. I have five children, have written over forty books, and am still trying to figure out how to balance both!
7.) I don't put real people in my books, but I can see some aspect of myself in nearly every character I write. Writing is very revealing of an author, and having someone read your book can make you feel vulnerable in a whole load of ways.
8.) I read bad reviews of my books because if they're thoughtful (rather than a rant) I find I can learn from them and use them to improve my writing.
9.) I dream of writing a historical novel set in the fifteenth century [about Cecily of York] but don't think I ever will because the research is just too daunting.10.) The garden in The Lost Garden is based on the walled garden in the back of my house, and everything they discover was actually something I discovered. Well, almost everything.
The Lost Garden by Katharine Swartz is published by Lion Fiction, paperback, £7.99
Katharine Swartz