<\/p>\n But first, some info about Kate: \u201cBorn and raised in Midwestern USA, Kate Kinnear (under the name Katherine A. Roche) is a past winner of the Gertrude Dole Memorial Award of the Massachusetts State Poetry Society; first place winner one year, honorable mention another for the Abbie M. Copps Poetry Competition – Olivet College, Olivet, Michigan (Garfield Lake Review); as well as having verse, essays, and short stories published in various regional and small publications across the United States. Recently two of her poetry chapbooks – Cocklebur Chronicles<\/em> and Sisters of a Wild Bouquet<\/em> were e-published on Smashwords<\/a>. Her lifelong dream is to have a novel traditionally published.<\/p>\n In life, she loves God, family, friends, people of all ethnicity, and animals. When writing, she is goal-oriented to align intent, allow for misconception, touch it with humor, and let words fly toward a unique spot.\u201d<\/p>\n And now the interview:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>DocTom: <\/strong>Welcome, Kate.\u00a0 I must say that after reading Prostitute of State<\/em> I can’t decide if you are from a small town and travelled in Europe, or\u00a0spent a lot of time in\u00a0Europe and visited many\u00a0small towns in the USA.\u00a0 Your descriptions of both are quite natural. So which is it?<\/p>\n Kate Kinnear: <\/strong>I’m a\u00a0small town girl, born and raised in Wymore, Nebraska.\u00a0 As a matter of fact, I live about eight\u00a0blocks from the house where I was born.\u00a0 I did live away from Wymore for about ten years, but that was in nearby (a mile away) Blue Springs.\u00a0 What knowledge I have of other parts of the world is the result of conversations I’ve had with\u00a0interesting people met while working a variety of jobs.\u00a0Whenever I become\u00a0particularly curious, I\u00a0grab encyclopedias and other reference materials.<\/p>\n DocTom: <\/strong>Really?\u00a0 Setting is so important in a novel, so this is something other aspiring writers would like to know about. Your descriptions of Amsterdam and other places in Europe were so convincing I was sure you at least visited them.\u00a0 You actually just got those descriptions from reference materials?\u00a0 How much effort did you have to put into your research?<\/p>\n Kate Kinnear: <\/strong>Actually, research was not as extensive as you might think.\u00a0 Though, except for Canada, I’ve never been outside the United States, my life path, in various jobs,\u00a0has put me in proximity with people who\u00a0were well-traveled, especially the tavern I owned for almost ten years.\u00a0Also, I did use whatever reference material\u00a0I could get my hands on to verify facts and places described in Prostitute of State<\/em>.\u00a0 But, like I stated, the tavern, though probably the most frustrating work I ever had, was also the most interesting, and\u00a0a rich feeding ground for\u00a0creative energy.\u00a0\u00a0As you might imagine, there can be found\u00a0a mother load\u00a0of truth, exaggeration, half truths, and outright lies that can be adjusted into\u00a0useable information in the\u00a0creative process.\u00a0 And, of course, there were things,\u00a0in keeping with the actual setting, that I just made up!<\/p>\n DocTom<\/strong>: So Jade\u2019s Wander Inn Tavern was based on some of your own life experiences?<\/p>\n Kate Kinnear: <\/strong>Sure… I think there must be roots of truth in every story. I believe the desire for honesty applies to any genre, perhaps a complex factor, maybe simple. Elemental truth is a part of Prostitute of State<\/em>. There was a Cold War during which time awful things were done. There are troubled people in the world. Most, as a matter of fact. We are all puzzle pieces, irregular, seeking our perfect fit. So, my material is certainly based on my experiences and truth, but also expanded upon to push it higher up the ladder of appeal. My characters probably lack sophistication. Don\u2019t a great many of us? They come from picking through a thrift shop of human strengths and weakness, physical description and personality traits, parts of people I knew, or never knew. But, for example, if you were\u00a0to walk down any street in the world today looking for my main character, and ask, \u201cAre you the real Jack Paradies?\u201d the answer would be \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n DocTom: <\/strong>Well, you have the unique ability to draw a picture of a person in a very brief statement. After reading the sentence or two you devoted to some of the Wander Inn regulars I felt I knew them pretty well. But never having been out of the country, where did you get the inspiration for the foreign characters?\u00a0\u00a0 The Dutch street urchin, Fentje, comes to mind; as does the British spy.<\/p>\n Kate Kinnear: <\/strong>I got a great deal of help from the perfect man. Any man who can tell if a woman is happy by the tilt of her head, the lilt of her voice, can determine anxiousness or sorrow by posture and pace, who doesn\u2019t need to see blood running from the eyes to know if a person is in pain, can be trusted with the details of the places he has been, the people met. He had been all over the world (in the service.). I picked his brain long past the eye-rolling, until it bled. He might ask with a tired smile, \u201cWhy interested in that?\u201d but he always came through for me, because, like I said, he was not only super intelligent, but he was the perfect man.<\/p>\n DocTom: <\/strong>I see. I bet all writers wish they could be so blessed with a perfect friend and source. So I take it that much of Prostitute of State<\/em> is based on his experiences during the Cold War.<\/p>\n Kate Kinnear: <\/strong>In premise.\u00a0 And\u00a0loosely. Protection was a big part of his nature. Yes, I was very lucky to have such a friend.<\/p>\n DocTom<\/strong>: Yes, you were very lucky to have such a muse, but where did you learn to write so well?\u00a0 I have read a couple of manuscripts as polished as yours, but they had generally gone through an editor first.\u00a0 You seem to have a natural ability – and, I assume, also put in plenty of hard work.<\/p>\n Kate Kinnear<\/strong>: Wow! What a great compliment! As to what I might attribute any writing ability, I\u2019m not sure. Many things. Articles in The Writer<\/em>, Writer\u2019s Digest<\/em>, Writers and Poets<\/em>, wherein certain aspects were addressed, like: \u201cWrite What You Know\u201d; \u201cVary Sentence Structure\u201d; \u201cBalance Dialogue And Narrative\u201d; \u201cPlay On All Senses\u201d; \u201cMake Even The Words On A Page Appear Interesting\u201d; \u201cRead Your Work Aloud To Hear How It Flows\u201d; \u201cWeed Out Excess\u201d; and \u201cWrite With Authority.\u201d That sort of thing. Maybe inborn brute-determination is involved. And my father\u2019s voice in my head, saying, \u201cYou can accomplish anything you set out to do.\u201d Of course, a great deal of trial and error came into play, but being located in close proximity to a shopping outlet that sold cheap typing paper didn\u2019t hurt.<\/p>\n Most of writing Prostitute of State<\/em> was note-taking, shuffling, manipulation, you know — the basic physical and mental involvement. However, life routinely got in the way of actually putting much down on paper. Maybe I worked an hour, or just a few minutes. Maybe I worked on other things, short things, that I could send out to try to get a feeling of \u201cpublished.\u201d Normal life problems came up, and I put the project on hold, but Prostitute of State<\/em> is probably better for the delay. Time knocked off the ragged edges. It helped me see it clearly enough to discipline it. The premise matured.<\/p>\n Okay, bottom line\u2026. I thought about Prostitute of State<\/em> for many years, over twenty I\u2018d say. Actually filling a box with paper took about a year, and revision another half. So here I am today, still hoping to get Prostitute of State<\/em> published, but things are good. I\u2019m in the review process with BOOKKUS PUBLISHING, and in delightful exchange with one of its impressive published authors. Whoda thunk it!<\/p>\n DocTom<\/strong>: So no formal training? And you\u2019ve also published some poetry?<\/p>\n Kate Kinnear<\/strong>: Nope. No formal training. Not even a workshop. And no readers, except after publication. Poetry, free verse primarily (I don\u2019t much care for pattern work.), has been my greatest success, and a few essays and short stories. I was lucky enough to win the Abbie M. Copps Poetry Competition some years back, which resulted in publication in Olivet College\u2019s Garfield Lake Review. A previous year I was an honorable mention in the same contest. I\u2019ve also been published in the following small publications (for small payment and\/or copy), to name some: Byline Magazine, Chimera Connection, Comstock Review, Contact, The Creative Urge, Dark Starr, DEROS, Dream International, Haunts, Midwest Poetry Review, Midwestern Writer\u2019s Showcase, Mystical Unicorn, New Horizons, The Poet, Poet\u2019s Corner, Published, Red Hawk Review, Short Story Review, Tiny Lights, Touchstone, Up Against the Wall- Mother, Vintage 45, Wide Open, White Pelican Review, The Writer\u2019s Bloc, Yes Press<\/em>. I also have two poetry chapbooks, Cocklebur Chronicles<\/em> and Sisters of a Wild Bouquet<\/em>, on SMASHWORDS, but I didn\u2019t get a nod on them, just put them there myself.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve tried many things, even children\u2019s books, wrote three: Cora in the Cornfield<\/em>, Three Maids<\/em>, and Puce Magic<\/em>. My daughter beautifully illustrated all three, but no luck was to be had on them, and they lay in the drawer.<\/p>\n DocTom<\/strong>: Well, Kate, I must say that for someone with no formal training you\u2019ve done one great job with Prostitute of State<\/em>.\u00a0 I wish you great success with it.\u00a0 Is there anything you\u2019d like to add about the book? Something you\u2019d like to say to potential readers?<\/p>\n Kate Kinnear<\/strong>: \u00a0Thanks, Tom!<\/p>\n I\u2019d like to say something\u00a0IN GENERAL\u00a0to writers, and readers:<\/p>\n To writers, I\u2019d like to say: Creative writing may not be as absolute as brain surgery, but don\u2019t go in there without any tools. Use your assets: Training. Guidance. Avoid some snags. (Let somebody hold the barbed wire down a bit while you cross the fence.) Don\u2019t be like me — though writing since early childhood (if you count scribbling in dirt with a stick), now pushing 70 so tight against the wall it can\u2019t catch it\u2019s breath—- And still seeking the dream!<\/p>\n To readers of Prostitute of State<\/em>, I\u2019d like to say: Thank you to anyone who did or\u00a0will\u00a0read\u00a0it. My gratitude is huge, deep, sincere.<\/p>\n And I add special thanks to Doc Tom:\u00a0\u00a0 For kind words here and elsewhere. For attention. For guidance. For friendship. FOR HOPE!<\/p>\n DocTom:<\/strong> Thank you, Kate!<\/p>\n And also remember to visit Kate\u2019s page on Smashwords<\/a> where you can find her poetry chapbooks: Sisters of the Wild Bouquet<\/em> and Cocklebur Chronicles<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello All, Note: Prostitute of State has now been published! Visit Amazon and get yourself a copy! \u00a0\u00a0 Today\u2019s interview is with Kate Kinnear, poet and author of Prostitute of State, currently available as a free read on BOOKKUS. If you haven\u2019t yet read my review of Prostitute of State you can see it…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":259,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,55,56],"tags":[57,59,58],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-photophoosk100","4":"post-498","6":"format-standard","7":"category-author-interview","8":"category-kate-kinnear","9":"category-prostitute-of-state","10":"post_tag-kate-kinnear","11":"post_tag-kate-kinnear-interview","12":"post_tag-prostitute-of-state-kinnear"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/259"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=498"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":664,"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498\/revisions\/664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"d34b654f6f9e6a7f2abcfc10859f01bf-bpfull\"](\"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/d34b654f6f9e6a7f2abcfc10859f01bf-bpfull.jpg\")
<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Today\u2019s interview is with Kate Kinnear, poet and author of Prostitute of State<\/em>, currently available as a free read on BOOKKUS<\/a>. If you haven\u2019t yet read my review of Prostitute of State<\/em> you can see it here<\/a>. I\u2019d urge you all to give it a try, review it on BOOKKUS, and help it get published!<\/p>\n![\"katekinnear\"](\"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/KateKinnear.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> There you have it folks.\u00a0 So give Prostitute of State<\/em> a read – you won\u2019t be sorry<\/em><\/a> – and remember to post a review on Bookkus to help it get published. I’ve already done so,\u00a0but the review here on my site<\/a> will give you a much better feel for a really well done book.<\/a><\/p>\n