Introducing the Master: Cate Masters Visits

To kick off a week of suggestions for great buys for your new eReaders, I'd like to introduce you to Cate Masters.  Cate is one of the most prolific writers I know, full of orginal ideas and the real 'master' of happily every after.  These cold winter days are best spent with a warm romance. 

Cate, you have so many novels published. How long have you been writing?


Hi Susan! Thanks so much for having me at your lovely blog – great redesign! The past few years have been a bit of a whirlwind, I admit. My stories are all lengths, from short story to novella to novel. Writing has always been a passion. Poetry in my preteens led to a foray toward journalism throughout high school (strange segue, I know) then to fiction in my twenties. That was, ahem, awhile ago.

What genres do you write in and what genres do you read?

I’m an eclectic reader, so it carries over to my writing. I love to read any well-written story with a compelling plot and engaging characters, regardless of genre. For the most part, I write contemporary, historical and paranormal/fantasy. A little something for everyone. :)

What is your writing process like? Do you work on more than one project at a time?

One of my goals is to be more organized about my writing. I tend to start many more stories than I can probably ever finish. I use spreadsheets tracking my WIPs, and once I start a story, I keep what I call a Spec Sheet so I can remember which characters go to which story. I have notebooks full of ideas, and about a dozen stories actually in the works, and usually switch between a few at a time. As you can guess, getting to The End takes awhile. Then the story goes through a few revisions on my own before I send out to several trusty critique partners.

If you were giving advice to a new author, where would you tell them to look for help in getting started?

First, learn your craft. Read how-to books, and take workshops. Find honest critique partners who will guide you with a firm but gentle – and truthful – hand. My biggest rule is: go with your gut.

Where on the web can readers learn more about you and your books?

If you Google me, you’ll find me in many a far-flung nook and corner. Two main sites contain links to the rest, though – my web site : http://www.catemasters.com/, and blog: http://catemasters.blogspot.com.

Can you tell us a little about your latest release and where it can be purchased?

Absolutely! Surfacing, a contemporary fantasy, released in August from Whiskey Creek Press: http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=824 It’s available in ebook and print.
In researching mermaid lore, I ran across a video of the Weeki Wachee Mermaid Show in Florida. Besides being a fun setting, it seemed the perfect place for a real mermaid to surface.
I entered it in the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest, and it actually made it through the first round, lol.
I wrote it through the POV of the hero, AJ Dillon, who’s a down and out indie rocker. He travels to his grandfather’s home in Weeki Wachee, Florida, his last refuge after his band falls apart and everyone else throws him out. His grandfather, who’s a bit obsessed with mermaids, gets AJ a job captaining the Wilderness Cruise at the Weeki Wachee Springs amusement park, where women perform underwater as mermaids. AJ doesn’t believe in the real thing until he meets Cassiopeia. She changes his life in many ways, and when she’s in danger, AJ learns things about himself he never knew.

How about a blurb?

AJ Dillon is trouble. The former lead singer of an indie band has no home, no money and no future. His grandfather is the only relative willing to take another chance on him. AJ arrives in Weeki Wachee, Florida, with his guitar, a few clothes and a bad attitude. The only good thing about Weeki Wachee is the ocean -- the one place AJ feels at home.
Grandpa lines up a job for AJ at Weeki Wachee Springs, where beautiful women perform as mermaids. Grandpa says real mermaids exist, but AJ doesn’t believe – until he meets Cassiopeia. She helps his passion for music resurfaces. But greedy Chaz finds out about her, and threatens to kill them if AJ doesn't go along with his plan to make a fortune with a real mermaid show. Can AJ save Cassie, even if it means losing her?

What is next in the works for you in 2011?

In June, Lyrical Press will release Rock Bottom, a contemporary romance I’m excited about. It combines my passion for music with a fun setting – a reality dating show featuring rock star Jet Trently. It makes a few stops in central Pennsylvania too. :) I dedicated it to my friend Jerry, a fellow Beatlemaniac who tragically died of a brain tumor. I loved writing him a happy ending in which he could go back to his farm in Berrysburg, which Jerry loved so well.
Sometime next year, Whiskey Creek Press will release The Bridge Between, a mainstream novel. It’s one of the first novels I wrote, and I’m also excited it’s set in my hometown of Lambertville, New Jersey.
Two shorter fantasies are currently subbed to publishers, as well as the fantasy novel, The Magic of Lavender.

Please give us some more links to scope out your books and make purchases.

Thanks so much for asking! On the Books pages of both my web site: http://www.catemasters.com/epress.html and my blog: http://catemasters.blogspot.com/p/books.html readers can visit the individual pages for each story to read excerpts, reviews, blurbs and view the book trailer.

Thanks again for having me today Susan. It’s been a pleasure.

There you have it.  Buy some great ebooks from one of the best story tellers I know.  Cate's books never disappoint.