Katherine Ladny Mitchell

"Writing isn't always thrilling, but it has taught me joy, discipline, humility, and the value of a sense of humor.".

Katherine Ladny Mitchell

Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. I am a thankful wife, mother, home educator, writer, and novelist who loves story-telling and drinking tea by the kettle’s worth.

Q. How was your experience being in the “Be You” book?

A. It can be difficult to publish nonfiction if you’re not already famous. Since I don’t want to become either a politician or an Olympian, I really appreciated Chicken Soup selecting my story. Chicken Soup maintains a high writing standard and provides helpful editing assistance prior to publication. They also pay well -- which is a huge plus. It’s nice when others value your work.

Q. Let’s talk about your book “Don’t Settle for a Fairy Tale” & the motivation behind it.

A. Don’t Settle for a Fairy Tale was my first adult-length narrative nonfiction book co- written with my husband, Jason. This project grew out of the realization that our Creator was more romantic than we were. Most people don’t mix God and romance, but Jason’s marriage proposal was both a heartfelt and spiritual experience for both of us.

Jason had planned an epic proposal which included highlights such as enjoying a scenic walk after dinner, presenting me with a bushel of seventy-seven roses (each with a love note attached), washing my feet in the Chesapeake Bay, kayaking across the Magothy River to a significant dock in my life, and dancing with me to the melodies of a live violinist. Spoiler alert -- Jason did not plan on the summer solstice full moon, nor the live violinist (a last-minute offer from a friend while we were at the restaurant). He also could not have known that years before we’d started dating, I’d prayed that the man God wanted me to marry would ask me to dance with him on that very dock. When the proposal story won a writing contest in the faith/non-fiction category, we expanded it into a book. Jason and I have different writing styles, but we truly respect each other’s voices. We enjoyed working together, and Jason is still my favorite “Alpha- reader.”

Q. Where do you see yourself in the next 3 years?

A. Ideally, I would love to publish my novels traditionally and devote even more time to my murder mystery series and speculative fiction. I would also enjoy teaching writing workshops to encourage other authors to stick with the discipline of story craft and hone their ideas into excellent pieces worth sharing.

Q. How does your writing empower others?

A. There’s a joke that says good writing is the art of rewriting what you have already rewritten -- and it’s so true. Creative writing is a long game. Getting an “A” in English composition does not necessarily translate into getting an acceptance from a magazine, literary agent, or publisher. It took me two years of rejections and community critique before I got anything published. Since then, I have freelanced, self-published, acquired a literary agent, and lost a literary agent when folks weren’t interested in my work at the time. But I still love writing. When people read my stories, I want them to smile and think. If my limited experience -- in both life and writing -- can encourage others to become who they were meant to be, that makes it all worthwhile.

Q. What has been one of your biggest challenges so far in your career?

A. I think the biggest challenge for all writers is to connect with potential readers. Without a reader, writing is dead. I would prefer to have a long-term relationship with an agent and traditional publisher so I could focus more on

writing rather than on marketing. All authors must do both, but self-published authors must do everything – which consequently leaves less time for creative writing.

Q. What are some of your other hobbies?

A. When I’m not writing, I enjoy many things: hiking with my five kiddos, having people over for tea, dancing jazz at a local studio, cooking for family and friends, singing at church, and fire-breathing and poi-twirling on occasion just to shake things up. I’ve also recently started keeping chickens and hope to have a flock which eventually lays blue, green, and chocolate brown eggs so it feels like Easter every day. Yep. I dream big.

Q. Can you tell us what or who has been your biggest motivation?

A. In general, I’m most motivated when I feel I have something to say. (This explains why my blog posts are so sporadic.) I enjoy completing a whole story and then moving on to the next one. You will find my love of rhyme and whimsy in my children’s books, my love of truth and justice in my murder mystery series, and my concern for personhood in my speculative fiction.

Q. Are you working on any new ventures or books?

A. Yes! I am currently polishing a near-future speculative fiction novel entitled, Ephemeral. I hope to start pitching it to prospective literary agents soon. Here’s the gist of the story: After decades of declining birthrates, Earth faces a global health crisis as seniors outnumber younger citizens five to one. With not enough caregivers to go around, and national economies crumbling, the Vitae Conglomerate institutes the Rite of Passing – a life-celebration ceremony culminating in a lethal injection behind closed doors once citizens turn forty-eight. By 2163, no one questions the Rite or remembers the elderly. When graduate student, Clara Milton, travels with a research team to study social development on a recentlycolonized planet, she’s shocked to find a well-established society with three distinct cultures – none of which observe the Rite of Passing. Seeing a world in which people care for the elderly challenges Clara’s cultural biases. But nothing prepares her for a far more unsettling discovery: for everyone day spent on Elpis 7, Clara will age one year. And the wormhole back to Earth won’t appear for another forty days when she’ll far exceed Earth’s age limit ...

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. Readers can best find me at www.katherineladnymitchell. com . My books are also available on www.Amazon.com and www. Barnes&Noble.com.