Interview With Author Caitlynn (Cait) West

 

 

1) What inspired you to write this book?  During my college creative writing class, I was given a writing prompt and I decided to write about a character that I had recently drawn. It was inspired by the season, which was Halloween/fall, and two of my favorite things The Legend of Spyro (or Spyro the Dragon) and Cats.  

2) What is it about and who was it written for? The story is about Smokey the Catragon, a fictional species that is part Cat and part dragon. Smokey is separated from his parents and raised by a family of Tabby cats. He has trouble making friends because he looks so different from the other animals in town.  I wrote this story for anyone who wants to read it although it is mostly aimed at children. Several adults have read it and loved it even though it is meant for kids; it is an excellent book for the whole family to enjoy.   

3) What do you hope that readers will get out of your book?  I hope that readers will learn to be accepting of others even if they are different, and to forgive those that are unkind to them. You can make friends in some of the most unlikely places and with just about anyone. Sometimes, people are just misunderstood.  

4) How did you decide on your book's title and cover design?  My title is a combination of the words Cat and Dragon put together but dropping the D to make Catragon which is pronounced Cat-Tra-Gon.   The cover design is based loosely on the cover of The Legend of Spyro Eternal Night cover with a different background and featuring Smokey in front of a full moon.  

5) What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers- other than run?! Other writers should just not worry and go for it. Write what is on your mind and worry about editing and reworking afterwards. When I started a writing prompt for my college class, I just sat down and went at it. My classmates and my instructor liked what I wrote, and I didn't have to change much. I mostly just had to correct grammatical errors. I started out with poems and then progressed to stories. My advice is not to stress about it not sounding good and just write it anyway, then the rest comes naturally. It's like packing a box, so you start with the big things and then all the little things will just fall into place. So, in writing, focus on your big ideas like plots, characters and genre, and then you have room for corrections, editing, word changes, and titles.  

6) What trends in the book world do you see and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?  Mangas are extremely popular and trending right now, especially for teenagers and young adults. Heroes/ heroines and animal stories tend to be very popular. I think that the most popular things are family oriented.  I think, and hope that the publishing industry is heading more towards general audiences and tending to be less violent. My experience working in a movie theater is that audiences prefer less violent movies that the entire family can enjoy together.  

7) Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book?  I think that the most influenciential thing that came in handy for me was my creative writing class. I had wanted to write stories and had some ideas before that, but it wasn't until I was forced to write for my class that I found out how truly enjoyable it was for me. It was then that I believed that I could be truly good at it.  

8) How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?  I would describe it as easy to read, light hearted, and funny. I truly can't think of anyone or any books that I think are that similar to me.  

9) What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?  This book started out as a drawing of an original character that I drew , and a writing prompt for my class. The original prompt was to write about two characters, with a problem that they solve together and to start the story in the middle of the action. I first had to come up with another character, then what problem they would have, and how they would solve it. After I completed my class, I added a back story and rewrote parts of the story until I was fully satisfied with my work.  

10) If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? I think that people should read my book because it has a great moral for both children and adults. It is an original story that gives families a laugh, and everyone can enjoy it.  

About The Author: I was born and raised in Alabama. I am currently 25 years old. I graduated from Hope Christian School in 2017. I also attended Shelton State Community College. I love animals and my hobbies include art, dancing and anime. I hope to continue to write more stories about Smokey and his friends. For more info, please see: https://www.christianfaithpublishing.com/books/?book=the-catragon

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.