Writers Like Us - Cath Crowley

I have more than a handful of Aussie YA writers who I love, but none more so than Cath Crowley. If you are just hearing about her, check out her YA contemp Graffiti Moon while you're waiting for her next book, Words in Deep Blue to come out next week.

Words in Deep Blue is a swoony, heartbreaking contemporary about teens in a bookstore, secret notes left in books, their love for each other, and the love they have for stories. I give it five heart emojis and five more book emojis. ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ + 📖  📖  📖  📖  📖

You can find more information on Cath here at her website, and follow her on Twitter @CathCrowley. Her answers below in bold.

Like these interviews? You can check them all out here, which include advice and insights from Sara Zarr, A.S. King, Becky Albertalli, Courtney Stevens, and many, many others.

Cath on Writing

• I've written ten books, and seven have seen the light of day.

• My favorite type of setting to write is one that’s not obviously beautiful – industrial and bleak, bright lights in a dark sky. 

• No matter how long I've been writing, I still have issues with structure – I can hear characters talking, I can see a bookstore, I can see letters in books, but I can’t see when the scene is happening. It’s lucky I have brilliant editors. 

• A typical comment from my critique partner is “I’d do a check on how many times you’ve used that same word...”

• The book I wished I wrote is We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. In fact, anything by E. Lockhart.

Cath on Getting Published

• When I was querying, I felt so impatient, so desperate to hear news. I checked my email obsessively. 

• The biggest mistake I ever made querying was being impatient. 

• What I love most about my agent is she’s incredibly smart, and incredibly supportive – win or lose she’s on my side regardless. 

• While my book was out on submission, I was certain it wouldn’t sell. When I got "The Call," my first thought was how should I celebrate? (You have to celebrate the wins, no matter how big or how small).

• When I saw my book sale in Publishers Marketplace I didn’t see my book sale – but I imagine I would have smiled. 

Cath on Life Outside Writing

• If I weren't a writer, I'd probably be an archivist or a librarian or, a bookseller. 

• Secretly, I'm terrified of losing the people I love. 

• My secret girlfriend/boyfriend is Bill Nighy. For a while there it was Ray Bradbury. 

• Sometimes, when no one is around, I read all day in bed.
  
  

Cath Crowley is a young adult fiction author based in Melbourne, Australia. She was born in 1971 in rural Victoria. Crowley's books include The Gracie Faltrain Trilogy, Chasing Charlie Duskin and Graffiti Moon. She is currently a freelance writer and part time teacher. Her work has been published in Australia and internationally.