Evolution Thursdays: Kate Evangelista

When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn't going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master's courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. Today, she has four completed Young Adult novels.

Kate can be found at the following places online: Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

Lovely readers, meet Kate! Kate, lovely readers.

First of all, I would like to thank Wendy for inviting me over on her blog today. It's a pleasure. *waves at everyone*

Thank you for coming, Kate! What gave you the idea for Taste?

The main idea for Taste came from the practice at the school I used to teach at. In the afternoons they would ring this bell that signals to the students that they should all move to the guardhouse to wait for their parents to pick them up. Of course, there was a practical reason for this, but my brain started thinking of something else. Like: what happens at night in this school? So, the Night Students were born.

Do you recall the first scene you wrote?

The first scene I wrote was Phoenix waking up in the library to the tolling of the school bell. I knew from the very beginning that it was how the story would start.

And that scene is killer! How about a scene that you loved but ended up cutting?

Definitely. It was a scene that involved Phoenix and Luka. Very romantic. Sadly, I couldn't keep it. Sigh.

Oh...I have a soft spot in my heart for Luka. And I usually have an a-ha moment, where an insignificant detail becomes something really important. Did you have a moment like that? Will it spoil the plot to tell me what it was?

Yes, I had several of them while writing Taste. I can't share them here because it would spoil too much of the book. Safe to say, when I write, I usually don't know what happens next until I start a new chapter, which is why most of my aha moments are spoilery. *laughs*

Are you surprised where the story took you? Or if ended up where you planned, were you surprised how you got there?

That's the thing about Taste. I already knew how it would end from the time I started writing it, so it was just a matter of connecting point A with point Z.

I understand that. Finally, what story idea is sitting in the class right now, raising his hand madly, begging you to call on him?

So many. The situation brings me back to my teaching days when everyone wanted to answer the question. But I'm thinking of trying a contemporary YA romance. I've never written one of those yet.

Thank you for joining us for Evolution Thursday, Kate! Everyone, I admonish you to go directly to Amazon and buy this book. It's seriously in my top five favorite books ever.



Come back next week for Evolution Thursday. Shannon Eckrich is going to tell us all about "The Other Side of Forever."