Tell us about your latest novel in 15 words or less.
Forced to travel to Kenya for her parents’ funeral, Mel discovers life changing hidden truths.
What inspired you to write Catching Lightning?
I fell in love with Kenya on a trip back in 2001. On paper there is a lot not to like about Kenya, the poverty, dirt, corruption, and that got me thinking about whether the love for a man could outweigh your hatred for a country. On our trip we went to an orphanage just outside Nairobi and it was such an amazing experience. That orphanage gave me the setting for Catching Lightning.
I have my laptop set up in our dining room and that is where I do most of my writing. Some of Catching Lightning was written on holiday in Spain. I would get up at about 6am and go and sit out on the patio overlooking the pool and an amazing view down to the coast. I got so much done before the rest of the family got up, it was so easy to write there.
What is your favourite book?
That’s an easy one, Pride and Prejudice. I have just been given a new Kindle cover that is a beautifully bound cover of Pride and Prejudice and I love it. I can’t wait until my daughters (9 and 11) are old enough to really appreciate Jane Austen.
Which part of Catching Lightning did you enjoy writing the most?
I loved writing the part where they are on safari. It was great to get to relive my experience of safari and transport myself back to seeing the wonderful scenery and fantastic animals.
Who is your favourite literary heroine?
It would have to be Elizabeth Bennet. I love the way she stands up for herself and her beliefs but is also not afraid to admit when she has things wrong.
Do you have any tips for readers who are looking to become published writers?
Don’t give up. The more you write and read the better you become.
Are you working on anything else at the moment and if so, can you tell us?
I am working on book number three and it is a bit different from the first two as it is set in England so I don’t get to escape to exotic locations like Italy and Kenya as I have done with my other books.
Thanks, Katie!
You can find out more about Katie and her books by visiting her website, Facebook page or by following her on Twitter.
Catching Lightning by Katie Stephens
You never know where or when lightning will strike but when it happens on a trip back to Kenya to bury your parents you know the timing isn’t great.
Mel has spent the past 14 years resenting her parents for abandoning her at a boarding school in England while they went back to Kenya, a country she hates, to run an orphanage and school for their charity. A tragic accident forces her to return to Kenya for her parents’ funeral but meeting the gorgeous, English educated Sam was not part of the plan. Finding her mother’s diaries reveals a lot of unanswered questions and the discovery of a detailed itinerary of a trip round Kenya that her parents dreamed of making with her makes Mel realise that maybe she had things wrong. Will taking the trip make her fall in love with the man, the country, neither or both?
No comments