In this episode:
Kathy Otten started writing stories when she was very small, but it wasn't until she became a mum and was nursing her children in the middle of the night that she discovered Harlequin romance books.

She tried writing her own, but discovered it was harder than she thought.

So, undaunted, she started taking classes and workshops, and kept on writing and little by little overtime she improved and started publishing short stories.

It was her father who introduced her to the great Westerns writers, like Louis Lamour and Zane Grey, and it was this that cemented her love of historical romance.

But she doesn’t write only American West stories. Kathy Otten told me she sees the characters first and then follows the story, and one of her books is set in WWII.

I ask Kathy about her working schedule and she explains she’s a teaching assistant and so her writing must work around that.

But in an ideal world, she works on her own fiction and research in the morning, and in the afternoon she works on her client’s pages, for Kathy Otten is also a book coach.

Pennwriters Inc is a writing group that started in Pennsylvania, USA but now is across many states. The organisation, and in particular their critique group, helped Kathy focus on areas of her work that needed help. 

Members read her work, recommended books and workshops and enabled Kathy to continue working on her craft in a supportive way.

She tells me what she recommends you look for in a critique group and emphasises that the focus should be on the writing, not the person.

As a way of paying forward the help she’s received, Kathy now teaches writing to others and has held a lot of workshops for Pennwriters Inc conferences, her chapter of the RWA and Savvy Authors.

Latterly she’s become an accredited book coach and uses her skills to even greater effect by working closely with writers on their manuscripts over a longer period of time.

The coaching, Kathy says, comes in two forms. It’s either book coaching or author coaching. Both need help at different times of the process, and certainly that has been my own experience of both coaching and being coached!

We talk about writer's block, what it is and how you can move past it. Often the problem lies with the plot or the character and once those issues are resolved, the rest falls into place.

This is something Kathy can help with in her coaching role.

We finish our conversation with Kathy telling me what she’s working on at the moment and where you can find out more about her books and her coaching.

Connect with Kathy Otten:

• https://www.kathyotten.com/
• Kathy Otten (@KathyOtten) / Twitter
• Kathy Otten Historical Romance Author | Facebook

Links mentioned in show:

• Louis Lamour Westerns
• Zane Grey Westerns
• Anne Stuart, author
• Jane Friedman | Reporting on the Publishing Industry

If you're a first-time author and need help with your manuscript, then The Story Builder is what you need. It's a 12 month, small group programme that will get you from fearful and stuck, to feeling ready to achieve a long desired dream. Book a call today >> www.emmadhesi.com/StoryBuilder

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