Author Interview: Kate McLaughlin
Author Interview: Kate McLaughlin
Hey All!
Today is my stop on the What Unbreakable Looks Like blog tour and I am here today with an interview with the author!
Title: What Unbreakable Looks Like
Author: Kate McLaughlin
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Published: 23rd June 2020
Format: Paperback
Source:: N/A
Add It: Amazon. Goodreads.
Summary: Lex was taken–trafficked–and now she’s Poppy. Kept in a hotel with other girls, her old life is a distant memory. But when the girls are rescued, she doesn’t quite know how to be Lex again.
After she moves in with her aunt and uncle, for the first time in a long time, she knows what it is to feel truly safe. Except, she doesn’t trust it. Doesn’t trust her new home. Doesn’t trust her new friend. Doesn’t trust her new life. Instead she trusts what she shouldn’t because that’s what feels right. She doesn’t deserve good things.
But when she is sexually assaulted by her so-called boyfriend and his friends, Lex is forced to reckon with what happened to her and that just because she is used to it, doesn’t mean it is okay. She’s thrust into the limelight and realizes she has the power to help others. But first she’ll have to confront the monsters of her past with the help of her family, friends, and a new love.
Kate McLaughlin’s What Unbreakable Looks Like is a gritty, ultimately hopeful novel about human trafficking through the lens of a girl who has escaped the life and learned to trust, not only others, but in herself.
The Interview
What is your favourite thing about writing books?
It’s when little things come together. Like, sometimes a character will do something early in the book that I didn’t really plan or think about and then later in the book it suddenly becomes a THING, or becomes part of something bigger. I always feel like a genius when that happens. lol
Who is your favourite character in your book and why?
I have a couple. I mean, obviously, Lex but, I also adore Elsa (who is named for my niece) and I have a bit of a soft spot for Daisy as well.
What is your favourite drink to consume while writing?
Hmmm, probably tea. I like tea a lot – hot tea.
Do you have any bad habits while you’re writing?
LOL!! Yes! Oh, I waste time and don’t sit right and stop to check my email, or eat snacks. I’m terrible – sometimes. When I get into the zone and things are really working, nothing can distract me, and I get angry if something – or someone – tries.
How did you research your book?
I read books on trafficking and watched a great documentary called ‘I Am Jane Doe’ on Netflix, which I recommend. I talked to a detective who worked the state trafficking division and talked to girls who had been trafficked. One of them I became quite close to and we still talk.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
A little bit of both. I love to plot things out and have a plan, but if something comes to me that deviates from that, but I think will work? I jump on it. Sometimes you just don’t know how a book needs to flow until you’re actively in it.
If you could live in any fictional world, which would you choose and why?
Oh, dear. That is a very difficult question! Maybe Star Wars if I could have a Wookie side-kick, or the Marvel Universe if I could be a hero…
If you could befriend any fictional character, who would you choose and why?
Neil Gaiman’s Sandman character – Dream, not Daniel. Why? Because I have a crush.
About the Author
KATE McLAUGHLIN likes people, so much so that she spends her days making up her own. She likes writing about characters who are bent, but not broken - people who find their internal strength through friends, strife and sometimes humor. When she's not writing, she likes studying people, both real and fictional. She also likes playing board games with friends, talking and discovering new music. A proud Nova Scotian, she'll gladly tell you all about the highest tides in the world, the magical creation known as a donair, and people who have sofas in their kitchens. Currently, she lives in Connecticut with her husband and four cats. She's the author of What Unbreakable Looks Like.
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